Dunking With Wolves
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Getting the Timberwolves to the Playoffs: Free Agency

By Serenity Bishop

Jan 25, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) points to a teammate after a made basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) points to a teammate after a made basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Getting to the playoffs is the goal for all 30 teams in the NBA, and in this three-part series, we will examine how the Timberwolves can go from 29-53 to at least the eighth seed, whether through free agency, the draft, or possible trades.

In terms of free agency, this off-season features a lot of great talent. The T-Wolves already boast a lot of young talent of their own, of course, and only a few pieces are need to be added to make it to the playoffs. ‘

Minnesota’s young core is both a blessing and a curse. Andrew Wiggins, Tyus Jones, Karl Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine are all under the age of 21. Ricky Rubio is still young himself at only 25.

The guard position is very good, but they do need another guard to enter the rotation with Rubio, LaVine and Jones.

Other than that, the power forward position is a question mark. Four players played power forward this year for the Wolves, including future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett.

KG is 39 years old and might not be back next season. Gorgui Dieng played well during his time at power forward this season, but he is also Towns’ backup at the center position. As you can see, depth and power forward are the biggest issues which brings us to free agency.

As mentioned, there is a lot of great talent in free agency that could get Minnesota to the playoffs. In order to tackle the most important need first, power forward, free agency allows a few options to upgrade the position.

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The first (and perhaps best) option, is to sign Al Horford away from Atlanta. Horford is one of the best power forwards in the league and would dominate with Wiggins and Towns on the same court.

This season, Horford averaged 15.3 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game. If you add those 15 points, the T-Wolves would have won 41 of their 53 losses and would have boasted a record of 70-12…or something like that.

Sure, it’s little far fetched to think that the addition of Horford would turn the Timberwolves into the Golden State Warriors, but he would definitely help a great deal.

The other power forward option the Wolves could go for is Nene. The former Wizards big man is a step below Horford when it comes to the tiers of free agents.

He averaged 9.2 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game this season and played a vital role for Washington. Of course, Horford or Nene would essentially be an upgrade over any option currently on the team.

At the guard position, Minnesota can pick guard they’d like. In my opinion, the best option is a guard that doesn’t mind coming off the bench and can get to the basket and score. Two players come to mind Brandon Jennings and Norris Cole.

Brandon Jennings can flat-out score. He’s a very good offensive player and is young at only 26. Norris Cole, on the other hand, knows what it takes to win a championship thanks to his time in Miami. Also, at only 27, Cole could prove to be a solid pickup for the Wolves.

Next: Is Jared Dudley A Fit For The Timberwolves?

If the Timberwolves want to focus solely on free agency, Al Horford and Brandon Jennings should be the top priorities. If they miss out on one or both players, Nene or Norris Cole would still be solid pickups.