Al Jefferson appreciation day

Big thanks to illustrator Joel Kimmel for this
Big Al illustration. Check out his portfolio.

Welcome to the NBA All-Star weekend vacuum, otherwise known as the calm before the Al Jefferson-less 31-game storm. My name is Solomon Lieberman, and I’ll be your host for the duration. Let’s get started.

As we, the Timberwolves faithful, prepare to slog through what remains of another bruised season, like a herd of Holsteins forced up river, it’s difficult not to be tempted by the fruit of another squad, like, say, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just this morning, I found myself ogling Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook highlights. My favorite has Westbrook inserting his shoe into Mario Chalmer’s mouth.

But before the affair got too serious, before any purchases of Thunder paraphernalia were considered, I ended it and came home.

I’m a Wolves fan, and rather than abandon our beleaguered team at this depressing hour, I decided to revel momentarily in what would’ve/could’ve/should’ve been this season.  And then, do as Shawshank Red would do: Get busy living.

Now this might hurt a little, but had Big Al finished the season, and his output remained consistent, he would’ve:

• Passed Doug West, Tony Campbell, Tom Gugliotta, Wally Szczerbiak, Felton Spencer and Rasho Nesterovic, to reach No. 5 on the list of all-time Timberwolves leaders in offensive rebounds, just a few boards behind Christian Laettner.
• Eclipsed Terrell Brandon and come within a FT of passing Anthony Peeler to seize the No. 10 spot on the all-time Timberwolves points list. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.
• Bested Gugliotta, Dean Garrett and good ol’ Randy Breuer to claim the No. 8 spot on the all-time blocks list, with just a few weeks of work required to break the top five.

All of this in just two seasons – two seasons with 32 hypothetical games, of course.

But what’s the best thing about such gaudy numbers? For Big Al, those individual accomplishments would’ve place second, at best, to the progress of his team. And as exhibited in January, the Wolves were finally playing like one.

I wonder how many Wolves fans know the depth of our broad-shouldered franchise player. If you’re like me, you’ve kept Big Al at an arm’s length, worried about investing too heavily in another Minnesota phenom, only to watch him conquer the world for another team (see: David Ortiz, Randy Moss and KG). It took a torn ACL for me to really get to know Al. It turns out he’s much more than sweetness in the low post.

Here’s an excerpt from a 2008 City Pages feature on Big Al by Jonathan Kaminsky:

"Before his senior year, Jefferson delighted Razorbacks fans by committing to attend Arkansas. But as his high school days wound down and the pull of the NBA grew stronger, Jefferson's life boiled down to a single question: Would he go to college or jump right into the big league? Jefferson found himself escaping to the wooded backcountry for long afternoons fishing alone. 'It was peace and quiet,' he recalls. 'I could go out there for hours and not catch nothing and still get something out of it.'"

Enjoy the lakes, Al (I recommend Cedar). We’ll see ya next year.