Bottoming out to bump up
Despite a strong run in March when the Minnesota Timberwolves won six of nine games, the team has been in a downward spiral of late, losing eight of the last nine, including six straight losses. At the moment, the Wolves would need to win their final four games – and the New York Knicks would need to lose their final four games – for Minnesota to lose their grip on the third-worst record in the NBA.
It’s not that the Wolves haven’t been playing tough, though tonight’s 122-90 loss to New Orleans makes you wonder, but more that the last baker’s dozen of games have been perhaps one of the tougher portions of the Wolves’ schedule this season. And of course, the youth of the squad has affected their longevity down the stretch as well.
While the team may be booking cheap flights the rest of the way to the post-season, the losing streak has helped them with their lottery chances. Additionally, if Seattle wins even one more game, the Wolves would have a chance to improve their lottery chances by becoming the team with the second-worst record in the NBA. Miami, at only 14 wins, is virtually a lock to have the worst record in the NBA this season.
Losing out has never looked smarter for the Timberwolves. Their final four games are against Orlando, Memphis, Detroit and Milwaukee, whereas Seattle faces Houston (tonight), Dallas, San Antonio and Golden State. The teams Minnesota faces have combined for 151 wins this season, while Seattle’s final four have combined for 204 wins, so the chances of Seattle maintaining the second-worst record look good at the moment.
Still, Wolves fans can be grateful that their team was able to rally and win enough games to spur on some hope for the future, while still keeping their chances on a top lottery pick solid. The last time the Wovles bottomed out to this degree, they had a bad enough record to get the top overall pick, but through bad lottery luck, were bumped back to the third pick and drafted Christian Laettner out of Duke.
Good news for the Wolves is that this year’s draft is at least three blue-chippers deep, with Michael Beasley of Kansas State, Derrick Rose of Memphis and O.J. Mayo of USC all declaring for the NBA Draft, and some question marks still remaining as to who will declare this year. The bad news is that, if the lottery goes against the team once again, they could fall back as far as the fifth of sixth spot, provided enough teams leapfrog the worst three teams in the lottery.
