The Minnesota Timberwolves are at a crossroads right now.
They still have a long but realistic shot at making the playoffs, but they could also think about long-term development.
The team site Dunking With Wolves made an assessment on where the T-Wolves dilemma.
The Wolves record currently stands at 11-20 and they are three games behind the current eight-seed, Utah. Recently, the Jazz lost Alec Burks and Rudy Gobert and may struggle in the coming weeks.
Another team that the Wolves are chasing is the Phoenix Suns, and Eric Bledsoe, their best player for the season has undergone surgery and will miss the rest of the season. Also, there is some turmoil within the team with regards to the coaching staff and the status of Markieff Morris. All these elements may cause the Suns to be weaker than they were earlier in the season.
Other contenders for the eighth spot are the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings-both teams have been very inconsistent this season.
But the question is, should the Wolves go all out to chase that last playoff spot? SB Nation places the chase for the eighth spot in perspective-that the winner of that spot will most likely meet (and get trounced by) the Golden State Warriors.
One more thing that the Wolves should consider-they owe their first round draft pick in 2016 to the Boston Celtics. If they make the playoffs, they lost that pick.
Decisions have to be made regarding the fate of Kevin Martin and maybe even Nikola Pekovic or, according to pre-season rumors, Ricky Rubio. Will they trade these veterans for assets and build around Wiggins, Towns, Lavine and Muhammad?
The next month will be very pivotal for Minnesota fans.