Minnesota Timberwolves: 2018-19 NBA season preview
By James Grieco
Best-case scenario:
The Heat make a desperation move and give up Josh Richardson, Bam Adebayo and a first round pick for Jimmy Butler. The Timberwolves turn around and use that first round pick to dump Gorgui Dieng’s contract on the Sacramento Kings for an expiring contract, giving them much-needed financial flexibility in the years to come.
On the court, Towns wrecks havoc as the offensive centerpiece and improves his defense to a league-average level. The new acquisitions from Miami prove perfect for the roster and get along swimmingly with KAT and Wiggins. Wiggins, meanwhile, stops attempting long-range 2s entirely and thrives as a secondary playmaker. He finally funnels his immense physical gifts into playing consistently positive defense.
With the young core and savvy veterans in place, the Timberwolves win 48 games for the second consecutive year, enough to earn the 6-seed in the Western Conference. They fight like hell against the 3-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, but fall short in Game 7.
Thibodeau and owner Glen Taylor have a heart-to-heart talk after the season and Thibodeau agrees to give up his president of basketball operations title after the public debacle involving Jimmy Butler. In light of the tremendous strides the young players made however, he stays on as head coach.
Worst-case scenario:
The Wolves feel they need to get rid of Butler before the season starts and make a mediocre deal. Butler goes on to have another All-NBA season with the Heat, while the newest Timberwolves Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow have a hard time adapting with such little floor-spacing in Minnesota.
Before the first game the Timberwolves are schedule to wear their gorgeous Christmas tree throwbacks, the uniforms mysteriously catch fire and burn. Thibodeau, ever the superstitious man, bans the team from wearing the throwbacks for the rest of the year.
Thibodeau also has to bench Whiteside for a lack of effort, and in response Whiteside creates a media firestorm, again turning the locker room into a circus. Winslow, after a disappointing season, signs a generous offer sheet with another team banking on his potential, and the Wolves have to match the overpay.
Without Butler, the defense slides and Towns is left unable to clean up an endless barrage of drives to the rim, leaving him dissuaded and hopeless on that end of the court. Wiggins proves Stephen Jackson true and doesn’t play with consistent energy, making him a financial drain on the team for years to come.
Thibodeau openly challenges owner Glen Taylor and his young players for creating the mess the team is in, leading to his forced resignation. A no-name interim steps in to drag the Wolves to the end of the regular season, failing to crack even 35 wins. Taylor, in a time of desperation, turns to one of the few men he can trust to take the reins of the franchise going forward: David Kahn.