Can Minnesota Make A Postseason Run?

Is it time to start asking the NBA fans in Minnesota if the home team Timberwolves can make a run for the championship this year?

Can the Timberwolves bring home a NBA championship? (see updated NBA Championship odds here)

Not since the Kevin Garnett era have the Timberwolves been this talented and perhaps this hungry.  This team is not a “Super Team” that was put together from star players who couldn’t win championships on their previous teams a la Miami Heat, The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and this year’s Brooklyn Nets.

The Super Team formula didn’t work for the Lakers last year, mostly due to Kobe’s injury, while the Heat have been hugely successful, mostly due to LeBron.  This year the Nets brought in expensive talent, which is mostly on the decline, and are struggling early in the season.

The Timberwolves are taking advantage a full starting lineup which include:

• Ricky Rubio – a subpar year, but is tied for top five in assists per game in the league with 8.6 per game and comes up big with over 3 steals per game

• Kevin Love – MVP season with 24.6 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game, and 4.4 assists per game on 83% free throw shooting

• Kevin Martin – a great offseason pickup with lights out play of: 22.5 points per game, and 3.7 rebounds per game, 46% shooting from beyond the arch, and 93% shooting from the foul line

• Corey Brewer – bought in as Chase Budinger’s backup, but has come up big in his absence called up to guard the oppositions top threat

• Nikola Pekovic – the big man doesn’t light up the stat sheet, but he takes care of the boards and closes the lane in the defensive end

If Rick Adelman can get these 5 players to keep playing to their strengths this team can make a playoff run but how far will depend on if they can get their defense to make a couple extra stops per game. Currently the Timberwolves are scoring 105.9 points per game, which is 3rd in the league, but are allowing 101.8 points per game, which explains their 9-10 record.

This team is young and can score.  That makes them dangerous every time they take the court and at +5500 to win the NBA Championship they are a steal for someone who wants to put down a couple bucks to make this NBA season even more entertaining.