Minnesota Timberwolves: Week One in the power rankings

After a surprising first week of the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are ranked all over the place in various power rankings from around the NBA landscape.

The Minnesota Timberwolves hold the best record in the entire NBA.

Sure, we’re only a week in, but they’re the only 3-0 team and one of only five undefeated teams. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming.

There has been a bit of luck, such as avoiding rotation players like Cody Zeller and Nicolas Batum in Charlotte and Jimmy Butler in the home opener against the Heat, but the best teams are never excluded from stumbling upon some good fortune every know and then.

In what will be a weekly feature this season here at Dunking With Wolves, let’s take a quick spin around the NBA landscape and take a look at the power rankings that a few of the major publications put out each Monday. Then, we’ll tell you whether they’re right or not.

Let’s get into it.

ESPN: No. 15

Yeah, you read that right. The team with the best record in the league is ranked No. 15. And not only that, they’re ranked one spot below the 1-2 Brooklyn Nets, who the Wolves have already beaten.

They’re also ranked below the 2-1 Miami Heat (No. 12), another team that the Wolves have beaten in the young season.

Here’s the thing: I’m not here to argue that the Wolves are a surefire playoff team or will be battling for home court advantage or anything like that. But to rank them below two of the three teams that they’ve beaten and leave them squarely in the middle-of-the-pack seems … off.

NBA.com: No. 5

Okay, this is a bit aggressive. Per the above comments, the Wolves are highly unlikely to be a top-five team in the league this year.

That said, if the criteria is “how has the team played so far this season”, then No. 5 is about right. Then again, they’re tied for the second-best point differential among undefeated teams, so why not rank them in the top three?

Also, by that same logic, ESPN has no business ranking the Wolves No. 15.

CBS Sports: No. 3

This is getting downright exhausting.

The only teams ranked ahead of Minnesota are Philadelphia, who the Wolves face this Wednesday on the road, and Denver. It’s hard to argue with that, as each of those teams are expected to be top contenders to represent their respective conferences in the Finals, and they’re both still undefeated.

That said, how about those Timberwolves?