When the Timberwolves knocked off the New Jersey Nets on Damien Wilkins‘ last second shot in the season opener on October 28, not even the most pessimistic observer could have predicted it would take the team 16 games over 32 days to secure another victory.

A 106-100 win at Denver on Sunday spared the Wolves the indignity of a franchise record tying 16th consecutive loss and a winless month of November. Wilkins again played a big part in the victory, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

The 29-year-old forward, who came to the Wolves in a July trade with Oklahoma City, is the son of 13-year NBA veteran Gerald Wilkins and nephew of 9-time All Star Dominique Wilkins. He took some time out to chat with me after today’s practice about the streak, his family and his old team’s move.

DZ: I imagine the win on Sunday felt pretty good; could you just talk a little about that?

WILKINS: It was deserved and it was needed. After losing 15 in a row you lose a little bit of confidence, your spirits are down a little bit (and) morale in the locker room is down a little bit, so it was good to get off the schnide and get us a win. It was a different locker room, a different bus ride and a different plane ride on the way home.

DZ: With Oklahoma City last year, you had the same kind of start; does that help you deal with this a little bit better?

WILKINS: Yeah. I have somewhat been through these types of lows the last couple of years so you understand that it doesn’t last forever and I tried to get these guys to understand that it doesn’t last forever. You just have to keep fighting through it and through it all it helps the team build an identity and that is what we are trying to do now is build the identity of a team that won’t quit, a team that is a scrappy team. We know going into a game that we are not going to outscore guys, we are not going to put up 120 points every night. It’s important for us to work with everything we’ve got on every possession.

DZ: How long ago does your buzzer beater on opening night seem right now?

WILKINS: It seems like a long time ago. Truthfully, it was – it was in October. We went the whole month of November without a win, basically. We’ve got two now and we’ve got an opportunity to get a third one tomorrow (vs. Memphis) – we’ll go from there.

DZ: During the (15 game losing) streak, did you ever think, “Man, I am glad I made that shot.”

WILKINS: All the time. All the time. We talked about it a lot, about how far away that seemed – about how long ago that seemed. We certainly glad we are not in the other (Nets?) shoes.

DZ: You’ve kind of come full circle here. You almost came to this organization four years ago (A restricted free agent in 2005, Wilkins signed an offer sheet from the Wolves that was matched by Seattle). Now, with the front office change, were you surprised you ended up here?

WILKINS: Nothing about this league surprises me. I say that all the time. People ask me “What is your biggest surprise about being in the NBA” and I say “Nothing surprises me.” I’ve seen a lot of things happen and a lot of fans of the game have seen things happen that they probably thought that they wouldn’t see happen. I am just happy to be here to play, get an opportunity to go out on the floor and show the things I am capable of doing. I am happy to be here learning with this team and growing with this team and we’ll see what happens next.

DZ: You say nothing surprises you, having a father and an uncle who had long careers in this league, did that help prepare you?

WILKINS: I think it did. I think it matured me and helped me understand that every season is a long season. You’ve somewhat got to pace yourself and not take things too seriously, maintain your level of responsibility to yourself and the team. If you do that everyday, come in prepared, ready to play, ready to practice, help guys out, help people get better – it will be smooth sailing. If you take things too seriously, take things too personal – I think that’s when guys go in the tank.

DZ: You wore No. 21 with Seattle and Oklahoma City for obvious reasons (dad Gerald and uncle Dominique both wore the number), when you come here; you are not getting that number. Did you just go 2 plus 1 equals 3?

WILKINS: I thought about that a long time. When I got the news I was traded here, they called me and asked me what number I wanted. I assumed they asked me what number I wanted because I wasn’t going to get 21, so I was like “Just give me No. 3.” I asked my dad about it, he said “You’re the third generation, take No. 3.”

DZ: The last couple of years with the Seattle/Oklahoma City franchise, you went through the move, could you just talk about what that experience was like?

WILKINS: It was tough because Seattle was a place where everyone that had been on the team planted roots there. We were pillars in that community and made a lot of good friends and met a lot of great people. It was a tough move for us and for the fans, but at the same time, we went to a great situation in Oklahoma. Those fans welcomed us with open arms and they were just great. The fans there are just awesome – the best in the league and we appreciated everything they did in helping us make that move, that adjustment smoothly.

DZ: One last thing, could you talk about your former teammate Kevin Durant, how you’ve seen him evolve?

WILKINS: I’ve seen him evolve into a great player. I think his first year, his rookie year; he was just more of a volume scorer. He took a lot of shots – he took a lot of shots that weren’t good shots. You could still the see the level of talent and the things he could possibly bring to a team. He’s evolved into an awesome player. The guy is almost unstoppable. When you’ve got a guy who is 6-10, can handle the ball, shoot the ball and can do all the things he can do, he is just a nightmare to defend.

See more of David Zingler’s interviews with Timberwolves players:

November 17: Corey Brewer
November 5: Wayne Ellington