ESPN ranks wolves 28th in training camp edition PowerRanking

[Mcfale313]

do the wolves ever get any respect?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerrank ... 09&week=-1

28 (28) Timberwolves 22-60
The Wolves quietly posted a borderline respectable record of 17-26 after last season's 5-34 start to Life After KG. Yet it's tough to picture Minnesota sustaining that over 82 games, fond as we are of Mike Miller's shooting eye.

I bet the wolves would be somewhere around the 20th when the next batch is out on Oct 27th


Go wolves

[Calinks]

We aren't going to be given anything. We have to take all of the respect we can get and it wont come easy. Basically everything KG and Flip built has to be reconstructed again.

[C.lupus]

If I remember correctly, ESPN had Seattle 9 games ahead of Minnesota this time last year. They are obviously just shooting from the hip.

[revprodeji]

"sustain" 17-26? Do they understand that it was not the team getting "hot" but rather the fact that Foye came back? I have no doubt that we will be better than 28th.

[deeney0]

I'm a bit surprised at the low ranking as well; 30 wins would be better than 28th for sure, and I think 30 wins is a convervative estimate (I'm still sticking with 33 +/- 5)

[shrink]

Marc Stein has always hated the Wolves.

For fan voting, we moved up to 27 since this was posted .. small consolation.

[shrink]

I'm a bit surprised at the low ranking as well; 30 wins would be better than 28th for sure, and I think 30 wins is a convervative estimate (I'm still sticking with 33 +/- 5)

Correct. I see no reason we wouldn't do better, adding Love and Mike Miller, and our young players getting more developed.

[TMo519]

22 games, 17 of which were won in the 2nd half of the season, plus Miller, plus Love, plus all the pups a year older, plus new unis lol, and 28th in the league? I highly doubt it. We'll win at least 30-32 games, which will be better than the 28th worst team.

[C.lupus]

^^^I'm not sure the unis will do much, lol (new court could affect things, though).

With a healthy Foye this team was capable of winning close to 30 games last year, as they proved over the second half of the season. Upgrading Walker and Jaric with Love and Miller should bring more wins. I'm going to predict 35 wins and a final ranking around 21-22.

[C.lupus]

I just have to add this. As stupid as Stein's reasoning is for the Wolves' ranking, his justification for NJ might be worse:

Ouch, ouch, ouch. After every other Atlantic team chasing Boston made a big-name snag -- Elton Brand, Jermaine O'Neal, Mike D'Antoni -- rebuilding Jersey was pegged to finish last in the East in ESPN's staff poll.

Is D'Antoni expected to put up 20 and 10 for NY this year?

[Devilzsidewalk]

D'Antoni will help Eddy Curry eat his meals in 7 seconds or less

[Calinks]

I still don't know about Wittman and I don't know if we got got rid of our losers mentality. I think we got a great group of young guys but I don't trust us to develop them. I see us in many many games but I hope we don't go back to choking them all away like we have been the last few seasons. We have to maintain. Last year, we blew every team up in the first half then they all came back on us. That was horrible.

[revprodeji]

Wittless is our biggest weakness.

[TMo519]

Wittless is our biggest weakness.

Oh no doubt about that, I am not sold on him at all. I know it might not be fair but if this team flames out completely, I can't help but assume it'll be mostly his fault.

[deeney0]

Witt might keep these kids from making the jump to the 40-win level, but I don't see him being a hinderance getting to thirty. As has already been mentioned several times, they were a 30+ win team the second half of last year.