Hopefully, you all have been reading Jerry Zgoda’s excellent lead-up series to the Wolves’ season in which he has featured Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Kevin Love and, today, Al Jefferson. It’s been a very worthwhile look at the new nucleus of a team that we think has the opportunity to surprise some people this season. In case you haven’t, though, here is our condensed version of why the Timberwolves will win a minimum of 38 games this year and at least be worthy of checking out 14 times from row X (Roughkat has the tickets for tonight’s opener; we are going Saturday; Brandon’s first game is next Wednesday. So expect a full report from Roughkat tomorrow).

*A full season of Foye. That’s not guaranteed, but the guard is healthy right now, and the team was much better with him than without him last year.

*Miller spreads the floor. McCants did this to a degree, but he’s streaky. Miller is a bona fide three-point threat and a complete offensive player. He will help Jefferson and Love tremendously.

*Another year of Al. Jefferson was terrific last year. There’s no reason to think he won’t be even better on an improving team, even if his numbers don’t move because there are more scorers.

*Love’s intangibles. There’s just something about the kid we like.

*Throw in Ryan Gomes, an improved Corey Brewer, reasonable bench depth, etc., and this team is much better than it was last year.

Now, some absurd “facts”

*Minnesota will have a better record than Boston when the teams meet Nov. 21. Yeah, the C’s won last night, but we have a feeling they’re due for one of those coasting regular seasons and a quick fall from grace when one or two of the old-timers gets hurt.

*Jefferson will play in the all-star game. Love will play in the rookie game.

*Roughkat, Brandon and us will secretly keep a tally of the Wolves’ record in games we’ve attended for inane bragging right purposes.

*Brewer will never win a PGA Tour event.

*The San Antonio Spurs will be the NBA’s biggest disappointment.

Fasola-link! Slime molds.

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