2008 Minnesota Timberwolves Predictions & Preview

The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team that is headed in the right direction and are only a year or two away from breaking through. The painful rebuilding process started when the team shipped off Kevin Garnett to win his NBA title with the Boston Celtics, and then continued with the draft-night deal with Memphis that gave them Mike Miller and Kevin Love. Minnesota is 40-to-1 to win the Northwest Division.

Al Jefferson was the real target in the Garnett trade and showed that he can be a superstar when he averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He was the only player in the NBA to hit the 21-11 mark. The team struggled at the beginning of the year, but came on a little stronger towards the end of the season. If the Wolves can get more consistent play out of their guards, which they should with Miller joining the team, this could be a sneaky team to watch. The Wolves are listed at 150-to-1 to win the NBA Finals.

I’m kind of excited to see what Jefferson can do down low when teamed up with Love. Both like to bang it around down in the post and have good skills in the paint. Corey Brewer isn’t an ideal small forward but he’s the best Minnesota has. He needs to make significant improvements in order to show he’s an NBA-caliber starter. The over/under win total at BetUS on Minnesota is at 30.5.

Randy Foye probably isn’t going to be a star in the league, but he does have the skills to be an above average point guard. If he can focus on defense and his passing then this team will win quite a few games in 2008. Bringing Miller to the roster gives the Wolves a sharp shooter from the outside. That should extend the defense enough to give Jefferson more room to operate. Minnesota is 75-to-1 to win the Western Conference.

Off the bench Rashad McCants needs to become more consistent. Sebastian Telfair was a legend on the New York playgrounds but has never panned out in stints with Portland and Boston. Still, he’s a solid backup. Rodney Carney was signed after playing with the Sixers a year ago. He is atheltic and plays excellent defense. Ryan Gomes is another backup who could be a solid player if he improves his outside shooting and ball handling.

Final Analysis

With our NBA predictions we don’t see Minnesota making the playoffs this year, but they won’t be a door mat either. The team is coming off a 22 win season, and if they don’t get to 30 or so this year then it would be a major disappointment.

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