David Kahn thinks Minnesota Timberwolves are a playoff team next NBA season provided they stay healthy
For a long time, Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn was criticized as being the man responsible for the two miserable seasons – 2009-10 and 2010-11 – in which the Wolves finished at the bottom of the league.
However, the arrival of Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio last season injected new life into the Wolves rank and at one point; Minnesota seemed destined for a playoff spot. But then, the rookie point guard went down to a knee injury,
which ruled him out for the season.
All of sudden, all the load – both offensive and defensive – fell on the shoulders of Kevin Love and with the exception of J.J. Barea, no one really showed the spirit to win.
However, now, after some powerful acquisition in the off season, Kahn thinks that the Wolves have assembled enough assets to be counted as a playoff team. The GM said that while talking to Brian Sansevere of the Pioneer Press,
but added that it will only be possible if the roster stays healthy;
“If we stay healthy. We learned the hard way last year what that means. Last year, we were fighting for a playoff spot, and through two-thirds of the season things were moving on a nice incline. And all of a sudden, the world came
to an end in a matter of a few weeks (after rookie point guard Ricky Rubio suffered a season-ending knee injury). If we stay healthy, we should be competing for a playoff spot.”
The Wolves have acquired Andrei Kirilenko, Alexey Shved, Chase Budinger, Greg Stiemsma and former All-Star shooting guard Brandon Roy during the summer, and the cast has pretty much has covered all the based for the franchise.
Kirilenko and Shved have been doing well for the last year and their performances in the ongoing London Olympics are more than encouraging for Minnesota. Budinger is a decent centre and Stiemsma proved with the Boston Celtics last
season, that he can be relied upon as back up big.
Roy is a superstar, but the only question that comes with him is whether he will be able to remain fit, considering that he retired due to degenerative knees issues just a year back. He has since undergone platelet therapy – of
Kobe Bryant fame – on his knees and is confident of a comeback, which if successful can propel the Wolves into the upper echelons of NBA.
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