Minnesota Sports Forum

Before tonight's game:

Considering how well the Wolves play against the better teams. . . IF the Wolves win their last 3, win the play-in and then win a first round series. . . How would you view this season and roster overall?

Phenom's_Revenge wrote:Before tonight's game:

Considering how well the Wolves play against the better teams. . . IF the Wolves win their last 3, win the play-in and then win a first round series. . . How would you view this season and roster overall?

Considering we have a tendency to bounce back from awful games, we will probably win tonight, and go on to win all three. Depending on what the four 38-loss teams do, there's an outside chance we get the 6th seed. More likely we get the 7th seed. And there is still a chance we stay at 9th. If we wind up with 6th or 7th, there is a chance we get win a first round series against the Grizz or Kings.

The season has been a mixed bag. The KAT and JMac injuries make it really tough to decide if a KAT/Gobert tandem can really work, and it is unclear if JMac can be a reasonable backup PG like it did towards the end of the previous season. On the bright side, the growth and viability of building around Edwards and McDaniels for the future is looking great. This season has accelerated that process. And we got rid of our most polarizing player, Dlo.

Phenom's_Revenge wrote:Before tonight's game:

Considering how well the Wolves play against the better teams. . . IF the Wolves win their last 3, win the play-in and then win a first round series. . . How would you view this season and roster overall?

It would have to be viewed as a success. I don't think anyone could say otherwise. We've literally only advanced past the first round once in 33 years.

Yeah, considering the adversity we have faced this season with key man games missed (after being the healthiest team in the league last season while consistently facing teams that were not) and now the flu bug ravaging the locker room, the scenario you paint would be a huge success. I think it's a long shot though. We're favored by 2 in Brooklyn tonight, but unless every player on the team has completely shaken the virus, I don't see it...the Nets are healthy and have won 3 games in a row.

I can't predict the last three games because our health is a big question mark. But I think we are destined for a 9th place finish and a play in game against Dallas...that scares me a little, despite how poorly the Mavs have been playing. If we win that one, we still have to win another road game against the 7/8 loser, and that's another tall order. But if we are healthy and considering how well we play against playoff teams on the road, we very well could win that one too and advance to the playoffs. And I wouldn't necessarily fear the Nuggets in that scenario.

So yeah...could happen, although it's a stretch. And I would call that a successful season and have a lot of optimism about next year.

I have a hard time considering a middle of the pack finish a success. Yeah, by Timberwolves standards it's almost like winning a championship, but back in reality it's pretty blah.

Personally I'm tired of watching teams have great runs, finishing in the top two or three teams in their conference a few times, get old, rebuild, then do it again, all while the Wolves flirt with mediocrity. I'd say I'm emotionally checked out, the losing doesn't hurt as much that way, but sadly the (occasional) winning isn't as sweet either.

Sure... 2nd round is a success.

Not making it out of the play-in... dismal failure.

Maybe there's a 3rd option in there, too.

Meaningful basketball is always welcome by me. This team has continued some Timberwolveseque failures, but there have also been some really resilient wins. Im always for playing it out until the end. I have had my fill of tanking teams for a lifetime. Keep it rolling.

Well since I said the Wolves are going to make it out of the 1st round all year....guess I gotta stick by that lol. I wouldn't say "success" though. Success is either winning the chip or at least being able to see a path where we win a chip in the future (based on the play that year). People want KAT to be traded, or Rudy, or to fire Finch, etc. Doesn't really seem like we can see a path towards the ultimate goal anytime soon sadly

I realize I didn't answer the question directly. If this team managed to get out of the first round it's a huge success, that is our 2nd best playoff result EVER!! I don't know that it would automatically correlate to keeping Towns imo, but if Towns averaged 30 and 10 in the playoffs Im sure I would flip flop.

The second part of the question is how do we feel about the roster overall, and since we have only been able to observe this roster for 6 games, I guess the answer is "it depends".

If you think this roster will continue to play like the flu-ravaged team that lost two close games to playoff teams and then laid a turd against a G League team, you're probably going to conclude we are a .500 team, and that we need to trade one or more of our max players to have a chance of being a challenger. That seems to be the prevailing opinion on this board, and who's to say it's wrong...we were not good in the final 16 minutes against the Lakers, and against the Nets.

But if you think the real identity of this roster is they way they played when healthy in three impressive road victories against playoff teams (a very difficult thing to do in the NBA), then you are very optimistic about next year and after. In those games where we were close to full strength, we saw a team with a versatile offense (able to score inside and outside, as well as with ball movement and in iso), adn with an effective defense able to defend both the rim and the perimeter. The biggest flaw we saw during the only 3-game stretch where this roster has been reasonably healthy was a poor free throw percentage...otherwise there was very little to criticize.

Obviously I'm in the second group. I mean, are the Lakers the below .500 team they were all season as key players missed games, or are they the team that many analysts have as a dark horse now to come out of the West? Does the health of a 38-year-old SF and a 30-year-old PF make that much of a difference? It looks like it does. And the difference between the last three games and the previous three games tells me that health makes a huge difference with the Wolves too...those were night-and-day trios of games.

Stay healthy in 2023-4, and we challenge for a championship...that's what I saw in Atlanta, Oakland and Sac-town.