Categories
NBA

NBA Predictions: 2014 Minnesota Timberwolves Season Betting Preview

 Timberwolves NBA Picks

The Minnesota Timberwolves had one goal entering the 2014 NBA offseason: trade Kevin Love. They successfully accomplished that goal, striking a deal with the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers—and as a result, they have a drastically different look entering the 2014-15 NBA gambling season. Cappers Picks provides free NBA HOOPS handicapping tips all season long.

2014-15 Minnesota Timberwolves

Western Conference
2013-14 Record: 40-42 (24-17 @ Home) .488
T-Wolves Betting Odds to win Title: 150/1
T-Wolves Betting Odds to win Conference: 75/1
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&orderby=random&return_javascript=1′]

Timberwolves Key Losses

Kevin Love – This one is obvious. Kevin Love is gone, and the entire look of the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise has shifted. As good as Love has been—and don’t get us wrong, he’s been great—this team actually got a decent return (but more on that later).

In the short term, this group is losing out on a player who was an automatic double-double machine, could score and rebound with the best of them and is a threat from deep range. There’s no making up for the loss this season, but long-term success will be better with a trade than a free-agent departure.
[dfads params=’groups=63742&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
But when it comes to 2014-15, don’t expect much out of this group.

Rick Adelman – The other key loss for this group can be found on the sidelines. Hall-of-Famer Rick Adelman is officially retired, meaning Flip Saunders is in as the lead man.

Timberwolves Top Newcomers

Mo Williams – We’ll start in chronological order here. Before the Kevin Love trade was ever made official, the team brought in Mo Williams in free agency.

The point guard/shooting guard (combo guard?) won’t be a true difference maker when it comes to making the playoffs or not making the playoffs, but he’ll be a consistent threat from outside, especially considering his willingness to launch from downtown on a regular basis.

Andrew Wiggins – This is the big one. Kevin love is out, and while there’s no replacing him this season, Andrew Wiggins will attempt to become the newest franchise player in Minnesota. Will he replace Love’s stats this season? Not a chance.
[dfads params=’groups=63727&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
But he has the talent on both ends of the floor to lead this team to success down the road, and that’s all this franchise can ask for considering Love was as good as gone in the 2015 free-agent period—or earlier.

Anthony Bennett – Anthony Bennett was a bust in his rookie season. That said, he’s finding his game entering his second year. His 2014 summer league gave him experience as a go-to option, and if second impressions mean anything at all, he’s getting into shape, which is the best news of all.

Thadeus Yonung – Despite all odds, Minnesota brought back a solid group of players for Kevin Love. That group includes Thadeus Young, who was actually a go-to option at times for the Philadelphia 76ers last season.

Timberwolves Top Players

Quite frankly, all you have to do is look at the four players we just mentioned when looking for the best players on this roster. This is a roster that is going to need improvement over the next few years to succeed, but there is one other player to mention…
[dfads params=’groups=63741&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Ricky Rubio – Ricky Rubio is a distributor on offense and a pesky defender on the other end. He’s not exactly a franchise player at this point in his career, but he’s going to become a leader with Love gone.

Timberwolves Strengths

Youth and athleticism is all of a sudden a strength of this group. Will that translate to wins right away? Probably not. But it will create for exciting basketball, and it will create for a few high-scoring games when you least expect it.

Timberwolves Weaknesses

Youth and athleticism, while a strength at this point in the rebuild, will also be the downfall of this organization in 2014-15. This is a group that was actually improved in 2013-14, but while an increase in wins is a positive, the Western Conference is only getting better.

Timberwolves 2014 Betting Prediction

Look for this team to be better—much better—in the next three-to-five years. Unfortunately for this group, that doesn’t include the 2014-15 season.

Andrew Wiggins will be one of the top rookies of the upcoming campaign, and he’ll be one of the best players on this team. The problem is that he’s not going to be a LeBron James-esque player quite yet, and that’s not good enough to lead this group to the playoffs just yet in the Western Conference.

[dfads params=’groups=63706&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

By PDX PIX

He's young! He's Brash, he's on a non-stop mission to destroy as many sportsbooks as he can, or at least is humanly possible. He hates losing! Perfect recipe for cashing winning tickets. He's been doing just that from the West Coast since College! Stick with PDX PIX for your NBA, NCAAB, NFL & NCAAF plays all year long!