I'm probably one of the few people excited to see the Timberwolves open the regular season this week. It's not that I'm a huge fan of the NBA. I much prefer college basketball — the games are shorter, often less sloppy, and always more intense. I'd take a ticket to a Kansas-Missouri regular season game over an NBA Finals ticket any day.
That being said, I guess I've just been living away from an NBA team long enough to work up a bit of nostalgia for it. Of course, it would be nice to be back to have a team better than the T-Wolves, who finished 24-58 last year. But there's some things I'll enjoy seeing with my hometown squad.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Al Jefferson manages to amass the 20 points and 10 rebounds I see by his name in nearly every box score. I always liked Karl Malone in part because he put up 20 and 10 almost every game without fail. That kind of consistency over an 82-game schedule is pretty remarkable, and Jefferson seems to have it. Just hope his nagging injury isn't too serious.
Speaking of injuries, it will be awhile before anyone gets to watch Kevin Love, but I'm also looking forward to seeing more of him. There's something poetic about big men who can pass. Adds some much-needed tempo to the NBA game.
Overall, I've always been more interested in guards, though, so the addition of Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions to the Minnesota roster are quite welcome. I enjoyed watching Sessions play against KU when he was at Nevada and watching Flynn lead Syracuse past UConn in that six-overtime game last year.
That's really one of the most fun parts of the NBA for me — watching the guys I used to watch in college. Nostalgia again, I guess. It's a powerful feeling.
My prediction for the T-Wolves: 35-47. Unless Jefferson misses significant time. Then they'll be lucky to win 25.
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wow. I was actually drawn in and focused while reading that. More a testament to your writing than the specific content. Forgot about all those names the T-wolves acquired.
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