The NBA Finals just finished, but already the favorites for winning the 2017 championship are out, and surprisingly the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves getting a lot more respect.
The Westgate Las Vegas Super Book gives the Wolves 60-to-1 odds to win the title next season, while Bovada says Minnesota has a 75-to-1 shot.
Sure that doesn’t put Minnesota in the top four or five, but it is a significant improvement from where the Timberwolves have been viewed previously.
According to the Super Book, the top five favorites are:
- Golden State Warriors 3-to-2
- Cleveland Cavaliers 5-to-2
- San Antonio Spurs 6-to-1
- Oklahoma City Thunder 8-to-1
- Los Angeles Clippers 16-to-1
The Wolves find themselves in a group of about four teams including Portland, New Orleans and Houston all with 60-to-1 odds.
Bovada isn’t quite as bullish on the Wolves, putting Minnesota in a group with Memphis, Indiana, Charlotte and Detroit at 75-to-1.
With budding superstars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota has one of the most promising young cores of talent in the league.
It’s awfully early at this point, since Minnesota has been rumored to have interest in acquiring Chicago’s Jimmy Butler and several other names have surfaced as potential free agents.
Tom Thibodeau will be the Wolves fourth head coach in as many seasons, but the team hopes he’ll provide some stability on the bench and a front office that has been going through constant turnover.
But it appears that Minnesota is raising the expectations. Last week, Towns said the expectation is to make the playoffs.
