Minnesota Timberwolves: ESPN has Modest Predictions for Next Season

At the dead time of the NBA offseason, ESPN does many things to get their readers to stay interested. This time around they did their predictions for the records of each NBA team. They have some modest predictions for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After the NBA draft and free agency period, most of the heavy lifting of roster construction is done. There might be a few low key moves yet to be made, but for most fanbases they know what their team will look like come the beginning of next season.

With the addition of new Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a new direction for the future. Adding Scott Layden as the new General Manager, formerly of the Spurs front office, they have positioned themselves in the best way possible after the tragic passing of Flip Saunders last year.

Adding Kris Dunn in the draft showed to be a great addition after striking hot at the NBA Summer League. Dunn will give them flexibility as he showed poise when playing off the ball as well as controling the offense. The emergence of Tyus Jones in the Summer League gives the team options as they can do a lot of different things with their back court next season.

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Next the Timberwolves signed Bloomington native Cole Aldrich, and former Pacer Jordan Hill to sure up their depth in the front court. This will be an insurance policy for Kevin Garnett, who is entering his 22nd season, and Nikola Pekovic, who I am not sure when I saw him play last.

Another addition the Minnesota Timberwolves made was former Golden State Warrior, Brandon Rush. Rush will be able to fill a large need for the team in three point shooting, as he has shot over 40% from beyond the arc for his career. Rush will also bring the experience of a winning culture to the team of young players.

All of these additions are on modest, team friendly contracts that will leave the team with room to make moves and sign key players in years to come. Overall I would say that the Timberwolves offseason was a plus.

ESPN has put together their predictions for the standings and final records for Western Conference teams in 2016-17. They obviously have the Warriors winning the conference, followed by the Spurs. Next they have the Clippers coming in at third, and the Portland Trailblazers next. Rounding out the top 8 is Utah, OKC, Memphis, and Houston. The Mavericks miss the playoffs by one game.

They have the Minnesota Timberwolves finishing 10th in the Western Conference. This is what they had to say about the outlook for next year.

"10. Minnesota TimberwolvesProj. record: 39-43Last season: 29-53One of the biggest projected win increases next season belongs to the Timberwolves and it’s not hard to see why. Look at the young talent new coach Tom Thibodeau has on hand. Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game in his rookie season — the last five rookies to do that before him were Blake Griffin, Elton Brand, Tim Duncan, Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal. The 2014 No. 1 overall pick, Andrew Wiggins, averaged 20 points per game last season, and Kris Dunn, whom the Wolves took fifth overall in June’s draft, looks like the next young star in line."

This to me is a good prediction. We should not be setting the bar so high, setting ourselves up for dissapointment. We have to remember that this team did only win 29 games last year and they play in the Western Conference.

Yes, the Timberwolves are getting better, but are any of the playoff teams getting considerably worse, giving the Wolves a spot to get into the playoffs?

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Personally, I am hoping for a 42 plus win season next year, just over .500. Last season the Wolves lost 15 games by less than 5 points. With another year under their belt, they will learn how to close out games. Plus the addition of Thibodeau and a new offense, and revamped defense. It should be interesting. Can basketball season come quick enough?

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