Northwest Division Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves
2013-14 Record: 40-42, 3rd in Northwest
Begrudgingly, I have the Wolves ranked fourth in the Northwest Division Preview, behind the Nuggets, the Thunder, and the Blazers.
Even though they’re not atop my rankings, you can take solace in the fact that our Wolves would kick ass if they were facing the real-life versions of their divisional foes. Like the nuggets for instance: how would golden nuggets, or chicken nuggets, or even poop nuggets stand a chance against a pack of wolves?
And jazz? Jazz is cool, but it’s a musical premise, an idea glorified by 50’s beatniks like Jack Kerouac. If thunder were lightning instead we could talk, and don’t get me started on trailblazers. I played Oregon Trail on Macintosh as a kid, and those blazers were regularly eaten by wolves, and bears and such. Score one for the Timberwolves.
The Roster
The Wolves have a strange mix of youth and veteran leadership. Looking at their 18-man training camp roster, they’ll have eight guys with five or more years of experience and eight guys with one or less years at the NBA level.
Having eight veterans isn’t so surprising, but eight kiddies? Dieng, Hummel, Muhammad, Bennett, Heslip, LaVine, Robinson, and Wiggins—yep, that’s eight. What’s crazier is that seven of them will probably make the team (sorry Brady Heslip).
With established veterans in Rubio, Martin, Brewer, Barea, Williams, Budinger, Young, and Pekovic all likely to get floor time, it’ll be fascinating to see which of the noobs can force their way onto the floor. Wiggins and Dieng are almost guaranteed playing time, but from there it’ll be a dog fight to see who rounds out the rotation.
Don’t be surprised if you’re favorite young gun spends most of the season riding the bench or in the back of a D=League bus (I’m rooting for you Shabazz).
One Dude To Watch Out For
With all due respect to the rest of the roster, it’s really all about Andrew Wiggins. When you’re heralded as the best prospect since LeBron James and nicknamed “Maple Jordan” then naturally the eyeballs will fall squarely upon you. Even the casual sports fan (hi, mom) is asking questions about this Wiggins fellow.
That being said he’s probably (definitely) second to Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater in terms of popularity in Minneapolis at this point. It’s a football town first, but if Wiggins can live up to his promise, we could be talking about the end of ineptitude and the beginning of some proud new sports traditions in the Twin Cities. Yes, I’m talking about winning. Haven’t heard of it? Trust me, it’s awesome.
The Basketball Horoscope
I’ve once again consulted with psychic adviser Madam Marlena Fortuna, and she’s tipped me off on a few cosmic trends as they pertain to our Timberwolves.
Firstly, Ms. Fortuna believes that Ronny Turiaf will take a spiritual sabbatical sometime in December and return after the Ides of March a changed man. And secondly she advises Corey Brewer to stay away from spicy foods as she believes they will adversely affect his digestive system. It’s worth mentioning that Marlena knows absolutely nothing about basketball…
The Real Outlook
So what can we really expect from the Wolves this season? Well, it’s hard to say. There’s an element of mystery surrounding the ceiling of this team that even Madam Fortuna can’t get to the bottom of.
This year could play out in so many different ways varying from good to terrible. Anytime a ball club has this much change from one season to the next, predicting the future becomes nearly impossible.
While I don’t know how good or bad we’ll be, I am confident the team will be fun to watch, mostly because of plays like this one:
Cody’s Questions
I have so many questions my head hurts. Here are just a few: Will Andrew Wiggins show that he’s the next great NBA star? Will Ricky Rubio improve his jump shot? Will the team defense be better? Will Shabazz Muhammad play? Will LaVine? How many minutes will Pekovic play? What’s going on with J.J. Barea? Are we going to trade some of our wing players? Will Flip Saunders lead us to the playoffs? Will my soul ever find peace?
My Wolves obsession is nauseating even to me, but that’s why I write about them. I just care too damn much.