We'll take a look at each and every NBA team over the coming weeks, assessing what went right, what didn't go to plan, and where their journey took them as well as where the team hoped it would take them.

Today, we'll start with the league's cellar dwellers: the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Golden State Warriors

Record: 15-50 (15th in the Western Conference)

82 game pace: 19-63

Expectations

The Warriors came into this season in somewhat of a state of flux. After five straight trips to the NBA Finals and three Championships, this side was not expected to be an out and out contender. Kevin Durant was gone; Klay Thompson injured, Andre Iguodala traded, Shaun Livingston retired. Their major additions were D'Angelo Russell and.....Willie Cauley-Stein?

Despite this, the team was still expected to be able to win somewhere around 50 games and push for home court in the first round of the playoffs. Steph Curry was expected to have a monster year, keeping his makeshift side on the periphery of the Championship conversation.

What went right

Not too much, really.

The silver linings from a personnel perspective all revolve around opportunity. Players that wouldn't have gotten extended court time for a contenting Dubs outfit all got to learn on the fly. Untested guys like Eric Paschall, Omari Spellman and Damion Lee all proved themselves worthy of a spot in the league. Reclamation projects in the form of Alec Burks, Marquese Chriss and most famously Andrew Wiggins (and even Dragan Bender late in the season) all found a new level.

Perhaps the biggest positive is in the future draft assets garnered this season. There is, of course, their own pick that's projected to be #1 in the next draft. In the Russell for Wiggins trade, Minnesota gave up a 2021 first rounder: if things fall flat in Minny, that's another juicy piece for the Warriors to either deal or use to restock their pipeline of young talent.

What went wrong

June 2019 went very, very wrong. Any sliver of hope the team had of retaining Durant went with his achilles. Losing Thompson in the very next game was a heart breaker. Even merging centre Kevon Looney couldn't stay on the court. To top things off, four games into the season, Steph Curry's left wrist got caught down under – he'd play only one more game for the season. Draymond Green took up the gap year on offer and was generally awful through the season. Russell put up great stats on a poor team, but couldn't elevate the Warriors before he was traded.

The outcome

The outcome? A league worst record – that's the outcome! But.....was this season actually good news for Golden State? They get a year relative rest after near continuous basketball for Steph, Klay (enforced in this case) and Draymond over the past five seasons. They've replenished their draft stocks to either bring in young talent, or trade for veterans to make another big run. They've picked up a top end talent in Wiggins and hope to mold him into a player that falls somewhere between a KD and a Harrison Barnes.

Perhaps their biggest win? After so many years at the top of the food chain, there was always going to be some schadenfreude at the Warriors expense. But with so many of the familiar faces sidelined, it didn't feel like we were pointing and laughing at the fallen champs, but rather we were mocking a plucky underdog and that just didn't feel right. Even when they're losing, the Warriors are light years ahead.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Record: 19-45 (14th in Western Conference)

82 game pace: 24-58

Expectations

The Wolves were tipped to be in or around the eighth seed at the beginning of the season. Much of this was based around the brilliant Karl-Anthony Towns. The big man out of Kentucky has proven himself to be the singular best offensive centre in basketball. He can do it all: bully you down low, sling three's from deep (39.6% career shooter), drive to the basket and set up his teammates. KAT was also extremely durable, only missing five games through his whole career heading into the season.

With a solid supporting cast in Wiggins, Robert Covington and Jeff Teague around him, as well as youngsters Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie, this was seen as a team on the rise.

What went right

At the beginning of the season, things looked to be going to plan for Minnesota, with a 10-8 record. Andrew Wiggins showed signs of real growth in both his play making and shot selection. Josh Okogie proved to be a defensive menace. Gorgui Dieng revealed a seldom seen three point stroke. As a starter for the injured KAT, Dieng made 1.8 three pointers per outing at over 40%, before his trade to Memphis. Ahh, yes...the trades.

Minnesota made a few trades this season. Some were head scratching (Jeff Teague for the remains of Allen Crabbe), some were headline grabbers (Wiggins for Russell) and some were brilliant. The Wolves part in the big four team extravaganza cost them Covington but netted a first round pick as well as Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez. With those two alongside Towns, D'Lo and Culver, the Wolves suddenly have a solid young nucleus to build around. Precisely none of them are capable defenders, but it's still a whole lot better than what the Wolves had.

What went wrong

As mentioned, that start was solid, but then the wheels fell off. An 11 game losing streak (the first seven with Towns on the court) halted any momentum the team had generated. Towns missed 15 straight matches in a run that scuppered Minnesota's playoff hopes. Upon his return, the team lost 10 straight, as part of a longer 13 game losing run. The streak breaking win on February 8 was Towns first win in uniform since November 27 and that tells its own story.

Wiggins plateaued to the point where GM Gersson Rosas had to attach significant draft capital in order to turn him into D'Angelo Russell. Russell and Towns are famously close – the team has to hope that the positive vibes around their two nominal cornerstones are enough to overcome the fact that you and I could score against these two.

The outcome

They've taken the most circuitous route, but things are looking up in Minnesota. They have a pair of young stars that actually want to play together. They have good young supporting pieces in Okogie and the Nuggets imports. In Culver, they have a player they hope can grow into their Swiss Army knife, capable of morphing into whatever they need him to be in the moment. Could the Wolves be a play-off chance next season? The West is incredibly tough, but you can certainly make the case.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Record: 19-46 (15th in the Eastern Conference)

82 game pace: 24-58

Expectations

Cleveland didn't really carry any huge expectations for the greater NBA audience. They had a flawed star in Kevin Love, a pair of young guards still learning how to be effective NBA players in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, and a bunch of supporting players that really aren't starter quality for a playoff team in Jordan Clarkson, Cedi Osman and Tristan Thompson.

Internally, though? That's a whole other question. Reports abound that the Cavs hierarchy expected a play-off push at worst from their squad. Sure, it's laughable to you and I, but the Cavs clearly had their rose tinted spectacles perched safely atop their noses.

What went right

In short, very little. The Cavs only three game winning streak of the season took them to a woeful 9-21 record immediately before Christmas. Ummm, yeah. A three game win streak is about as good as it got, I'm afraid. Oh, Clarkson became a legitimate bench spark plug, tidying up his previously terrible shot selection and appearing to actually try on defense. All that did was get him traded to a playoff team, however.

What went wrong

Far too much to fit into this article. But lets bullet point it, for clarity:

  • The Sexton/Garland combo proved to be the worst starting back court in the NBA.

  • Love's defensive game atrophied and he's proven unable to make up for it on offense, as good as he still clearly is.

  • Love's $120 million contract was supposed to make him a viable trade target as he has years under team control. Unfortunately, the financial commitment caused each and every suitor to step away.

  • Clarkson was traded for a pair of second rounders and the unfulfilled potential that is Dante Exum. Aside from a 28 point explosion early doors, Exum did next to nothing.

  • The team traded for Andre Drummond, who is perhaps the most flawed star in the league. He overlaps with too many of Love's strengths, and doesn't cover any of his weaknesses.

  • They failed to trade pending free agent Thompson.

  • Veteran college mentor John Beilein was an unmitigated disaster in his first (and presumed only) NBA gig.

The outcome

There are not really a lot of positives to come out of this campaign for Cleveland. They're a horrible NBA team with perhaps the least discernible upside of any club in the entire league. It's amazing how many cracks can be papered over by a single player, sometimes. Miss you LeBron!

LeBron 2016