Minnesota Timberwolves: Can Kevin Love Win Without Rubio?

When Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio went down with a torn ACL this weekend, he might have taken the team's playoff hopes with him. 

In what can only be described as an old-fashioned punch to the gut, Timberwolves fans must be thinking, "Come on, are you serious?!"

This is just the latest sucker punch the Twin Cities has had to absorb in recent years. The Minnesota Vikings are atrocious, the Minnesota Twins are coming off their worst season ever and 2012 is promising to be much the same, and the one team that should win, the hockey team, is possibly the worst of the bunch.

What can we expect from the Wolves the rest of the way? If they are going to still sneak into the playoffs, they will have to be a different team. Without Rubio running the show and dishing out 10 assists a game, Minnesota's other point guards will need to step up.

Luke Ridnour has been playing well this year, but coach Rick Adelman has been using him more as the shooting guard in a lineup featuring Rubio. Ridnour will have to go back to being the point guard along with J.J. Barea. Both players are shoot-first point guards, which is the most glaring of Minnesota's newfound problems.

If they are going to help this team win now, they will have to take better shots and look to get other players involved first. Nikola Pekovic and Derrick Williams need to be fed the ball to be effective which is part of the reason both have had success this season.

Second-year combo guard Wes Johnson has been deemed a bust of a draft pick. Maybe Wes was sick of hearing this because he has been playing like a top-10 pick lately. The Wolves will need him to continue to play well if they have any shot at playoff contention. Johnson is incredibly athletic and is starting to play like he did at Syracuse which is what made him a top-10 prospect in the first place.

Kevin Love is one of the best players in basketball right now. He's putting up huge numbers and taking over ballgames when his team needs him to. Aside from having a sick inside game, the fact that K-Love can shoot the three consistently really affects opposing defenses. Guys that guard Love cannot compete with him on the perimeter, and when they do, he will go around them or drain a three over them. 

The question is, can Kevin Love get this team to the playoffs all by himself? 

The answer is no. No chance. Not by himself. If the team can keep getting elevated play from players like Martell Webster, Michael Beasley and super-rookie Derrick Williams, they at least have a chance. The key will be beating teams without winning records—about half the remaining schedule. The Wolves have a 12-day road trip coming up soon. That stretch will largely define this team's success. 

Minnesota does employ the NBA's best bench, and there has never been a more important time for them to shine. Michael Beasley and Martell Webster will need to be in double figures most nights from now on. 

Losing Rubio is a huge blow for the Wolves; there's no doubt about that. Other players will need to play at a high level consistently especially now that teams can focus their attention solely on Love. I think the team's playoff hopes for this season are questionable at best. Many people had this team as being a year or two away anyway.

Don't tell Kevin Love or the rest of the Timberwolves that though. As far as they're concerned, the playoffs are still a very real possibility.