Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman flinched the day after the season ended last spring, when Kevin McHale said his team could win 20 more games this season. Six months later, even with Mike Miller and Kevin Love on board, Wittman still is not ready to embrace such a prediction for an outfit that won 22 games a year ago.
"That's Kevin, that's not me," Wittman said. "I can't sit here and give you (the number of) wins. I never have. We've got to be better. "The way we played at the end of last year, once (point guard) Randy (Foye) got back for the last 40 games or whatever it was, we've got to start right from that spot and spring forward. We can't start lower than that and work our way back. What is that going to translate into, wins-wise? More wins."
Wittman points to the Portland Trail Blazers' arc of improvement the past three seasons as the model: from 21 victories in the 2005-06 to 32 victories two years ago to an even 41-41 record last season.
Now, with young players Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge returning and Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless on the way, the Blazers are considered the team of the future in a Western Conference ? where Tim Duncan in San Antonio, Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal in Phoenix and Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas are growing old.
"We're looking at two years from now, three years from now," Wittman said. "In these next couple years, those teams have some decisions to make. If we can position ourselves, when they're ready to retool their teams, we'll be ready to break through and take their spot."
