The month ahead: December

The Wolves enter December on a win-a-month pace. They won once in October and then, 15 losses later, won the final game in November. Here's a look at where they are, how that compares with a year ago and what to expect over the next month.

Overall record: 2-15

November record: 1-14

Record through November last season: 4-11

December record last season: 2-14

What to expect: While the bar is admittedly quite low, it seems quite unlikely that the Timberwolves will be as bad in December as they were in November. The team should be gaining a greater understanding of the Kurt Rambis' offense and get a better sense of what the head coach wants. In addition, Kevin Love -- who hasn't played since breaking a bone in his non-shooting hand during a preseason game at Chicago -- should return by mid-month at the latest.

And there is the schedule. The December schedule is easier. Much easier.

After a November that saw the Wolves make three separate trips to the West Coast and have double games with Phoenix, Portland and Denver (along with the Clippers), things are much different.

The Wolves only have one West Coast trip in the month, they have eight home games instead of seven and the multiple games are against Utah, New Orleans and a surprising Sacramento team.

In addition, there are simply more games that you look at and say, "They might be able to win that." That starts Wednesday night with a home game against Memphis. In addition, there are two games against a banged up New Orleans team, two with the Kings, a home game against the Clippers, a game at awful New Jersey and a home game against Washington.

What's realistic: The Wolves should win at least four games this month and five or six isn't completely crazy. Five wins in December would put the Wolves ahead of their victory pace at that point a year ago. That, however, is a bit deceiving as the McHale led Wolves went 10-4 in January.

Game worth seeing: I am a big fan of two things. I like teams on the rise and I like catching teams from the East that only make one trip to MSP. Because of that, I'm calling the Dec. 22 game against Atlanta as the one to go to. The Hawks are an example of why NBA fans need to have patience. Five years ago, Atlanta went 13-69. Since then the Hawks have steadily increased their win total, going from 26 to 30 to 37 and 47 a year ago. They are currently 12-5 this season with two wins over Portland, a win at Boston and a win over Miami. Plus the game is a chance to see Joe Johnson in person. After the uber-elite of LeBron, DWade and Bosh, Johnson will be among the most interesting free agents available this summer.