Looking forward to the 2018 season.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Re: Teague's defense, there is this:

http://www.nba.com/hawks/features/believe-it-jeff-teague-one-best-defensive-point-guards-basketball/

I'll miss Ricky's length and knack for clogging passing lanes along with his relentless energy, but even Rubio supporters like me sometimes got frustrated by his inconsistency in fighting through screens. I like what this article says about Teague and his toughness in this area.

[TheFuture]

I looked forward to the 2005 season. And the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. You'll have to forgive me if i'm more than just a little bit pessimistic!

You sum it up rather plainly. I will be with you in that boat until proven otherwise. I hope you have a barge, as I doubt a yacht fits everyone,

[Shumway]

I looked forward to the 2005 season. And the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. You'll have to forgive me if i'm more than just a little bit pessimistic!

I forgive nothing. Those seasons were all different. THIS is the season to be optimistic.

I haven't been this hopeful since I heard TheSP was entering the draft and I was hopeful we may draft him. I assure you, this season will not end up the same debacle as that draft when TheSP didn't even lodge the correct paperwork to enter the draft.

[TAFKASP]

I looked forward to the 2005 season. And the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. You'll have to forgive me if i'm more than just a little bit pessimistic!

I forgive nothing. Those seasons were all different. THIS is the season to be optimistic.

I haven't been this hopeful since I heard TheSP was entering the draft and I was hopeful we may draft him. I assure you, this season will not end up the same debacle as that draft when TheSP didn't even lodge the correct paperwork to enter the draft.

You make my point, even when the Wolves do everything right (wrong enough to get the 1st pick) some other asshole goes and screws it all up. Now we're all stuck with KAT, just can't win for losing.

[TheFuture]

I looked forward to the 2005 season. And the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. You'll have to forgive me if i'm more than just a little bit pessimistic!

I forgive nothing. Those seasons were all different. THIS is the season to be optimistic.

I haven't been this hopeful since I heard TheSP was entering the draft and I was hopeful we may draft him. I assure you, this season will not end up the same debacle as that draft when TheSP didn't even lodge the correct paperwork to enter the draft.

Responding to this for the sole reason of bringing it back up if we happen to miss the playoffs. Right now, it's still 50/50. Not much has changed since the end of last season. Really. Think on it. Great starting lineup, zero (worse) bench. Sound familiar?

[Shumway]

I looked forward to the 2005 season. And the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. You'll have to forgive me if i'm more than just a little bit pessimistic!

I forgive nothing. Those seasons were all different. THIS is the season to be optimistic.

I haven't been this hopeful since I heard TheSP was entering the draft and I was hopeful we may draft him. I assure you, this season will not end up the same debacle as that draft when TheSP didn't even lodge the correct paperwork to enter the draft.

Responding to this for the sole reason of bringing it back up if we happen to miss the playoffs. Right now, it's still 50/50. Not much has changed since the end of last season. Really. Think on it. Great starting lineup, zero (worse) bench. Sound familiar?

You may have missed the tone of my message if you wanna bookmark it to bring it up again in the future. I thought my reference to drafting TheSP may have given it away.

But I do expect us to make the playoffs this year. So if we underperform and you want to bring it up again, go for your life.

I'm not sure if you'll convince me that not much has changed though. If I've followed the news correctly, there may have been one or two changes to the roster.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I looked forward to the 2005 season. And the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. You'll have to forgive me if i'm more than just a little bit pessimistic!

I forgive nothing. Those seasons were all different. THIS is the season to be optimistic.

I haven't been this hopeful since I heard TheSP was entering the draft and I was hopeful we may draft him. I assure you, this season will not end up the same debacle as that draft when TheSP didn't even lodge the correct paperwork to enter the draft.

Responding to this for the sole reason of bringing it back up if we happen to miss the playoffs. Right now, it's still 50/50. Not much has changed since the end of last season. Really. Think on it. Great starting lineup, zero (worse) bench. Sound familiar?

You may have missed the tone of my message if you wanna bookmark it to bring it up again in the future. I thought my reference to drafting TheSP may have given it away.

But I do expect us to make the playoffs this year. So if we underperform and you want to bring it up again, go for your life.

I'm not sure if you'll convince me that not much has changed though. If I've followed the news correctly, there may have been one or two changes to the roster.

No doubt we improved the team, mostly by Butler being signed, but look at the rest of the West. And I'm not sure we're going to have another freak season where the 8th seed doesn't need to win well over 41 games (which is usually the case in the West). I see an 8-10 game improvement right now unless Wiggins and KAT dramatically turn their defense around.

[Shumway]

I looked forward to the 2005 season. And the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons. You'll have to forgive me if i'm more than just a little bit pessimistic!

I forgive nothing. Those seasons were all different. THIS is the season to be optimistic.

I haven't been this hopeful since I heard TheSP was entering the draft and I was hopeful we may draft him. I assure you, this season will not end up the same debacle as that draft when TheSP didn't even lodge the correct paperwork to enter the draft.

Responding to this for the sole reason of bringing it back up if we happen to miss the playoffs. Right now, it's still 50/50. Not much has changed since the end of last season. Really. Think on it. Great starting lineup, zero (worse) bench. Sound familiar?

You may have missed the tone of my message if you wanna bookmark it to bring it up again in the future. I thought my reference to drafting TheSP may have given it away.

But I do expect us to make the playoffs this year. So if we underperform and you want to bring it up again, go for your life.

I'm not sure if you'll convince me that not much has changed though. If I've followed the news correctly, there may have been one or two changes to the roster.

No doubt we improved the team, mostly by Butler being signed, but look at the rest of the West. And I'm not sure we're going to have another freak season where the 8th seed doesn't need to win well over 41 games (which is usually the case in the West). I see an 8-10 game improvement right now unless Wiggins and KAT dramatically turn their defense around.

When making decisions and judgements, it's much better to look at statistical data than to make our own flawed subjective judgements. The data tells us that there is almost a 100% chance that the Wolves will disappoint. But if I didn't break my own rules, I would have given up being a Wolves fan long ago.

But let me also use a stat to suggest we should be much better. Last season we went 24-22 in games we held a double digit lead. The league average winning percentage when leading by double digits was 79%. We would have won 12 more games if we'd achieved a league average.

So I don't think our issue was talent. It was closing out games. Add a little defence and leadership and we could see a big improvement in that. That's without considering any infusion of additional talent from Butler. Just assuming a sideways move in talent, but being able to fit the pieces together better could see us with at least 10 more wins. Then we can potentially add the improvement in talent (Butler as well as organic progression of Towns and Wigg). The upside is substantial.

So there's the optimistic argument. I understand the realistic or pessimistic arguments. When we have our wins prediction thread, I'm sure I'll take about 6 wins off what I want to predict. But maybe... finally... just maybe this is the year.

[TheFuture]

Shumway -

Did you also take into consideration that we have about a 50% roster turnover (chemistry takes time, no matter who you add, I.e. LeBron to Miami), that last year the West was in a very abnormal downtrend, and that the West completely reloaded this offseason?

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Shumway -

Did you also take into consideration that we have about a 50% roster turnover (chemistry takes time, no matter who you add, I.e. LeBron to Miami), that last year the West was in a very abnormal downtrend, and that the West completely reloaded this offseason?

So roster turnover only applies to us and not all these other teams that had significant roster changes? Makes sense.