Minnesota Timberwolves: Why Is This Year Different?
As a lifelong Minnesota Timberwolves fan, I am used to being disappointed by almost all things basketball, from lottery nightmares, to draft picks that make us obsess in “what ifs” (Wesley Johnson over Paul George, anyone?), to the painful realization that if they ever get a true franchise player to build around, they will want out at some point. The latter is an ongoing saga with Kevin Love and whether he says all the right things or not, it will always be a concern in Minnesota. But nevertheless, the hopes were unusually high going into this season and they have delivered so far with five wins through seven games, including some ridiculous first quarter outputs that have given them almost insurmountable leads. The Timberwolves’ history has obviously given fans and media reason to adopt a pessimistic outlook, but this year that gloom seems to have tapered off a bit. While the past ping pong balls should have taught us a lesson on blind optimism, there does seem to be reason to believe that this year’s team is different and this start is more than just a another cruel joke to raise hopes. Let’s analyze why this year may indeed be different.
Corey Brewer as the real missing piece: Now I am a guest Wolves columnist for this week, but I did write a preview a couple months back where I talked about not really liking the Brewer signing because it was muddying the waters too much and contributing to a bench I figured was already too deep. I likened it to some ceremonial gesture to try and prove to fans that it was a good draft pick after all. Well, Brewer has been fantastic. He is averaging 14 points on 50 percent shooting and finishing at the rim, something he struggled mightily at in his first go around. His defense is great, which is to be expected, and he does all the little things that would be expected of a painfully limited role player, which Brewer is proving he is above. Chase Budinger was supposed to start at small forward and he still has more consistent range than Brewer, but he will have to be content coming off the bench when he returns from injury; Brewer has been that good.
Kevin Martin vs. LeBron for MVP?: It’s actually close in my mind. I do not want to understate his importance. In the aforementioned preseason Wolves column, I said, “The Kevin Martin signing is a good one; he is probably a bigger name than his numbers will suggest, but he is the first true shooting guard the Wolves have had in a long time.” I was correct in that the signing looks like a good one, but I never anticipated that he would be this good. While Martin is not going to maintain his 57 percent clip from 3, he is a good bet to average 20 points per game and give the Wolves consistent outside shooting. Simply put, it is opening things up for other players in a way that they haven’t had. It makes an observer wonder why the Wolves have not been more aggressive in previous seasons about finding someone other than Luke Ridnour to play this position. Watch Martin continue to make things easier to everyone else, including Ricky Rubio, who can distribute with the confidence that his backcourt mate will knock down those looks.
A content Kevin Love: In previous years, we could look at Love and marvel at his game and stats, but it had to be in the back of everyone’s mind that if the team did not get better fast, he would want out. As I wrote in the preview, Love seemed to be completely on board with the hiring of Flip Saunders as team president. He has said all the right things about commitment and wanting to be there. With the fear of Love’s discontent subsided, everyone can be more focused on just winning games.
As much as we do not want to get hopes too high. This year is different, barring catastrophic injury. That can be said about any team, though, and all signs are pointing up for now. For the first time in awhile, the Wolves were shrewd, probably because they knew it would take no less to both make Love happy and make a real run at more ambitious teams. They need to continue to have their eye on a bigger prize in the aging West, because a seven seed and first round exit isn’t going to satisfy for long.
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