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Northwest Division: 5 Burning Questions For The 2016-17 Season

By Josh Cornelissen

Dec 13, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 11: Russell Westbrook /

The Northwest Division boasts a number of teams in motion, including four young teams with tons of hope. As the season nears, what are the burning questions for each squad?

Real NBA games are only one week away. Yes teams have been puttering around the preseason, but in one week they start putting the results in the ledger. Basketball matters soon, and that’s something to be celebrated.

It also means that soon the questions swirling around each team will begin changing into answers. Some will be revealed immediately, such as whether Russell Westbrook will literally destroy opponents on his way to the rim this season. Others will unfurl more slowly as teams show their true mettle and the scales are weighed in the postseason.

The Northwest division contains five teams that are moving in various directions. The Oklahoma City Thunder are heading down after losing one of the best players in the league. How fall will the fall without Kevin Durant?

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Mirroring their fall is the rise of the young teams in the Northwest. The Minnesota Timberwolves have been anointed as the next great team, the 2016 version of the 2010 Thunder. With Karl-Anthony Towns ready to leap into the All-Star conversation and Tom Thibodeau barking from the sidelines, the sky seems the limit for Minnesota and its fans.

Somewhere in the middle are Utah and Denver, two deep teams with a mix of youth and veterans ready to break back into the playoffs. The Jazz have to be prepared to pay up as multiple cornerstones approach free agency, striving for contention as they weigh the worth of their pieces. Denver may look to move its expensive veterans and pour all their resources into the youth movement.

Portland is the outlier in the Northwest, the team that is not clearly heading up or down. Will they bite the regression pill and sink back into the middle of the West? Or will their young players embrace continuity and grow into something even greater?

What is the most burning question for each squad? Beginning with the embittered Thunder, what will this new season reveal about each team?