[AP Photo by Jim Mone]

Yeah, so what if it’s against the worst team in the NBA! The Wolves are on a roll: winning 4 in a row, 6 of the last 8 (the reverse for the struggling Celts). That’s 60% of their games won this season!

Despite his first 8 games (all against playoff-caliber teams), McHale has got the team playing with much more confidence. Whereas Whittman had his players on a short leash, McHale has simplified the playbook and is letting his players play through their mistakes. It’s paying off because Foye is playing relaxed knowing he doesn’t need to memorize more than 200+ plays or run the offense all the time - Ollie/Telfair have been more than serviceable at spelling him at the point. He’s no longer in a slump: shooting 50% from the field and a red-hot 53% from the arc during this run. He might not live up to the trade involving Brandon Roy, but he could be a very solid starter or even a fringe all-star in this league.

There’s really nothing new to say about Jefferson since he’s been so consistent all season. He probably won’t be selected to the All-Star game considering the Wolves’ bad record, but I would put him up there in the top 5 when it comes to offense in the post. He definitely has some of the best post moves in the league and at the age of 24, the Wolves have a cornerstone to build with.

Love’s been a monster on the boards, especially on the offensive glass where he leads the league in offensive rebounds per minute. McHale is bringing him on slowly even though most top rookies have been given the greenlight. His outside shots are improving and he’s getting to the line with much more tenacity than he was earlier in the season. Mayo might win the R.O.Y. this year, but in no way did the Wolves get the worst out of this deal: Love could be an 18 and 14 guy if he gets the minutes and he’s a good complement to Jefferson’s inside game.

The Wolves are salvaging what looked like a disaster of a season. McHale did a terrible job as a GM, but I see him as a good coach for this rebuilding process since he’s a let-them-play type and seems very enthusiastic to mentor the players he signed/traded in this inside-out offense. I would be thrilled if they could pull off a 30+ win season and I hope they can draft a stud guard like Harden or Holiday (Rubio is most likely off the boards by then) and add length at the center position with their lottery picks.