T-Wolves humming

Timberwolves are humming. They’re firmly in contention, just three and a half games removed from the second seed, and, their so-so January aside, improving by leaps. And once they latch on to consistency, watch out; they shouldn’t be losing to the likes o

For a while there, it looked as if the Timberwolves would be wallowing in mediocrity. After having a busy offseason that saw them acquire All- Star Jimmy Butler, would-be starters Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson, and supersub Jamal Crawford, they boasted of promise. Finally, the already-formidable combine of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins had support that looked to get them crowding the top of the stacked West. Far from hit the ground running, however, they sputtered at the start of their 2017-2018 campaign, performing well enough to stay above .500 but nowhere close to projections.

From the outside looking in, the Timberwolves’ up- and- down beginning stemmed as much from requisite adjustments as from systemic infirmities. They knew it wouldn’t be easy dealing with a heavy roster turnover; three members of the First Five were newcomers, never mind the familiarity of Butler and Gibson with head coach Tom Thibodeau’s taskmaster- like approach to pregame preparations. More importantly, they found difficulty employing the defensive intensity that became the hallmark of the latter’s stint with the Bulls.

Fast forward a month, and it looks like the Timberwolves will be meeting lofty goals, after all. Yesterday, they presided over a thorough whipping of the highly touted Cavaliers; led by the usual suspects, they all but wrapped up the match by the middle of the first quarter. And they did it on both ends of the floor; no doubt, Thibodeau was pleased that they prevented their opponents from reaching the century mark for the seventh consecutive time.

So, yes, the Timberwolves are humming. They’re firmly in contention, just three and a half games removed from the second seed, and, their so-so January aside, improving by leaps. And once they latch on to consistency, watch out; they shouldn’t be losing to the likes of the Nets and the Suns, and, in time, they’ll learn not to play down to the level of the competition. Meanwhile, they deserve to acknowledge their advances; yesterday, they compelled All-World LeBron James to absorb the worst plus-minus mark of his career. It’s no mean feat, and, hopefully,

motivation to do much, much more.