FNG wrote:Q-was-here wrote:Utah now below .500. Their hot start has proven unsustainable it turns out. And they have just one guy - Colin Sexton - on the injury report, so this is not due to injuries, but perhaps regression to the type of team they started as on paper.
Yeah, and I think they will totally collapse if they incur any injuries like the Wolves have. It's unfortunate that the Wolves' poor start has them outside the top 10 currently and we have to look at which teams we are likely to pass, but I'm convinced we will finish the season well ahead of the Jazz.
There never should have been any doubt that the Jazz would end up a lottery team this season given their talent, the deals they made last summer and the clear intent of their front office to start a rebuild. The question of concern is whether the Wolves will also end up a lottery team this season. If that happens, it will make this the worst season in Wolves history - not the worst record or finish by any stretch, but definitely the worst season based on talent, last season's record, last summer's front-office moves and front-office/fan expectations. The fact that the Lakers have pulled even with the Wolves in the standings is embarrassing, but hopefully only a fleeting moment.
If the Wolves turn this nice little 3-game winning streak into an 8-game streak before facing the Nuggets and then win 6 of 7 games after Denver, then we can start talking seriously again about contending instead of watching this team compete with the Lakers and a few other team for positioning in the play-in tournament. If Edwards is physically OK and Prince and Anderson remain healthy, the Wolves have a very good shot at winning at least 10 of their next 13 games this month. These are the Wolves' remaining games this month:
@Houston
@Detroit
Phoenix Suns
Cleveland Cavs
Utah
@Denver Nuggets
Toronto Raptors
Houston Rockets
@Houston
@New Orleans
Memphis
Kings
Kings
As you can see, 8 of our next 13 games are at home and 3 of our 5 road games are against bottom-dwellers. New Orleans will probably still be without both Zion and Ingram when we face them on Jan. 25. The only game the Wolves should be expected to lose is the game at Denver on the18th. This is the moment for this team to get it together and put a possible lottery finish in the rear view mirror. KAT might be back by the time we face Memphis on Jan. 27. But even if he isn't, this team is talented enough with Edwards, McDaniels, Gobert, Prince, Anderson, Naz and others to take advantage of the opportunity they have to get back on track by the end of this month.
