Right now the Wolves are in 13th place in the East with only Dallas and Phoenix behind them. That means the Wolves need to pass a lot of teams just to get an 8th seed at the end of the season. Here's my question. Which teams will the Wolves eventually pass in the standings?
The only team I would definitely expect the Wolves to pass would be the Kings. Other candidates are the Spurs, Lakers, Clippers and Grizzlies, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Thoughts?
Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
Completely honest could all come down to injuries. So far the wolves have to have been one of the most injured teams in the NBA with Wiggins, teague, butler and rose all missing multiple games.
West is so stacked. Still could see us finishing anywhere between 4th and 12th
West is so stacked. Still could see us finishing anywhere between 4th and 12th
Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
Lip great minds think alike. :)
Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
monsterpile wrote:Lip great minds think alike. :)
Lol. I just saw your thread and posted in it. :)
Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
We should be able to pass Dallas. I was conflicted watching that game tonight. I like seeing GS lose but obviously it hurt our chances to have Dallas win. I think we can be a better team though.
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crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]
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Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
I think the whole butler thing took some of the focus away from why we were losing.
Yes, butler throwing games was a huge distraction, but we were also playing shorthanded for the first 10 games, and we also had one of the toughest schedules in the league up until that point.
Yes, butler throwing games was a huge distraction, but we were also playing shorthanded for the first 10 games, and we also had one of the toughest schedules in the league up until that point.
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longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]
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Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
Having to pass a lot of teams is meaningful in the last half of the season, but not after only 16 games. I predicted the wolves would go 8-2 in this 10-game stretch, but Portland was one of the iffiest games. Blowing them out makes me think we're more likely to be 9-1, which will put us at 15-10 and perhaps in the top 4 in the West. More importantly, the success will build some confidence in this newly formed roster and make us better prepared for tougher stretches of games ahead. Like Lip said in another thread, the way this team has looked since Butler left, only GS clearly has more talent than us. If this team stays healthy the rest of the season, it's not preposterous that we could finish as high as 2nd. Name a team other than the Warriors who is playing at the level we have played at the last 2 games. Yes, the West is loaded. But KAT, Wig, Rose, RoCo and great depth puts up there with the best of them.
That is, as long as Thibs doesn't...well, you know.
That is, as long as Thibs doesn't...well, you know.
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crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]
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Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
I think the grizz are legit. Conley and gasol injuries killed their season last year. But they are still a good grit and grind team when healthy.
Lac could drop off. Harrell is playing out of his mind right now.
Lakers are still lebron lead, by i don't really like that team.
And you can never count out pop.
Lac could drop off. Harrell is playing out of his mind right now.
Lakers are still lebron lead, by i don't really like that team.
And you can never count out pop.
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SameOldNudityDrew
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Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
Good question. Tough to say. We're 3-0 since the trade, including wins against 2 good teams, so clearly dumping Butler cleared the air somewhat, and the two new guys are helping.
That leaves me opDOUGistic, but the NBA has been volatile this year. Teams expected to be bad are playing well while some guys like Mitchell seem to be taking a step back. And there's always the injury concern. We've clearly got more talent than Dallas and Sacramento, other than that, there are a lot of teams that should be at or about our level, pretty good, but not great. San Antonio, Memphis, LAC. The Lakers and Pelicans have the potential to be great but I'd guess more like being on our level as well. So it should be another close race for those last playoff spots and I really hope we can get in on that.
The key related question to me is HOW will we win the most games? Given what Thibs the GM has assembled, it seems clear that Thibs the coach needs to adjust how he coaches in ways that we've been calling for.
[list]
[*] First, our strength is our depth, so use it. Run deeper rotations to keep guys rested and involved.
[*] Second, take advantage of using our depth by pushing guys to get out in transition more. If we play the starters fewer minutes, they should be able to expend more energy when they are on the court, and playing more bench guys means more fresh legs. Tyus, Rose, Okogie, Covington, Saric all seem to do pretty well in transition, so let's go for it more.
[*] Third, develop the capacity to switch on D. We don't have to do it all the time, but it's a defensive tool, and we have the players to pull it off, so why not learn to use it at times to get an advantage?
[*] Fourth, keep stressing passing and off-the-ball movement. Last year we were such an iso-heavy team, and it worked in part because Butler and Towns were so good at it. We don't have Butler anymore, so we need to maximize the effectiveness of our offense by passing, especially with the three point shooting we seem to have now. We've been a bit better about moving the ball this year. But we really need to stress that going forward, IMO.
[/list]
I'll give Thibs credit for embracing the three point shot more this year, which is the one thing we are ALREADY doing that I would have put on this list, so I'm more hopeful than I have been in the past that he has the capacity to change. But given his history, that hope is still somewhat faint.
That leaves me opDOUGistic, but the NBA has been volatile this year. Teams expected to be bad are playing well while some guys like Mitchell seem to be taking a step back. And there's always the injury concern. We've clearly got more talent than Dallas and Sacramento, other than that, there are a lot of teams that should be at or about our level, pretty good, but not great. San Antonio, Memphis, LAC. The Lakers and Pelicans have the potential to be great but I'd guess more like being on our level as well. So it should be another close race for those last playoff spots and I really hope we can get in on that.
The key related question to me is HOW will we win the most games? Given what Thibs the GM has assembled, it seems clear that Thibs the coach needs to adjust how he coaches in ways that we've been calling for.
[list]
[*] First, our strength is our depth, so use it. Run deeper rotations to keep guys rested and involved.
[*] Second, take advantage of using our depth by pushing guys to get out in transition more. If we play the starters fewer minutes, they should be able to expend more energy when they are on the court, and playing more bench guys means more fresh legs. Tyus, Rose, Okogie, Covington, Saric all seem to do pretty well in transition, so let's go for it more.
[*] Third, develop the capacity to switch on D. We don't have to do it all the time, but it's a defensive tool, and we have the players to pull it off, so why not learn to use it at times to get an advantage?
[*] Fourth, keep stressing passing and off-the-ball movement. Last year we were such an iso-heavy team, and it worked in part because Butler and Towns were so good at it. We don't have Butler anymore, so we need to maximize the effectiveness of our offense by passing, especially with the three point shooting we seem to have now. We've been a bit better about moving the ball this year. But we really need to stress that going forward, IMO.
[/list]
I'll give Thibs credit for embracing the three point shot more this year, which is the one thing we are ALREADY doing that I would have put on this list, so I'm more hopeful than I have been in the past that he has the capacity to change. But given his history, that hope is still somewhat faint.
Re: Who Will the Wolves Pass in the Standings?
SameOldDrew wrote:Good question. Tough to say. We're 3-0 since the trade, including wins against 2 good teams, so clearly dumping Butler cleared the air somewhat, and the two new guys are helping.
That leaves me opDOUGistic, but the NBA has been volatile this year. Teams expected to be bad are playing well while some guys like Mitchell seem to be taking a step back. And there's always the injury concern. We've clearly got more talent than Dallas and Sacramento, other than that, there are a lot of teams that should be at or about our level, pretty good, but not great. San Antonio, Memphis, LAC. The Lakers and Pelicans have the potential to be great but I'd guess more like being on our level as well. So it should be another close race for those last playoff spots and I really hope we can get in on that.
The key related question to me is HOW will we win the most games? Given what Thibs the GM has assembled, it seems clear that Thibs the coach needs to adjust how he coaches in ways that we've been calling for.
[list]
[*] First, our strength is our depth, so use it. Run deeper rotations to keep guys rested and involved.
[*] Second, take advantage of using our depth by pushing guys to get out in transition more. If we play the starters fewer minutes, they should be able to expend more energy when they are on the court, and playing more bench guys means more fresh legs. Tyus, Rose, Okogie, Covington, Saric all seem to do pretty well in transition, so let's go for it more.
[*] Third, develop the capacity to switch on D. We don't have to do it all the time, but it's a defensive tool, and we have the players to pull it off, so why not learn to use it at times to get an advantage?
[*] Fourth, keep stressing passing and off-the-ball movement. Last year we were such an iso-heavy team, and it worked in part because Butler and Towns were so good at it. We don't have Butler anymore, so we need to maximize the effectiveness of our offense by passing, especially with the three point shooting we seem to have now. We've been a bit better about moving the ball this year. But we really need to stress that going forward, IMO.
[/list]
I'll give Thibs credit for embracing the three point shot more this year, which is the one thing we are ALREADY doing that I would have put on this list, so I'm more hopeful than I have been in the past that he has the capacity to change. But given his history, that hope is still somewhat faint.
Good post and list. Here is some reason for more optimism of things that are already happening in addition to the 3 point shooting you mentioned.
The Wolves are 9th in pace and 6th in fast break points. They have been playing much faster all year.
Dane Moore has been talking about how the Wolves have been doing some different defensive concepts since training camp and absolutely utilizing a switching concept which they did not use much last year. He said based on what he has seen since the trade it looks like even more switching is going to happen. Teague has been very outspoken about wanting to utilize a switching concept more.