A Mad Men guide to the 2018-19 NBA Season

“Is that what you want? Or is that what people expect of you?”  — Minnesota Timberwolves

It’s one thing to have the plight of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a franchise unable to capitalize on a string of draft picks that exceeded even their wildest expectations. If you’re Sam Presti, the occasional sleepless night is an unavoidable reality.

Now imagine being Tom Thibodeau (feel free to practice hurling guttural bellows at the wall for a few minutes if this helps you get into character). In 2016, as the biggest coaching free agent to hit the market in years, he took control of a team for which greatness was predestined. That summer, general managers around the league picked Karl-Anthony Towns as the first player they would select to start a franchise from scratch (a designation he had again last season). That came one year after choosing Andrew Wiggins as the player most likely to have a breakout campaign. Both Towns and Wigging won Rookie of the Year, so it’s not as if these were off the wall predictions.

Now, just two years later, a can’t-miss dynasty has turned into a sideshow before our eyes. Even before the Butler mess was hurled full speed into the fan, Vegas had the Timberwolves pegged as a 45-win team that would barely make the playoffs. Now, they’re 250-to-1 to win the title, worse odds than the Knicks and Mavericks, among others.

While it’s easy to put this on the man who’ll probably have been traded by the time you read this, I’m laying this one at the feet of the baby Wolves. Wiggins – the owner of a max extension that he hasn’t even played his first game under yet — regressed badly last season, and his defense continues to be a punchline. But he was never supposed to be the savior of the franchise. That was — and is — Towns, the man who, while only 22 and coming off of an All-NBA Third Team selection, drew Butler’s ire for reasons that remain unclear. Maybe it’s some off-court chicanery, or maybe it’s the fact that Towns plays the game at times like it’s more pastime than passion.

There’s definitely time for KAT and Wiggins to right the ship, but it might be time we all accept the fact that this is just who they are.