The Cavs owe the Timberwolves a huge “thank you” for their playoff push

The Cavs are taking advantage of the Timberwolves’ poor decesions.

The Timberwovles are 11-15 and will probably see their star player Karl Anthony-Towns get traded away at some point over the next year or two, as the franchise is in the duldrums. It’s bad enough they traded away Andrew Wiggins, who is coming into his own with the Golden State Warriors, but the Cavs revival season is 4/9 thanks to the Timberwovles awful decesion making.

That’s right, the Timberwolves have either directly or indirectly created the Cavs team that is projected to finishin the top three in the Eastern Conference this year and finish with just shy fo 50 wins.

So how, how did the Timberwolves practically give the Cavaliers every asset they would need to compete for the playoffs this year? Well, let’s take a deep look at just how that all happened.

Four players who came in as Timberwolves but are helping the Cavs’ revival

Kevin Love

Kevin Love is an obvious one and a player everyone will know. He made his name in Minnesota and was arguably the best power forward during his time as a Timberwolf. He was sent over to Cleveland in a trade that netted the Wolves Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a draft pick that would become Tyus Jones. Love helped Cleveland win the NBA Championship in 2016, and the Wovles have zero assets remaining from the Love trade.

Ricky Rubio

The Cavs second unit is as dangerous as its first thanks to the maverick, playmaking point guard that is Ricky Rubio. Not a great shot, at or below league average for a guard, Rubio is every bit the asset as a pace setter and defensive option. Plus, on the night his shot is falling, he is capable of going off for 30+ points. His defense and fit alongside Darius Garland have really transformed this entire team, as he can both start or be a sixth-man. The former Timberwolve was drafted ahead of Stephen Curry and while Curry is an all-time great, Top-25  type player, Rubio has carved out a great career. He had two stints in Minnesota, before getting traded to Cleveland to close out his second stint. The Cavs only had to give up Taruean Prince to get Rubio.

That’s clearly working out better for the Cavs than for anyone else.

Cedi Osman

In the same trade that saw Love and Wiggins swap teams, Osman was an additional pick for the Cavs. A second-round draft pick, the Timberwovles took him at No. 31st overall, making him a borderline first-round talent. It took Osman two years to arrive in Cleveland but when he did he became a player to watch in the post-LeBron James future. He’s a far better player than Jones and has four-straight seasons of double-digit scoring.

Lauri Markkanen

The Timberwolves drafted yet another player who they traded away; this time in Lauri Markkanen. Taken seventh overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, Markkanen was traded right away to Chicago in the deal that would bring Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves. Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine also went over in the trade as well. Like with others on this list, the Timberwovles have nothing to show for giving up Markkanen (or LaVine for that matter) and the Bulls ended up trading Markkanen to Cleveland in a three-way trade that saw Chicago get Derrick Jones Jr. and a first-round pickf or him.