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Timberwolves Roundup: Steps to success, Butler and Jordan Brand

By Ben Beecken

SHANGHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 07: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talks to the press during practice and media availability as part of 2017 NBA Global Games China on October 7, 2017 at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
SHANGHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 07: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talks to the press during practice and media availability as part of 2017 NBA Global Games China on October 7, 2017 at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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As season previews continue to roll in, CBS’ Matt Moore lists four steps to success for this year’s Timberwolves. Plus, Jimmy Butler made a surprise Jordan Brand appearance in China.

The Timberwolves should be good this season. On paper, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that two likely All-Stars in Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, plus a recent All-Star in Jeff Teague and an up-and-coming athletic freak in Andrew Wiggins will be a solid team.

It seems as though one of the primary hangups when it comes to folks trusting the Wolves as a surefire playoff team and likely contender for home court advantage in the playoffs is the fact that they won just 32 games a year ago. After all, a leap of 16-18 games is nearly unheard of.

But the Timberwolves aren’t simply relying on a leap from Towns and Wiggins — they added a player who has made the All-Star team each of the last three years and is entering his prime. A leap beyond a normal, incremental improvement can be expected.

Matt Moore of CBS Sports argues that the Wolves’ bench is “bad”, and a “gigantic pile of ‘Ruh-ruh’.” Sure, Tyus Jones and Nemanja Bjelica are, at least on some level, question marks. But Gorgui Dieng is likely to be one of the better backup big men in the league, and one that can play both the ‘four’ and the ‘five’.

Moore also states that Shabazz Muhammad is “fighting to stay in the league”. Yikes…that would seem to be untrue. It was simply a rough summer for restricted free agents, and by the time that the Wolves renounced Muhammad’s rights, most of the money had dried up. Remember, he could have taken more money to join a new team rather than returning to the Wolves for the veteran’s minimum.

Of course, the Wolves’ outside shooting and the bench are the two biggest issues, but the issues as stated by Moore seem to be…overstated.

Moore goes on to stress concerns with Andrew Wiggins, which are largely fair, especially regarding his decision-making and ability in the pick-and-roll. After touching on the Wolves’ potential issues shooting from beyond the arc, he launches into an intriguing fourth and final point.

According to Moore, the Wolves should “Find the Warriors” in the playoffs. That’s right, he suggests that if Minnesota finds themselves in a #4-#5 playoff matchup come March, they are one of the few teams that would have a shot at beating Golden State.

He also acknowledges that the Timberwolves would not only lose to the Warriors but either be swept or be beaten in five games, but that the Wolves, and especially Towns, have given Golden State some issues over the past couple of years in the regular season. It’s an interesting point, but I’m pretty sure that Timberwolves fans would take a Wolves-Warriors second round matchup any day of the week after 14 years in the non-playoff wilderness.

Elsewhere, the Timberwolves are still in China, preparing for their third and final preseason game early on Sunday morning. (Yes, we’ll have postgame coverage immediately upon the conclusion of the tilt.) Earlier this week, Jimmy Butler made a surprise appearance at the new Jordan Brand store in Shanghai. There is a photo gallery of the appearance on Timberwolves.com.

Next: Another look at the Jimmy Butler-Andrew Wiggins tandem

Check back here for a recap and highlights of Sunday’s game against the Warriors, and throughout the rest of the weekend as we close to within 10 days of the Timberwolves regular season opener.

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