McDaniels had three guaranteed years and $84M left on his deal. Nobody in NBA history had ever been extended in that spot. Minnesota did it anyway, squeezed a discount, and handed him a raise that quietly pays off twice.

Cam Newton says Ant's warning is fool's gold. Chad Johnson says the Wolves scare nobody. Both are grading an October quote against a ring Minnesota never claimed to have. That was never the test. Wednesday in Miami is.

Chris Finch's whole pitch two days before the opener: 'We'll see if we're ready.' Minnesota traded half its core for LaMelo and drew Giannis and Bam on night one. The honest answer is also the terrifying one.

No Wolves?

LaMelo Ball just compared Jaden McDaniels to a maxed-out 2K create-a-player. The kicker: Minnesota locked him up for $40 million the same afternoon, and may still have gotten a discount on the player he's about to become.

One outlet gave the new Wolves three futures: a first-round flameout, another second-round funeral, or the first title in 37 years. But Finch has spent all of camp pointing at the glass. That tells you which season is actually the honest bet.

I didn’t realize Rudy Gobert could play all five positions!

They cashed in the picks, broke up a two-time conference finalist, and bet the whole thing on Ant and LaMelo sharing one backcourt. Safe got them 49 wins and a second-round exit. This front office finally decided safe wasn't the goal. Buckle up, Wolves Nation.

Ant didn't say he hopes the Wolves win it all. He said he will. 'I don't think he's better than me. I don't think that they can beat me and my team.' This is the first season that's entirely his, and he's not asking anybody's permission to take it.

The starters never left Minneapolis, so the Bulls out-rebounded the Wolves by 17 and out-assisted them by 11. The kids who did play? Isaiah Evans finally found his jumper and Jaylen Clark looked like a guy Finch has to use. Mixed bag in Chicago.