Timberwolves Talk

Jimmy Butler and Jamal Crawford have been terrific lately in two important wins, but Andrew Wiggins' struggles have continued. What's going on? We also answer reader questions about Nemanja Bjelica, Justin Patton and the idea that Wolves fans still seem annoyed in the midst of this franchise's best season in years.

Intro: Rejoice -- Marcus Georges-Hunt played 17 minutes Thursday. ... But now Jamal Crawford wants to play more, too? 12:00: A motivated KAT is a very good KAT. 20:00: KG opens old wounds, talks about owning the Wolves. 27:00: Is the Wiggins slump over?

Jam-packed episode featuring talk about: Wolves' slow pace of play; Thibodeau doesn't need a bench, he just needs 3 chairs; Karl-Anthony Towns looks tired; this is becoming Jimmy Butler's team; Tyus vs. Teague; maybe try making a trade?; long home stand should tell us a lot

Intro: The sky is falling, until it isn't. 7:00: Teague outplays Rubio (again).12:00: Karl-Anthony Towns has the highest defensive rating on the Wolves. He also is in favor of medical marijuana in the NBA. 20:00: Jimmy Butler has been awfully quiet so far. 30:00: Time for a winning streak?

Intro: Quick breakdown of Wolves vs. Warriors matchup Wednesday; 6:00: Jimmy Butler is deferring to his teammates a lot, and he's really bad on a canoe. 17:00: The Teague-Rubio debate is tilting in a different direction. 25:00: Can the Wolves duplicate this strong 10-game start in the next 10 games.

Show topics: The Wolves are 4-1 when Jimmy Butler plays, and all those wins were close. How much correlation is there in those facts? The bench has been bad. Do the Wolves need patience or change?

Intro: Dissecting the first week of the Wolves season, from Andrew Wiggins' buzzer-beater and strong all-around play to Jeff Teague sitting out the fourth quarter of the opener. 20:00: Three things we've liked and haven't liked so far.

Intro: What are the expectations for the Timberwolves both Wednesday in their opener at San Antonio and for the full 82 games. Will they go over or under the Las Vegas mark of 46.5 wins? 16:00: Evaluating the NBA as a whole. 25:00: Target Center looks nice, especially if you have money.

Open: Breaking down Andrew Wiggins' 5-year, $148 million deal. 15:00: How did the Wolves look in China? 22:00: The season is one week away. Will the Wolves play defense?

Intro: Impressions of the Wolves' preseason debut against the Lakers, including the first look at Jimmy Butler; 14:00: Jerry Zgoda checks in with Ricky Rubio in Utah. 20:00: How will the Timberwolves' bench and rotation work itself out? 25:00: Just sign the contract already, Wiggins. 31:00: Twitter questions and hot takes.

In the first episode of our new Timberwolves podcast, Jerry Zgoda and Michael Rand examine the perceived strengths and weaknesses of this year's team, which starts the season with internal and external optimism.