Hope swells on the eve of the Wolves first game.
Don’t lose the dreams inside your head,
They’ll only be there ’til you’re dead,
Dream…
Those are the some of the lyrics to the Dave Matthew’s song, “You Never Know”. And when I think about the Timberwolves pre-season, there aren’t three better words to sum up exactly what we can expect from this team over the next seven months – You Never Know… For all the speculation, all the hype, nobody can really say for sure what’s going to go down. All the analysts are pretty quick to knock the Wolves down a few pegs. Not that this is surprising since every year Charles Barkley, or Kenny Smith, or Marty Burns, or some other guy that thinks he knows it all, says the Wolves aren’t even going to make the playoffs. For a few years, I would be outraged, but now that it’s an annual rite of fall, I just let it roll off my back. The problem this year, is that they have every reason to make those types of comments. Put it all down on paper and it’s easy to see why. The Timberwolves appear to have gotten worse, while their competition seems to be improving. I really can’t argue that point, especially when you see the pile of injuries we’ve racked up over the pre-season. Let’s look at the walking wounded currently on the team’s roster:
Terrell Brandon – Knee – May never play again.
Felipe Lopez – Torn ACL – Out for the season
Joe Smith – Pulled Groin – Will not be available for season opener
Wally Szczerbiak – Dislocated Pinky Toe – Questionable for the opener
Troy Hudson – Pulled Groin – Most likely available for the opener
Randy Livingston – Sprained Ankle – Questionable for the opener
So when the Wolves enter the Pepsi Center on Wednesday evening, they can most likely look forward to playing a game with an injured Troy Hudson at the point being backed up by Igor Rakocevic, and Anthony Peeler at the two-guard being backed up by Kendall Gill. This leaves Rasho Nesterovic, Loren Woods, Gary Trent, and Marc Jackson to do the work down low. Oh, and that Kevin Garnett guy will probably be playing some too.
You can look at this two ways – as the glass being 1/4 full or 3/4 empty. Take your pick. Being an optimist, I’ll opt for the 1/4 full. It’s only the beginning of the season. Last year proved that fast starts mean nothing if you have a slow finish. Hopefully this team will be able to pull together and do the opposite. If they can weather this storm, there’s bound to be brighter skies ahead. I mean, after all, it can’t get much darker. Then again, this season could be an absolute disaster. This could be the season that cripples the once-so-promising Timberwolves franchise. It may be time for lottery land, but at least this year we have a draft pick. Then again…
Maybe, just maybe – Terrell Brandon recovers, coming back to the form that led us to a 30-10 record last year…
Maybe, just maybe – This is the year that Rasho breaks out of his shell and becomes a true force at the center position…
Maybe, just maybe – Marc Jackson proves why he was a rookie of the year candidate two years ago…
Maybe, just maybe – Troy Hudson, utilizing Flip Saunders’ new offense, doesn’t feel the pressure to control the offense, and actually out-performs Chauncey Billups…
Maybe, just maybe – Joe Smith proves why he was the #1 draft pick, and plays more physically than ever…
Maybe, just maybe – Loren Woods’ tough workouts over the off-season make him an asset on the court…
Maybe, just maybe – Igor Rakocevic is the next Peja Stojakovic…
Maybe, just maybe – Wally Szczerbiak gets the ball from his teammates when he needs it, while simultaneously meshing in with the offensive scheme…
Maybe, just maybe – We pick up Rod Strickland, giving us some extra veteran experience in the backcourt…
Maybe, just maybe – Peeler breaks out with inspiring play like he did in the Seattle series in ’98…
Maybe, just maybe – Randy Livingston avoids injury and reaches even half the potential people had for him in college…
Maybe, just maybe – Kevin Garnett silences his critics by bringing his game to an even higher level, taking total control of this team, inspiring his teammates to play even better, and finally, after all these years, getting this team out of the first round of the playoffs…
Out of the darkness comes light like a flash,
You think you can, you think you can,
Dream little darling, dream…
After all, You Never Know…
