December and January- months of reckoning

[FNG]

The wins total thread always leads to interesting discussion and diversity of opinion. But while it's fun, it's very much a crapshoot when it's a prediction covering the entire season. With two challenging months coming up, it will be interesting to see how our improved Wolves handle a very difficult schedule. There are 11 more games this month and another 15 in January. Take a look at the schedule, make your best estimate of how healthy we will be, and forecast how we will do during this grueling stretch. 14 wins out of the 26 games would bring us to .500, and I think position ourselves well for a potential playoff run. Even 10 would still keep us in the playoff picture with an easier schedule ahead. 7 wins on the other hand would likely doom us to a low 30-win season. I think we will have a much better idea of who we are come February 1.

[thedoper]

Im seeing 9 or 10 wins. Anything more would be very promising.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I'm seeing 8 or 9. Sorry, but when you really look at the schedule, it's a freakin' nightmare and guys are starting to get dinged up.

The good news is after that, I can see ~ 16 wins the rest of the year. That puts us at around 34 or 35 wins total. Surprise! That's right around what Vegas predicted, right?

[FNG]

I'm seeing 8 or 9. Sorry, but when you really look at the schedule, it's a freakin' nightmare and guys are starting to get dinged up.

The good news is after that, I can see ~ 16 wins the rest of the year. That puts us at around 34 or 35 wins total. Surprise! That's right around what Vegas predicted, right?

Q, that will be a much more fun prediction thread than this one! On the other hand to Doper's point, more than 10 wins makes this season much more interesting.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Minnesota is 6-9 (.400) this season against opponents .500 or better and 5-4 (.556) this season against opponents who are currently below .500, including some disappointing and unexpected losses.

17 of their next 26 games are against opponents who are currently .500 or better. I'll assess that 40-percent of those games end with a Wolves victory, or seven wins and 10 losses.

That leaves nine games against opponents who are currently below .500. I'll assess that they win five of those games even though I'm confident they could perform better than that.

That leaves the Wolves entering February with a 23-27 record after going 12-14 over their next 26.

[AbeVigodaLive]

If the Wolves are only winning slightly more than 1/3 of their games vs. good competition... what are we even doing here?

That's shit.

And clearly a sign that the Big Three as currently constructed isn't nearly good enough considering two of them are in their absolute prime years.

[DNatagal]

12 wins over the next 26 games would be the least of what is needed to have a sniff at the playoffs this year. This team just cannot avoid the multi game losing streaks, so a couple 4-6 game streaks in there are pretty much assured.
But it would be nice if the Wolves can grow as a team and pull out a few games they shouldn't win and not lose the games they should win.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

If the Wolves are only winning slightly more than 1/3 of their games vs. good competition... what are we even doing here?

That's shit.

And clearly a sign that the Big Three as currently constructed isn't nearly good enough considering two of them are in their absolute prime years.

The Wolves have always sucked, which means they currently suck, and they will always suck. Right on cue, Abe. Good stuff.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Minnesota is 6-9 (.400) this season against opponents .500 or better and 5-4 (.556) this season against opponents who are currently below .500, including some disappointing and unexpected losses.

17 of their next 26 games are against opponents who are currently .500 or better. I'll assess that 40-percent of those games end with a Wolves victory, or seven wins and 10 losses.

That leaves nine games against opponents who are currently below .500. I'll assess that they win five of those games even though I'm confident they could perform better than that.

That leaves the Wolves entering February with a 23-27 record after going 12-14 over their next 26.

I actually think this is a reasonable take too.

It's pretty amazing actually the difference between someone saying we'll win 8 games over that stretch versus 12 games. We win 8, it feels like the playoffs are out of the picture. We win 12, well, it's still very much a possibility but we'll need a strong stretch run.

[AbeVigodaLive]

If the Wolves are only winning slightly more than 1/3 of their games vs. good competition... what are we even doing here?

That's shit.

And clearly a sign that the Big Three as currently constructed isn't nearly good enough considering two of them are in their absolute prime years.

The Wolves have always sucked, which means they currently suck, and they will always suck. Right on cue, Abe. Good stuff.

No reason to get all huffy...

Maybe just reread what I wrote. I didn't make any predictions at all. Only that I'd expect them to do better than 7 - 19 if they want to be taken seriously. It's a very low bar to hurdle...