The Timberwolves have put their fans in a very awkward position.
2006-2007 NBA Quarterly Report
I have always prided myself on being the biggest optimist when it comes to my Timberwolves. But for the first time in my long history of following this team, I just don’t have anything good to say. A Timberwolves season that was so wrought with promise in November, lies in utter shambles in March. Our new point guard, Mike James failed to live up to the lofty expectations placed upon him. Our young rookies, while showing promise, have not proven themselves to be the revitalizing force we had hoped for. Our coach was fired, and then replaced with someone who’s led the Wolves to a worse record. And even Kevin Garnett, though it’s not reflected in the box scores, just hasn’t seemed himself. I think it’s safe to say that ’06-07 has been one of the most disappointing Wolves seasons ever.
But every team goes through rough patches, right? You can’t win them all. And even if you could, would you want to? After all, unchallenged success gets boring quickly, and it’s in the valleys of life that true character is built. So why can’t us Wolves fans as a collective group just take our licks this year and hope for better days? It’s because this franchise is in a place much darker than any valley ever could be. It’s because the Timberwolves have found themselves firmly entrenched in a position that a colleague of my has coined, “The Void”.
You see, thanks to some unwise trades this franchise has made, the Wolves are going to be forced to give up two of their next three draft picks. Losing out on young potential like that is absolutely suffocating to a team trying to rebuild. With no cap space and no real tradable assets, the draft is the only way the Timberwolves can get back onto a winning track. Without those picks, the Wolves can basically resign themselves to a solid four or five years of sheer mediocrity.
However, the sole ray of hope is that the draft pick the Timberwolves owe the Clippers is “Top 10 Protected”, which means that as long as they finish 10th to last in the league or worst, they can put off handing over the pick until next year. With the completely stacked draft class that’s coming out in 2007, being able to add a Top 10 pick to the Wolves roster would be huge. So maybe the Timberwolves aren’t in such a bad spot after all, right?
Wrong.
If anything, they’re in the worst spot possible. Thanks to a major decrease the the competitiveness of the Western Conference, the Timberwolves, despite their below .500 record, have spent the vast majority of the past month a hair out of the 8th playoff spot. On the other hand, they’ve also spent that time just a cut above that all-important 10th to worst position. As a result, Timberwolves fans have found themselves faced with a huge moral dilemma. Do they root for the Wolves to make the playoffs, knowing that they’ll likely get swept by Dallas in the first round? Or do they actually pull for the Wolves to lose games, and ultimately give this team a hope for the future?
The whole process has been absolutely miserable. How can you watch Kevin Garnett go out there an bust his hump for 48 minutes while secretly hoping he loses? Yet at the same time, how do you blindly cheer this team on, knowing that every win could equal two more losses next season? The answer, at least for me, has been to do neither.
And that’s what “The Void” represents for Wolves fan. A gray, tepid, emotionless, nothingness. If the team had a prayer of sneaking into the playoffs and pulling an upset, we’d be vehemently behind them. If this team was completely inept, we could cheer them on knowing their best efforts would still give us a lottery pick. Instead we’re forced to sit here, numb, and watch the season play out without an ounce of passion. Afraid to boo and betray, yet at the same time afraid to cheer and be doomed. And the worst part is, there’s a very good chance we’ll be sitting in the same position next year.
Like I said, there’s not much to be positive about. But I’d be very negligent in my role of the team’s “eternal optimist”, if I didn’t leave you with one small silver lining. So here it is…
At least we’re not Nuggets fans.
Predictions:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division:
1. Toronto
2. New York
3. New Jersey
4. Philadelphia
5. Boston
Central Division:
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. Indiana
5. Milwaukee
Southeast Division
1. Washington
2. Miami
3. Orlando
4. Atlanta
5. Charlotte
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
1. Utah
2. Denver
3. Portland
4. Minnesota
5. Seattle
Pacific Division
1. Phoenix
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Golden State
5. Sacramento
Southwest Division
1. Dallas
2. San Antonio
3. Houston
4. New Orleans
5. Memphis
PLAYOFFS:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Washington
4. Toronto
5. Chicago
6. Miami
7. Orlando
8. New York
First Round:
Detroit over New York
Cleveland over Orlando
Miami over Washington
Chicago over Toronto
Conference Semifinals:
Detroit over Chicago
Miami over Cleveland
Conference Finals:
Detroit over Miami
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Dallas
2. Phoenix
3. San Antonio
4. Utah
5. Houston
6. Los Angeles Lakers
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. Denver
First Round:
Dallas over Denver
Phoenix over Los Angeles Clippers
San Antonio over Los Angeles Lakers
Houston over Utah
Conference Semifinals:
Dallas over Houston
Phoenix over San Antonio
Conference Finals:
Dallas over Phoenix
NBA FINALS:
Dallas over Detroit
