Minnesota Timberwolves gotta nice roster, good coach, and are still mediocre

[Bigsmoke]

what gives? :confusedshrug:

[hawkfan]

They should have traded for Garnett. Maybe they tried to, and the Nets went hog wild and gave up all of those picks.

[dannywpt]

They are 9-10 and have met OKC twice, Nuggets twice, GSW, Rockets, Pacers and Clippers.

I'm guessing they will be well above .500 after meeting the Jazz and Kings in the west and basically all the crappy teams in the east.

[Levity]

their bench is pretty terribad.

[hawkfan]

They should start generating trade rumours for Kevin Love. They don't have to move him - just make some noise to send him a message.

[DMAVS41]

Fair or not...this falls on Love.

Too many other quality players would be taking this team over 50 wins with ease.

I can't quite figure Love out...something seems to be missing.

[LeGOAT]

Fair or not...this falls on Love.

Too many other quality players would be taking this team over 50 wins with ease.

I can't quite figure Love out...something seems to be missing.
Darker skin pigmentation ?

[FKAri]

Fair or not...this falls on Love.

Too many other quality players would be taking this team over 50 wins with ease.

I can't quite figure Love out...something seems to be missing.

He can't seem to beat great interior defenders I think while destroying weaker ones. Some ppl have game like that. There was a time when even Lebron would have a huge drop off going against teams clogging the paint. Every star has to learn that the usual doesn't work all the time. Except Kobe ofcourse who would probably be shooting turn around fadeaways even if my little sister was guarding him.

[Hoopz2332]

kevin love isn't a positive impact player.

[FireDavidKahn]

1) Worst bench in the NBA. Bundinger coming back should help this.
2) Brutal schedule in terms of who we've played and back to backs
3) Failure on the players in a couple games.

I'm pretty meh about it. I don't get upset when we lose to teams like the Thunder/Pacers/Rockets/Clippers because we aren't better than them. The team still has promise and should start to pile on the wins as we play less back to backs and the schedule evens itself out.

[bdreason]

West is tough. Wolves are far from mediocre.

[FireDavidKahn]

He can't seem to beat great interior defenders I think while destroying weaker ones. Some ppl have game like that. There was a time when even Lebron would have a huge drop off going against teams clogging the paint. Every star has to learn that the usual doesn't work all the time. Except Kobe ofcourse who would probably be shooting turn around fadeaways even if my little sister was guarding him.
The thing is, is that Love and Pek are such a terrible fit together. Pek is an adequate 1v1 defender but is one of the worst weakside help defenders in the NBA. Putting that next to Love means we get gouged in the paint so easily and often.

[kurple]

The thing is, is that Love and Pek are such a terrible fit together. Pek is an adequate 1v1 defender but is one of the worst weakside help defenders in the NBA. Putting that next to Love means we get gouged in the paint so easily and often.
you can have mcgee

[kurple]

and nuggets are still better than the wolves

just sayin

[nightprowler10]

Love should come to the Bulls. We play in the East so we'll make the playoffs even if we suck.

[vinsanity2756]

They are 9-10 and have met OKC twice, Nuggets twice, GSW, Rockets, Pacers and Clippers.

I'm guessing they will be well above .500 after meeting the Jazz and Kings in the west and basically all the crappy teams in the east.

And now they get to take on the spurs in mexico city, a so called home game. And then next game vs the heat. Talk about a murder schedule. The amount of back to back games in the month of november was also unbelievable.

[KG215]

I do think part of it is that Love is better suited as a #2 on a championship caliber team. Put him as "the man" on a team with a capable support cast and this is what you're probably going to get: a 45ish win team who might find a way to sneak into the playoffs as the 7 or 8 seed. His lack of ability to consistently create his own shot is what keeps him from being a truly elite player. He's a damn good player who is more than capable of filling up the boxscore and looking like an MVP caliber player for small stretches, but over the long run he'd be better suited as a #2 on a contender.

And like others have mentioned, part of the reason they've started 9-10 is because of a brutal schedule. I mean last night was their 19th game and just OKC's 15th. Granted, I think OKC has played the fewest games in the NBA so far, but the T-Wolves have had a tough schedule not only because of number of games played but also because of who they've played.

[ProfessorMurder]

:oldlol: People blaming Kevin Love again? You take him off the team and they're almost as bad as Utah.

[DMAVS41]

:oldlol: People blaming Kevin Love again? You take him off the team and they're almost as bad as Utah.

His supporting cast and coach are just fine. If Love is a legit championship first option this team should be clearing 50 to 55 wins with ease.

[leMVP]

it's all on Love.

Same as Melo, the guy can't carry a team on his back.

[andremiller07]

They are a bit like Portland last year top notch starting 5 with a dreadful bench, Barea is not the same player he was in Dallas either which does not help.

They imo don't go to Pek enough he causes foul trouble and doubles and they will go for long periods not feeding him. Shved is not producing and they need one more guy who can fill it up off the bench. I'm hoping them being below 500. is due to the schedual cause I want to see them in the playoffs I love there system.

[westside_baller]

West is tough. Wolves are far from mediocre.

9 up, 10 down, 13th place in the west is in fact, mediocre. 19 games is not exactly a tiny sample at this point.

[ProfessorMurder]

His supporting cast and coach are just fine. If Love is a legit championship first option this team should be clearing 50 to 55 wins with ease.

That may be true, but you can't say he's full of empty stats.

You take him off the team and KMart drops 5ppg, Pek is always in foul trouble, Rubio can't shoot, terrible bench. They're a fine team, but if you take Love away they're not doing shit.

Love is a #2 guy on a championship team.

[westside_baller]

They are a bit like Portland last year top notch starting 5 with a dreadful bench, Barea is not the same player he was in Dallas either which does not help.

They imo don't go to Pek enough he causes foul trouble and doubles and they will go for long periods not feeding him. Shved is not producing and they need one more guy who can fill it up off the bench. I'm hoping them being below 500. is due to the schedual cause I want to see them in the playoffs I love there system.

They don't go to Pek more often because he's a dreadful athlete. He can barely clear a pebble with his vertical, and he is very slow. An above average offensive center, but that's not much of a compliment these days.

Their bench could very well be one of the worst in nba history, however.

[DMAVS41]

That may be true, but you can't say he's full of empty stats.

You take him off the team and KMart drops 5ppg, Pek is always in foul trouble, Rubio can't shoot, terrible bench. They're a fine team, but if you take Love away they're not doing shit.

Love is a #2 guy on a championship team.

Oh...I never said he's all empty stats. I like Love, I just have concerns of him as a championship #1. No doubt he's easily worthy of championship #2 status.

[bagelred]

West is tough. Wolves are far from mediocre.

[DMAVS41]

They are a bit like Portland last year top notch starting 5 with a dreadful bench, Barea is not the same player he was in Dallas either which does not help.

They imo don't go to Pek enough he causes foul trouble and doubles and they will go for long periods not feeding him. Shved is not producing and they need one more guy who can fill it up off the bench. I'm hoping them being below 500. is due to the schedual cause I want to see them in the playoffs I love there system.

Barea is just about the same player he was. He's always been an over-rated spark plug low efficiency guy off the bench.

Still can't believe people think Barea was anything more than what he is now when he was on Dallas.

[andremiller07]

Barea is just about the same player he was. He's always been an over-rated spark plug low efficiency guy off the bench.

Still can't believe people think Barea was anything more than what he is now when he was on Dallas.
He had crazy impact but the year Dallas won, he was very important against OKC and Miami I thought.

[russwest0]

Welcome to the Western Conference.

[DMAVS41]

He had crazy impact but the year Dallas won, he was very important against OKC and Miami I thought.

He had some big games...and some terrible games. That's what he is.

He's doing nothing differently now than he's always done.

[hawkfan]

If Carmelo Anthony really wanted to win and join a team that would be perfect for him, Minnesota would be it.

Love is a good second option; Pekovic is a good third option; Rubio is a good fourth option; Martin is a good fifth option.

Alas, Anthony won't take Minnesota seriously and he will stay in New York.

[westside_baller]

Kevin Love is playing in a strange era where elite 4's are 6'11" with 7'6" wingspans. Love cannot dominate the paint on either end because of this relative disadvantage. Love is just under 6'8" with an average wingspan (just under 7').

This is a large part of the reason he's chosen to focus on his 3's, with mixed results.

[moe94]

Kevin Love is playing in a strange era where elite 4's are 6'11" with 7'6" wingspans .

Name these elite 4s with those measurements banging in the post.

[Darius]

Surprised their record isn't better but I think it hurts them having two starters (Brewer/Rubio) that can't shoot.

Budinger will really help.

They have had a tough schedule though.

Chris Paul and Kevin Love need each other in the worst way.

[chips93]

kevin love isn't a positive impact player.

this

the wolves would be much better off without his 24 points, and 14 rebounds a night

[FireDavidKahn]

Barea is just about the same player he was. He's always been an over-rated spark plug low efficiency guy off the bench.

Still can't believe people think Barea was anything more than what he is now when he was on Dallas.
He is so bad that I want to drive a nail into my head whenever he steps onto the court. He had an unbelievably hot stretch for Dallas in the play offs and has been living off that ever since. He is just terrible.

[DMAVS41]

He is so bad that I want to drive a nail into my head whenever he steps onto the court. He had an unbelievably hot stretch for Dallas in the play offs and has been living off that ever since. He is just terrible.

Yep. And what is forgotten is that Barea was terrible in like half the games in the playoffs in 11 as well.

[hawkfan]

One of Minnesota's biggest problems is that there is a long history of some truly bad draft picks.

[chips93]

for all you stat nerds out there, the wolves pythagoreon (or expected) win-loss record is 12-7.

on average this year, they beat opponents by 4. they are top 10 on offense and defense, and they certainly look like a good team, so maybe they have just had some bad luck so far this year.

losing close games, but when they win its comfortable.

maybe things will break their way as the season goes on :confusedshrug:

[westside_baller]

Name these elite 4s with those measurements banging in the post.

Anthony Davis
Chris Bosh
Tim Duncan
Kevin Garnett
Serge Ibaka
LMA
Dwight (last season)
Nowitzki?

I'm glad you're still studying to pass the GED my friend. Did you hear back from walmart's gardening section btw?

[Bigsmoke]

Rubio is overrated