Ricky Rubio on Timberwolves: ‘I have to go pull this team in the playoffs’

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

I see the Clips and Mem taking a step back this year. They dont scare me, GS, SA and OKC are the only teams that do. But yes this team if healthy for the most part, we should at least strive for at least a .500 record. That wont be enough for the playoffs, but a winning record would be a huge boost for these young guys.

[Carlos Danger]

Personally, I don't care if the Wolves make the playoffs this year or not. I just want to see significant improvement - especially on defense. If that happens, then I'm pretty confident that if we miss the playoffs this year, we'll be in the mix going forward due to anticipated improvement from our young core. I think the playoffs might be a stretch this season. But it's not a bad goal to shoot for if you want to change the losing culture. Really, it only takes one or two guys to carry a team, so anything is possible if Wiggins takes a big jump along with one of the other young guys i.e. Bazz, LaVine or Towns.

[bleedspeed]

I would like to see 30 wins +/- 3. I would like to see the improvement mostly because of Wiggins, LaVine, Shabazz, and addition of Towns.

[petecorcoran [enjin:6658618]]

I would like to see 30 wins +/- 3. I would like to see the improvement mostly because of Wiggins, LaVine, Shabazz, and addition of Towns.

I agree with Bleed... 30 wins would be very satisfactory and far more realistic than a .500 record. to put it in perspective, 41 wins is a 25 game improvement and while it's been done before, it's always special circumstances. For instance, when the Spurs got David Robinson back from season-long injury and had a rookie named Duncan, they improved 36 games. When Boston got Larry Bird, they improved 25 games. So, unless our injury-prone players (especially Rubio) show they can play 75 games or until I'm convinced Towns is on the way to the HOF, anything around 30 wins is a nice improvement.

[Monster]

I would be relatively happy with 30 wins since I am only so hopeful about the vets staying healthy. That probably also means we would likely keep our first rounder (unless we are unlucky and we are the wolves so...) and be able to add another possibly nice young player to the mix.