Four days until the NBA gets back down to business. Couldn’t come sooner and in my mind, the timing is perfect. Seems every sport is dealing with something that’s soured fans and the public. The NFL’s a great story here at home with the Purple playing well (now go out and beat Tampa Bay please) but “Bounty-gate” is not even close to being resolved and is truly an open wound for the league. The NHL seems destined to lose its entire season because of labor unrest (glad that’s behind the NBA from last year). And baseball, well yes, the World Series is playing out but the hometown-9 seems to be flat-lining when it comes to excitement for the season ahead. I can’t wait for this one to get under way because I’m convinced this will be a good season for the NBA and I believe a strong year for the Wolves. I see the Miami Heat as the team to beat and I really like the changes made in the Western Conference. I know, I know, that injury to All Star and Olympic Gold Medal winner Kevin Love is a bummer (as I wrote last week) but it shouldn’t starve his team of his talents for too long. Looking at the start of the season, November will be an interesting month. Not until the Thanksgiving holiday will the Wolves get hammered by the schedule and travel makers. This is a team that can’t take any opponent for granted (especially playing without their best player in Love) so opening up with Sacramento then quickly tripping to Toronto then Brooklyn will be good. The Wolves will visit Dallas and get the Mavs without Dirk. They’ll host three straight games in which they’ll get two young and beatable teams in Golden State and Charlotte. In fact, over the course of November’s 30 days, Minnesota will play the Warriors and Kings twice. Nice. The best part of the schedule is that it gives us time to get some of the wrinkles out while not forced to play Miami, Boston, the Lakers or OKC. And did you notice, gone with this season’s schedule are those monster road trips of more than 4 games. Only twice, in late November and mid-January do the Wolves have near week long road trips. Players love this after the break-neck schedule they kept last year in the labor shortened season.
