Timberwolves slept through the NBA trade deadline, and that is OK

The strangest NBA deadline in some time came and went Thursday. Strange in that I didn't plead for the Timberwolves to take a stick of dynamite, detonate the roster and start over. That's my usual sane reaction on trade deadline day.

This one struck a different tone. The Wolves stood pat, did nothing, kept the roster intact, and that is perfectly … fine? Yes, fine. For now.

Good call on keeping the dynamite under lock and key.

The Wolves desperately need another big man to protect the rim, but they have shown enough stretches of quality basketball to give this roster an opportunity to play the season out and then do accounting at the end.

A loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night was the kind of performance that makes jaded Wolves fans throw up their hands in disgust. Good vibes surrounding the defense early in the season have vanished. Their defense has become an eyesore once again.

Patience is difficult to maintain with the Wolves because they have no equity in the bank. By no means are they perfect, but when they are clicking and playing the right way, there is a lot to like. The Big Three. The bench. Pat Beverley. The two revelations, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaden McDaniels. Chris Finch's structure and system. And the camaraderie between players is antithetical to the Jimmy Butler fiasco.

That's why it's worth seeking clarity from a full season's evaluation. Not just one good stretch, or a few bad games. The whole picture.

This has been the most entertaining Wolves team in a long time. The organizational direction in building around viable core pieces finally makes sense. Play out the remainder of the season with this group and then reassess everything this summer.

There are fans upset that interim basketball boss Sachin Gupta failed to make a single move — big or small — to improve the roster now that the team finally deserves to be taken seriously. Their logic is understandable. Standing pat might give the impression of being satisfied, but that doesn't feel like the true motive in this case.

The entire operation has been in such flux over the past few years between trades, signings, drafting, firings and injuries that it's worth having continuity for once.

This isn't a championship-or-bust situation. The Wolves, as constructed, are not legitimate contenders. The roster would require a dramatic addition of another star before they could consider being part of that conversation. One trade for a role player isn't going to tip the scale.

Whether they earn the No. 6 seed or end up in a play-in tournament, a postseason appearance is a necessary step in trying to eradicate a deeply rooted culture of losing.

That the Wolves received backlash for not being buyers at the deadline marks an odd departure that is refreshing and an acknowledgment that former lead executive Gersson Rosas, while being a major headache for the human resources department, made shrewd personnel moves in assembling the roster — his regrettable Jarrett Culver pick notwithstanding.

D'Angelo Russell has been an acquired taste since Rosas executed the blockbuster trade involving Andrew Wiggins, but DLo's impact when he's on the court is undeniable this season.

Anthony Edwards, drafted No. 1 overall, has transformative talent. Adding complementary pieces in Beverley, Vanderbilt, McDaniels and Taurean Prince has worked out better than anyone could have imagined.

Rosas also found the right coach with Finch. The process in which he fired Ryan Saunders midseason should have been handled differently, but Finch's leadership should not be undersold in examining why the Wolves are currently 7th in the Western Conference standings.

The Wolves will learn a lot about themselves in the final 26 games. Are they a playoff team? A fringe playoff team? And what moves will be necessary for them to keep ascending? Maybe a splash move will be available this summer.

Gupta might look back with regret for not doing more at the deadline — if there were realistic opportunities that made sense — but his patience is certainly justifiable.

The Wolves have been a pleasant surprise. They still run hot-and-cold and their defense is failing them again, but they seem just as capable of ripping off a winning streak that keeps them relevant in the playoff chase. That's precisely the point in wanting to see the roster stay intact. Let's see where this goes.