Bill Simmons is Betting on ‘Knucklehead’ Minnesota Timberwolves… in the Regular Season

The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to tip off the second half of their regular season now that the All-Star break is complete. After being the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference thanks to a 39-16 record, there’s no denying that the Timberwolves are one of the best teams in the entire NBA, a rare feat for this franchise.

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While the Timberwolves have been hard at work all year long, trying to prove the haters wrong, some are still skeptical of their ability to maintain this excellence as the season winds down. But not Bill Simmons,

The last time we heard from Simmons regarding the Wolves, he was calling for the NBA to give Minnesota more primetime games. Now, he’s doubling down, saying he believes the Timberwolves have the best shot at securing the No. 1 seed in the West, and he’s even willing to bet on it.

Bill Simmons Loves Minnesota Timberwolves, But Not in the Playoffs

“I was looking at NBA futures heading out of the All-Star break, trying to figure out what jumped out of me, and one did. Minnesota. Minnesota is 39-16, they’re leading the [race for the] one seed by a game and a half. On FanDuel, they’re +135 for the one seed, because I think people think the Clippers are probably gonna get it… maybe OKC?

Meanwhile, Minnesota — in their last twenty games — [are] 2nd in NET rating. Minnesota is 19-5 at home; 17 of their last 27 games are at home and I think they’re gonna care the most about getting the one seed. Denver, they just want to get to the playoffs healthy; the Clippers, they just want to make sure everyone’s healthy; OKC, they’re like, ‘we’re happy to be a top four seed, this is great’.

Minnesota is like, ‘let’s have the 1-seed run through us, like it did in 2004 with [Kevin Garnett]. Let’s go!’ Then, we can bet against them in the playoffs because they’re kind of knuckleheads. Minnesota, that’s my pick. Jeff Bebe agrees. And that you can print.”

Bill Simmons – The Bill Simmons Podcast

First off, how in the hell did Bill Simmons rattle off all those stats while on a casual afternoon stroll? We’ll never know. Just because Simmons is a believer in the regular season version of the Minnesota Timberwolves, doesn’t mean he trusts them when the playoffs get underway. Simmons still thinks they’re “knuckleheads.”

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That may be true. The Wolves have shot themselves in the foot at times with turnovers, foul trouble, losing big leads, and taking bad shots. Yet, despite all their shortcomings, their talent has still been good enough to have the top seed in the West, and no one thought they could pull it off after the Rudy Gobert blockbuster.

The Timberwolves will have their chance to prove Simmons and other doubters wrong once the playoffs get underway, and then we’ll see who the real knuckleheads are once the dust settles.