***OFFICIAL 2022-23 WINS PREDICTION THREAD***

[Lipoli390]

I'm missed Q's deadline. I just couldn't get myself to venture a guess without first seeing a few preseason games. I'm now ready to put my 2021-22 championship on the line with a bold prediction for the 2022-23 season.

I went with 46 wins last season and I'll go with 48 this season. We should be a better team than last season, but the Western Conference will be significantly better as a whole. Utah will take a big step back and Dallas a small step back. But the Nuggets, Clippers, Pelicans, Blazers, Kings will all be significantly better. And if Anthony Davis stays healthy, the Lakers will also be better. The Eastern Conference will also be better overall. Therefore, nearly every matchup will be tougher this season than last. I don't think the addition of Gobert and Anderson will produce enough of a net gain for the Wolves to win significantly more games than last season after factoring in the loss of Beverley and Vando. After watching Forbes in these first three preseason games, I'm no longer worried about the loss of Beasley. In fact, Forbes looks like a net improvement over Beasley. But I'm worried about how everything fits together defensively with KAT and Gobert together with no Vando or Beverley.

I still see Nowell, Edwards and McDaniels as the keys to whether this team can break the 50-win barrier and advance in the playoffs. So far I'm impressed by what we've seen from Nowell in the preseason. But I haven't seen anything from Edward or McDaniels to suggest that either one is poised to take a big leap forward this season. I'm actually a little concerned about Ant's extra 10 pounds. In the second two preseason games I started to notice what Q noticed in the first game - i.e., that Ant looks like he's bogged down just a bit by his extra weight. An extra 10 points is a lot to carry without jeopardizing some explosiveness. That's true even if the gain is all muscle. In Ant's case, he doesn't looked ripped enough for me to believe his extra 10 points are all muscle. Even a very small impact on a player's explosiveness can have a huge impact on his performance in the NBA. I also worry about the impact of those extra 10 points on Ant's knees, which were already suffering from tendinopathy. We're seen some signs that McDaniels might be ready poised for a breakout season, but I'm not yet convinced.

This could be a 52 win team if things come together. But to avoid setting myself up for disappointment and recognizing some remaining question marks, I'm predicting 47 wins.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Lip started his prediction explanation at 48 and somehow worked himself down to 47 within one post! Classic! :)

[Jester1534]

I shouldn't even have to post it, but put me down for 60! ;-)

First time posting here. Ignore my posts total as those were from my inept uncle.

This 60WinTim guy isn't positive enough we're for sure winning 70 games this year.

[Q-is-here]

70WinJester - 70



WolvesFan21 - 61
60WinTim, WallyWorld - 60
Crazysauce - 58
SameOldNudityDrew - 57
Phenom - 56
worldK - 55
leado01, kekgeek1, Mikkeman - 54
Pork, FNG,WildWolf - 53
Cam - 52
Sundog60, tpoff217, KiwiMatt, Q, D'Natagal - 51
TheSP, Coolbreaze, Volans19 - 50
Doper - 49
Monster - 48
Lip - 47



Abe - 36

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

70WinJester - 70



WolvesFan21 - 61
60WinTim, WallyWorld - 60
Crazysauce - 58
SameOldNudityDrew - 57
Phenom - 56
worldK - 55
leado01, kekgeek1, Mikkeman - 54
Pork, FNG,WildWolf - 53
Cam - 52
Sundog60, tpoff217, KiwiMatt, Q, D'Natagal - 51
TheSP, Coolbreaze, Volans19 - 50
Doper - 49
Monster - 48
Lip - 47



Abe - 36

Put me down for 52 so I can I share the glory with my buddy Cam :)

[Lipoli390]

Lip started his prediction explanation at 48 and somehow worked himself down to 47 within one post! Classic! :)

The more I wrote, the more pessimistic I became. If I had written a few more paragraphs I probably would have had the Wolves (I mean Utah) in the lottery! :)

[Monster]

Lip started his prediction explanation at 48 and somehow worked himself down to 47 within one post! Classic! :)

The more I wrote, the more pessimistic I became. If I had written a few more paragraphs I probably would have had the Wolves (I mean Utah) in the lottery! :)

Thanks goodness Lip talked his way out of 48. That's MY NUMBER!!! :)

[Q-is-here]

70WinJester - 70



WolvesFan21 - 61
60WinTim, WallyWorld - 60
Crazysauce - 58
SameOldNudityDrew - 57
Phenom - 56
worldK - 55
leado01, kekgeek1, Mikkeman - 54
Pork, FNG,WildWolf - 53
Cam, D-Loser - 52
Sundog60, tpoff217, KiwiMatt, Q, D'Natagal - 51
TheSP, Coolbreaze, Volans19 - 50
Doper - 49
Monster - 48
Lip - 47



Abe - 36

[Coolbreeze44]

70WinJester - 70



WolvesFan21 - 61
60WinTim, WallyWorld - 60
Crazysauce - 58
SameOldNudityDrew - 57
Phenom - 56
worldK - 55
leado01, kekgeek1, Mikkeman - 54
Pork, FNG,WildWolf - 53
Cam - 52
Sundog60, tpoff217, KiwiMatt, Q, D'Natagal - 51
TheSP, Coolbreaze, Volans19 - 50
Doper - 49
Monster - 48
Lip - 47



Abe - 36

Put me down for 52 so I can I share the glory with my buddy Cam :)

The bond between you two is becoming quite strong

[Coolbreeze44]

Lip started his prediction explanation at 48 and somehow worked himself down to 47 within one post! Classic! :)

The more I wrote, the more pessimistic I became. If I had written a few more paragraphs I probably would have had the Wolves (I mean Utah) in the lottery! :)

That is funny