Minnesota Timberwolves 2009-2010 Season Preview, Picks & Odds

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Minnesota Timberwolves 2008-2009 NBA Record: 4th in Northwest Division

Minnesota Timberwolves 2008-2009 ATS (Against The Spread): 37-43-2

Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Trends & Betting Angles:

• OVER is 6-1 past 7 trips to Utah

• 0-7 SU past 7 trips to Portland

• 1-8 ATS past 9 at home to Portland

• 1-7-1 ATS past 9 trips to Oklahoma City

• 11-3-1 ATS past 15 as double-digit dog

• UNDER is 7-2 past 9 within Southwest

• 10-3-1 ATS past 14 games on no rest

Minnesota Timberwolves 2009-2010 Preview & Prediction

Few teams will begin this season with less ambition than Minnesota. The coaches and the front office can try to stir up as much creative tension as they like – hey, there are jobs to be had, bosses to be impressed, opportunities to be earned – but it’s a lousy way to keep NBA players focused and on task.

Minnesota Timberwolves Coach: Kurt Rambis (1st season)

Minnesota Timberwolves Returning Players: Forwards Corey Brewer, Brian Cardinal, Ryan Gomes, Kevin Love; center Al Jefferson.

Minnesota Timberwolves Key Additions: Center Mark Blount (trade from Heat), guard Wayne Ellington (draft), guard Jonny Flynn (draft), center Ryan Hollins (free agent), guard Sasha Pavlovic (free agent), forward Oleksiy Pecherov (trade from Wizards), guard Ramon Sessions (free agent), Damien Wilkins (trade from Thunder).

Minnesota Timberwolves Key Subtractions: Guard Sebastian Telfair (traded to Clippers), forward Craig Smith (traded to Clippers), forward Mark Madsen (traded to Clippers), guard Quentin Richardson (traded to Heat), forward Etan Thomas (traded to Thunder), guard Randy Foye (traded to Wizards), swingman Mike Miller (traded to Wizards), guard Chucky Atkins (free agent), forward Rodney Carney (signed with 76ers), center Jason Collins (signed with Hawks), guard Kevin Ollie (signed with Thunder), forward Shelden Williams (signed with Celtics).

2009-2010 Minnesota Timberwolves Point Guards:

It wasn’t long ago that Randy Foye was Minnesota’s point guard of the future. Or Marko Jaric. Or Sebastian Telfair. Now Minnesota’s point guard of the future is Rubio. Or Flynn. Or both.

There is no denying the allure and potential box-office appeal of Rubio. The hype generated by his Olympic showing in Beijing in August 2008, and by various You Tube highlight reels, could sell tickets and generate buzz for an NBA franchise eager for both. Getting him across the pond in a timely fashion was the big challenge: Rubio faced a buyout bill of more than $6 million to leave DKV Joventut, and his ability to pay it from his mandated NBA rookie-scale contract had him looking instead at other Euroleague options. That wasn’t Minnesota’s first choice, but since it holds his NBA rights indefinitely, waiting until the skinny playmaker is 20 or 21 years old would not be the worst outcome.

Especially with Flynn on board. His play in the Las Vegas summer league confirmed their zeal; Flynn didn’t suffer for his size, showed tremendous athletic ability and defensive attitude, and flexed leadership skills so vital to this position. In what was billed as a draft heavy on point guards, Flynn might end up as the biggest steal.

2009-2010 Minnesota Timberwolves Off Guards:

Mike Miller’s all-around game was nice – he averaged 6.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists – but it wasn’t the reason Minnesota sought him. So he’s gone now, traded with Faye – more of an off guard himself – to Washington for the pick that became Rubio (and other pieces). That leaves the position open for Quentin Richardson, obtained from the Clippers in his third trade (from New York to Memphis to L.A.) in a month, or late first-round pick Wayne Ellington of North Carolina. Ellington flashed great skills and a scoring touch in summer league, while Richardson’s ability as a catch-and-shoot guy would serve the Wolves’ inside game in ways that Miller did not.

2009-2010 Minnesota Timberwolves Small Forwards:

The Wolves were at their best last season when they started a front line of Jefferson, Gomes and Craig Smith – best being relative, of course, a 9-4 mark that the team’s other 25 starting lineups couldn’t approach. But none of those three was what you’d think of as a classic small forward, and the 2009-10 edition might be in similar shape.

Gomes still is a versatile and underrated performer, capable of giving a team most of what it needs up front on a given night without excelling in anyone area. That said, he was the only Wolves player to appear in all 82 games, led the club in minutes played and scored 20 points or more 13 times after the All-Star break. He also was Minnesota’s best long-range shooter from the forward spot since Chuck Person, hitting 106 three-pointers.

Corey Brewer will see minutes here if he’s healthy (he had knee surgery in November, wiping out his sophomore season after just 15 games) and durable. Brewer’s shot is unreliable and he struggles to keep his weight up, which could force him into a defense-only role that won’t justify his status as the No.7 pick overall in 2007. Rodney Carney was Minnesota’s best athlete and a player whom Kevin McHale, in taking over as coach for Randy Wittman, nurtured by hiding his weaknesses and playing to his strengths. But Carney was a free agent with little interest through the summer, so if he’s back, he won’t be much more than a fill-in again.

2009-2010 Minnesota Timberwolves Power Forwards:

Jefferson blew out his right knee late in Minnesota’s game at New Orleans just before the All-Star break and was done, taking any sense of order and security with him. The offense unraveled with our the 6-10 forward as its first option. The Wolves went 1-12 immediately after Jefferson went down and 7-25 overall once he was lost.

Jefferson was given every chance to shine, and shine he did: Thirty double-doubles in 50 games; 24 occasions when he had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Jefferson was posting All-Star worthy numbers – 23.1, 11.0,49.7 percent shooting – when he got hurt, though the Wolves’ record wasn’t cooperating. He was said to be fully rehabbed by late summer, even shedding some weight to lighten the load on his repaired knee.

Love is defensively challenged, can struggle at times to get his shot off and probably is an old-fashioned ‘tweener,’ not big enough at power forward or quick enough at small forward. Still, Love is a tenacious rebounder, can consistently hit from 15 feet and has passing skills that rival any other NBA big man. He drips confidence and, given a long enough leash, brings intangibles and winning skills on most nights. He and Jefferson need to log more time on the floor together to work in concert and stay out of foul trouble.

2009-2010 Minnesota Timberwolves Centers:

When the best center in franchise history, 20 years in, still is Rasho Nesterovic and when he’s three teams removed from your lineup, things in the middle are not going well. Jefferson winds up being the default center, forcing him into a spot he doesn’t crave, because the drop off from him to any other candidate is huge. Jason Collins let himself get our of shape last season, even though the injury that sidelined him through training camp was only a ruptured triceps tendon. He wound up in a career-low 31 games, averaging 1.8 points and 2.3 boards. Calvin Booth was present for payroll purposes and Mark Madsen saw action in only 19 games (and was traded in July to the Clippers with Telfair and Smith).

In August, Minnesota signed restricted free agent Ryan Hollins to an offer sheet, though it wasn’t touted as a franchise quaking move.

Minnesota Timberwolves 2009-2010 Season Predictions

We predict that the Minnesota Timberwolves will finish 4th in the NBA Northwest Division .

Minnesota Timberwolves Betting

Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Championship Odds: +5000

Minnesota Timberwolves Eastern Conference Odds: +15000

Minnesota Timberwolves 2008-2009 Betting Stats

Minnesota Timberwolves Straight Up: 24-58

Minnesota Timberwolves ATS: 37-43-2

Minnesota Timberwolves Home ATS: 11-29-1

Minnesota Timberwolves Away ATS: 26-14-1

Minnesota Timberwolves Record As Favorite: 9-5

Minnesota Timberwolves Record As Dog: 15-53

Minnesota Timberwolves Over/Under: 38-43-1

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