Minnesota Timberwolves: What I Like So Far

Allow me to take a moment to speak about perception versus reality, as watching this week’s Monday Night Football game got me a little fired up.

I never piled on Mark Sanchez the way that others did, almost taking pleasure in the fact that he was struggling in New York. Sure, that butt fumble was funny and essentially closed the book on him as a viable figure there, but I always thought that he had something as a quarterback.

Maybe not a ton, but he had more than people were giving him credit for. Monday night may not have been a vindication, but he showed spunk, and ability, in that comeback performance. It may not have proved that he can be good starter in the NFL, but I hope that it at least reopened the discussion.

The opposite in sports is true, too.

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And then we hear about the report of Kevin Love possibly wanting to opt out this summer to give the Lakers a shot. It’s Kevin Love, the potential “top-five” guy who could come in and make any franchise viable, and possibly rule the basketball world as part of the new super Cavaliers.

There is no doubt that Love is good, but I just don’t think he makes a team that much better. I think by the end of the season, observers will be re-evaluating how we feel about Love, just as I hope we are about Mark Sanchez.

I just needed to say that.

Now the Minnesota Timberwolves have started the season 2-4 but have been competitive and, frankly, surprised me a bit. There are a few things in particular that I like. Those, in no certain order, are:

An extended, significant look at Zach LaVine– I remarked in my last column that I was afraid that the new starting role for LaVine could hurt some of the young guys, given his lack of point guard experience. But taking that variable out if it, this should be an exciting showcase that could preview what fans can expect from a more versatile, explosive Timberwolves team. I like that the choice to start him, even if it is a curious one, puts this rebuild on the fast track.

Thaddeus Young– He’s good. I didn’t give him enough credit when his name was being floated in the Kevin Love talks. I wasn’t real keen on the idea of giving up a first round pick at the time for a simple branded “replacement” that seemed like a desperation move. It seemed like a weird move for a team starting from scratch; he is only 26, though, and if the Wolves could show him enough to want to resign next season, it would be a coup. I like him plenty, but only if it fits into the long term plan, assuming Flip Saunders knows what that is. Aside from that, though, it has been positive so far.

Shabazz Muhammad– After last season, I didn’t have a whole lot of optimism for him. The only thing that kept me hanging on was the fact that at one time during his year at UCLA he was considered the consensus No. 1 pick. That’s pretty flimsy optimism. But he lost weight coming into this season and is moving better. He legitimately looks like more than just an empty shooter playing mop-up minutes. He’s shooting 50 percent so far in 12 minutes a game. I expect those numbers to go up. Hopefully his efficiency won’t decrease with an expanded role. I think he keeps it up. It’s almost like an unexpected bonus among the young guys. I’m not sure people expected much of anything.

The center rotation- I love Gorgui Dieng. He’s long and athletic and young and great in those limited minutes last season. But he’s also stuck behind arguably the Wolves best player. I was worried that they would lean more on Nikola Pekovic and Dieng would get lost a little. But Saunders has stayed true to his word that he wanted to keep Pekovic healthy with about a 25 minute cap per game. Even though Pekovic is a tad over that, but Dieng is getting 18 minutes and averaging eight points and seven rebounds with that time. Ideally, a 25/23 split would be great. I think Dieng has earned that time. But so far, I can’t argue with how they have divvied up the time. The present versus future dynamic can’t be easy to navigate.

And I could discuss more. Hopefully the next time I write one of these installments it will be that Zach LaVine played so well in Ricky Rubio’s stead that the Wolves have a dilemma about the future of that position. Or maybe that I was right about Kevin Love’s inflated reputation and Mark Sanchez leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

Next: NBA Panic Meter: Timberwolves Can't Be Panicky, Can They?

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