Ricky Rubio Believes Timberwolves are Playoff Bound

For what feels like forever, the Timberwolves bordered on laughable or just not good enough. Preseason expectations have often toed the line of nonexistent since Kevin Garnett left. They were rarely equipped to win 25 games, let alone contend for a playoff spot in a loaded Western Conference. And on those rare occasions when they looked like they could make some noise, extenuating circumstances wrestled them back into submission.

Take last season. Leading into 2012-13, no one saw the Timberwolves as a championship outfit. Kevin Love was a superstar to everyone not named David Kahn, and in Ricky Rubio, Minny had one of the most promising young point men. It didn’t matter that Rubio was rehabilitating a torn ACL. Or that the Timberwolves lacked proven depth and outside shooting. As constructed, they would have the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in eight years.

Then we blinked.

Injuries consumed the roster. Rubio was limited early on and a broken hand held Love to just 18 games. Minny’s 31 wins were the third-most the franchise secured since the 2005-06 campaign, but that meant very little. The bitter taste of “what if” continued to linger long after their regular season ended.

What if the Timberwolves had been healthy? What if a healthy Love and Rubio had led them to the playoffs? What if this Minnesota missed a golden opportunity?

All those questions were beyond fair. In a ridiculously talented Western Conference, health may have cost the Timberwolves a playoff run. To just about everyone’s surprise, the Los Angeles Lakers had to scrap their way into the postseason. Throwing a team like the ‘Wolves into the mix could have changed the course of the playoff race for teams like the Houston Rockets and Lakers a great deal.

Recurrent “what ifs” wouldn’t get the Timberwolves anywhere over the summer, though. The team devoted its attention to improving the roster instead. Gone was Andrei Kirilenko, but in came Corey Brewer and Kevin Martin. Nikola Pekovic and Chanse Budinger were re-signed, too. Toss in a healthy Love and Rubio, and the Timberwolves have something—postseason hope.

ESPN’s Mark Woods writes that Rubio believes Minnesota’s offseason can culminate in the team’s first playoff appearance since 2004. And to Rubio’s credit, he has a point.

Minny has done enough to show its serious about getting over that playoff hump. In have come shooters to bolster an oft-anemic offense, and out has gone the bad karma that has plagued the team for almost decade. The Timberwolves might finally be good enough.

Yet they’re also walking a fine line. We can sing their praises all we want, but they still play in the West. The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets account for six guaranteed playoff spots (barring anything crazy), leaving two more up for grabs. Aside from the ‘Wolves, the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and Lakers will all be looking to snag playoff berths of their own. As talented as the Timberwolves are on paper, they could also find themselves out of the running pretty quickly.

Any and all assessments, however, remain premature, including mine. Unforeseen events could run rampant and mutilate the West’s power structure as we know it. Or the conference could be exactly what we expect it to be—a dogfight comprising only elite teams.

If it’s the latter, the Timberwolves can promise nothing. Those new additions and a clean bill of health put them in the conversation, but the West is a beast all its own. Until the Timberwolves prove they’re worthy of joining the elitist ranks, they’ll continue to walk the line of fringe-playoff contender in a deadly Western Conference.