The Pelicans suffered injuries. If the T wolves remain healthy they will be a force to be reckoned with.
I think the T-Wolves are highly unlikely to win the NBA championship for a few reasons. I think their 24:1 odds are apporpiate. Let's revisit this in June.
Of the 7 teams ahead of them, 4 have won the past 4 championships (and still have the top players from those championship teams), and the other 3 are large market teams with a recent history of playoff series victories. The Wolves are a small-market team that hasn't won a playoff series in 20 years. Given the conventional wisdom that it takes time/experience to win a title, it makes perfect sense that their odds would be a bit lower than their record suggests.
@Tince really has not come up with much but he "thinks" for a few reasons the odds are appropriate. @PtldPlatypus on the other hand has come up with a very compelling argument that deserves merit. My stance on this is my original statement. IF they stay healthy they will and should be considered a contender. IMO that means top 4-5 in the playoff race. Their overall defensive rating is also #1 in the league on top of having the best record. Advanced overall net rating has them 4th. Those are things that translate into wins in the playoffs. The small market stuff isn't really holding water lately. Denver and Milwaukee have both recently won a championship and both are also considered better odds this year as well. Which by the way I agree with. I just agree with the premise of the thread that the T-Wolves are not getting the respect that they deserve yet. If they stay healthy and continue to rack up wins I would assume the odds will change.
I don't know how much "respect" they are or are not getting. That's a pretty subjective term. I'm sure every team could make a case for the disrespect narrative. Minnesota isn't a great outside shooting team, they have shown to have maturity/chemistry issues which could bubble back up when the times get tough, and most importantly, they've had little to no post-season success with this roster. To go from not winning a playoff series in 20 years to winning the NBA championship would be an unprecedented jump. I'd wager they are more likely to get bounced by the 2nd round than they are to win it all. Therefore, I think they are a longshot to win it all and appropriately respected.
That’s a solid response. I don’t really think they will get past the conference finals but you may very well be right and their ceiling is the second round. Again this is all subject to change with any major injury issues?
For sure... it's possible a bunch of teams around them get injured and they make some magical run. It's also possible Edwards suffers an injury, KAT disappears again, and Gobert causes the season to get canceled.
The small market thing has nothing o do with winning, but with the size of the fan base, and thus the number of people predisposed to want to bet on that team, which is a relevant point when considering Vegas odds.
If it makes you feel better, sports betting being legal makes it much easier to identify if games are being fixed or something along those lines. I'd also say that the impact a teams fans has on the betting lines is also likely at an all-time low because the overall volume of betting is up.
Larger markets also tend to receive disproportionate media coverage, which likely has a larger impact on the being public than the size of a fan base does.
True... but anymore, with all the data out there, the sharpes will hammer a book if they move a line too far. I was listening to a podcast where an oddsmaker said examples like this is when the sportsbook would rather have uneven money than a bad line. In the 90's, you could blindly bet against the Cowboys and win money long term. Those days are gone.
