Steve Kerr ranks the Wolves 6th in the West

[B-Wolf]

Western Wear
By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
September 28, 2006

1. Dallas Mavericks – Avery Johnson instilled a defensive mindset that his team desperately needed. The Mavs' depth and versatility and the brilliant play of Dirk Nowitzki gives them a great chance to get back to the Finals.

2. San Antonio Spurs – Tim Duncan should be much healthier than last season when he struggled with a foot injury. The Spurs usually bounce back strongly from playoff defeats, and this year should be no exception.

3. Phoenix Suns – Can Amare Stoudemire return to his once-dominant self? If not, Steve Nash will have a big load on his shoulders. Again.

4. Los Angeles Clippers – Elton Brand became a full-fledged star last season. He headlines one of the most talented teams in the league.

5. Los Angeles Lakers – Does Kobe Bryant have enough help? Vladimir Radmanovic will shoot the ball well, but he needs to rebound to help solve L.A.'s interior woes.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Randy Foye and Mike James will add some much needed fire to the Wolves. They could be just what Kevin Garnett needs to help turn around this team's fortunes.

7. Sacramento Kings – Eric Musselman replaces Rick Adelman, and he'll place more emphasis on defense. The Kings will have to replace Bonzi Wells' offense, though.

8. Houston Rockets – Will the Big Two stay healthy? Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady have more help, but it always comes down to their physical status.

9. New Orleans Hornets – An offseason spending spree has Hornets fans buzzing (sorry). Chris Paul will lead an explosive attack.

10. Utah Jazz – The Jazz are slowly building a nice foundation, but Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko must stay healthy.

11. Denver Nuggets – This team was a mess by the end of last season, and George Karl has some issues to deal with. But Carmelo Anthony's performance for Team USA at the world championships bodes well for the Nuggets.

12. Memphis Grizzlies – Pau Gasol's injury changes everything because the Grizzlies run everything through him. They'll have to survive the first few months of the season without him, but by then, it could be too late.

13. Golden State Warriors – Don Nelson is back and Bay Area fans are pumped. But Nellie will have to work some magic because the Warriors' roster hasn't changed from last season's 34-win team.

14. Seattle SuperSonics – The real question isn't whether the Sonics will make the playoffs. It's whether they'll stay in Seattle.

15. Portland Trail Blazers – Brandon Roy is a nice-looking rookie, but he's joining the worst team

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

[DaddyFatSax]

As Ali G says, Mad Respect, mad respect Steve Kerr. Kerr is an expert, and it's the Art wonderland mixed with the Kerr optimism that will keep me interested in the team this year.

[60 Cent]

Did Art write that column?

[Jefferson Starship]

No way are the Lakers and Timberwolves better than the Rockets after they landed Bonzi Wells. Even if T-Mac goes down with his usual back problems, Wells will fill the void nicely. It's a slam dunk that he wrote this well before Wells landed in Houston.

Kerr is going out on a limb here when he suggests that both the Lakers and the Wolves will be in the playoff hunt. Who did the Lakers add this offseason to better themselves? Radmanovic? Please. What about the Wolves in terms of shoring up their frontcourt? Zip..nada..zilch.

The Hornets are much better than both of these teams and are ranked too low.

[JFry]

Originally Posted by Timberwolves67

No way are the Lakers and Timberwolves better than the Rockets after they landed Bonzi Wells. Even if T-Mac goes down with his usual back problems, Wells will fill the void nicely. It's a slam dunk that he wrote this well before Wells landed in Houston.

Kerr is going out on a limb here when he suggests that both the Lakers and the Wolves will be in the playoff hunt. Who did the Lakers add this offseason to better themselves? Radmanovic? Please. What about the Wolves in terms of shoring up their frontcourt? Zip..nada..zilch.

The Hornets are much better than both of these teams and are ranked too low.

I think you're right about the Rockets and Hornets, they should be better than Kerr's prediction. I'm with Kerr on the Lakers though. Unless they get hit by injuries, they will improve. I think Odom, Brown, and Bynum will all be better with a season in Jackson's system under their belts and a taste of the playoffs together. Radman should fit in nicely as well being a 3 point threat they needed.

[DR]

Steve got a question regarding the Wolves vs. Nuggets on his rankings. Question and response below:

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Do you really believe that Mike James and Randy Foye will make the Minnesota Timberwolves the sixth-best team in the West and that the Denver Nuggets are going to be the 11th-best team? You can't be serious. Last I checked, Minnesota was miserably bad last season and Rashad McCants is still hurt and may not be back to his normal self this year. You can't be counting on shoot-first tweener James to be a savior. I am definitely scratching my head on your West rankings.

Chris Payne
Joppa, Md.

Chris, I think that Denver is in for a fall this year. I didn't like the way the Nuggets folded last season, losing eight of their last 12 and then getting bullied by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. I don't like Denver's chemistry, and its roster doesn't fit together. The Nuggets have no real post-up players among the bigs, and they have very poor three-point shooting.

As for Minnesota, I think James and Foye could do for Kevin Garnett what Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell did a couple of years ago. K.G. actually needs some shoot-first guys on his team to take some of the scoring pressure off of him. Call me crazy, but I have a hunch Minnesota will bounce back and have a good season.