Wednesday Windmill: Can the Timberwolves seriously make the playoffs?

     Earlier this week, Minnesota Timberwolves rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns, the #1 overall pick in June's NBA draft, expressed his confidence in his team's ability to make the playoffs. Knowing how terrible the Timberwolves were last season, it seems like Towns' words are nothing more than the words of a naïve rookie unaware of how difficult the Western Conference is.

     But while that is all probably true, we would be foolish to sleep on this Minnesota team given the talent that they have acquired. Karl-Anthony Towns has the potential to be one of the best big men in the NBA, Andrew Wiggins could be the next superstar of the league, Ricky Rubio is one of the better pass-first point guards in the NBA, and Zach LaVine has so much potential bottled up inside of him that it's simply frightening. In addition, Gorgui Dieng and Nikola Pekovic form a very nice frontcourt duo. Dieng in particular has the chance to be really good as a defensive big man to go along with Towns, who is much more of an offensive talent than a defensive talent.

     So, with all of that being said, where does this leave us in the discussion of the Timberwolves' playoff chances? Honestly, I don't see them making the playoffs just because the Western Conference is going to be really stacked this year. The Utah Jazz, a team further along in their rebuilding process, probably doesn't make the playoffs either.

     The only team that missed the playoffs in the West that should be expected to make the playoffs is the Oklahoma City Thunder. If they are healthy, then they probably steal a playoff spot from somebody (I'm thinking the Mavericks), but not even that is a guarantee. This of course means that the Timberwolves will once again be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

     But this shouldn't make us overlook the Timberwolves. They are finally building a team with the chance to be really good. It's just going to take more than one season for them to break through. Karl Anthony-Towns' confidence isn't for nothing. He has good reason to be confident in the team that drafted him. It's just that he isn't going to see success as quickly as he would like.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord to follow my NBA updates