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Kevin Love believes.
Talk of 2015, when Love will be a free agent and likely courted by the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, among others, kind of makes you forget that there’s another team who will be competing for Love’s services—the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minny’s quest to retain Love has already started. David Kahn is gone, Flip Saunders is in, Rick Adelman isn’t going anywhere and the Timberwolves are good again. Really good.
Through the first nine games of their season, they’re tied for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. They’re offense ranks fifth in efficiency and their defense sixth in the same category. Along with the San Antonio Spurs, the T-Wolves are the only other team ranked in the top seven of both. A far cry from the contingent that rattled off just 31 wins last season, wouldn’t you say?
Love certainly would.
“This is the best team I’ve been on since I got here,” Love told Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix. “We have the talent to do some big things.”
Just a few months ago, “big things” would’ve comprised making the playoffs and/or staying healthy. After eight straight seasons of finishing under .500, snagging 41 wins may have satisfied the T-Wolves’ need for “big things.” But not anymore.
The Timberwolves are on fire. Think of them as this year’s version of the Golden State Warriors; darlings of the NBA who are pleasantly surprising everyone. While it’s still early, they’ve been that good. And if they stay that good, we could have a dark-horse contender on our hands. Championship contender, I mean.
Ask me before the season if I’m writing an article like this in November, and I’ll tell you no way in hell. Kevin Martin was overpriced, Corey Brewer overrated, Nikola Pekovic overpaid and Ricky Rubio and Love too injury prone. I would have told you they may have contended for that eighth spot in the West. Maybe seventh. Nothing else, though. That would have been their ceiling.
Like so many others, I underestimated them. Love, as expected, has made the jump to full-blown superstar now that he’s healthy and the Timberwolves appear poised to do more than simply end a nine-year playoff absence. Or finish above .500. Instead, they’re headed, they’re playing for bigger, better things.
Keep this up, and they could be a top four or five team in the conference. Stay healthy, and they may remain one of the best two-way teams in the NBA. Shoot like this all season, and they’ll likely win 50 games. Stay the current course, and they’ll continue to win.
Continue to win, and Love may never want to leave. Not for the Lakers. Not for the Knicks. Not for the Chicago Bulls. Not for anyone.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
