Neal: Timberwolves cross preseason off their list, head into a high-exposure, high-expectations NBA season

The Wolves’ top nine players were declared out for their game against Denver on Thursday. There were two reasons for the decision.

One, there was a conflict with Game 4 of the WNBA Finals between the Lynx and the Liberty on Friday, forcing the Wolves to move their game up a day.

The other: It’s mid-October anyway. That means training camp is about over. The plan was to bring on Rob Dillingham, P.J. Dozier, Luka Garza, Josh Minott and Terrence Shannon Jr., get through the game without incident and prepare for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. No reason to push the lads through a rescheduled back-to-back so close to opening night.

A tip of the cap to the Target Center fans who did attend the preseason finale. They got their practice in for the regular season by booing Nuggets irritator Jamal Murray during player introductions.

The highlight of the night, a 132-126 Nuggets victory, was Luka Garza outscoring a disinterested Nikola Jokic 29-4.

That about covers the game.

Now on to the 36th season of Wolves basketball, and to a team that has joined the Western Conference elite. Yes, this is the most highly anticipated season in franchise history, as the Wolves have followed a trip to the Western Conference finals by fearlessly altering the core of their team in a quest for a trophy.

Because of their run to the Western Conference finals last season — and forcing Charles Barkley to travel to the Twin Cities to cover their playoff games — the Wolves will nearly be overexposed this season. As of now, the Wolves are on TNT, ESPN or ABC 18 times. That includes a Christmas Day encounter with Dallas.

Once you get a Christmas assignment, you’re inside the velvet rope.

NBA followers have taken an interest in the Wolves, and Anthony Edwards’ rise to stardom is a good reason why. Edwards spent the offseason helping Team USA win an Olympic gold medal. And he listened and learned as James, Steph Curry and other future Hall of Famers offered advice. It undoubtedly will help a still-developing Edwards raise his game even further, which is scary when you think about it. Following the trade of Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks, it’s Ant’s team for sure now.

Unlike the Twins, who won a playoff series in 2023 and then failed to add to the roster during the following offseason, the Wolves spent theirs adding and then adding some more.

“We’re at the big table, so it’s not time to get scared now,” President of Basketball Operations Tim Connolly said following a draft in which the Wolves landed a point guard protégé in Dillingham and a guard in Shannon, who already drives and finishes at an NBA level. Teammates jumped off the bench near the three-minute mark of the second quarter Thursday when Shannon drove the lane and slammed home a basket.

Connolly then shocked the league just over two weeks ago by trading Towns for a package that included Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. We don’t know exactly how they will fit in because preseason games mean little and teams need about 20 games to figure out who they are.

“Where we are now feels like it’s in a really, really good place,” coach Chris Finch said before the game. “Feels like it’s ahead of the curve. But I say that with some caution, because, you know, when the next week comes and they start counting the stats for real, sometimes the ball tends to get a little sticky. So hopefully that’s not the case.”

Dealing Towns has led to the Wolves being dropped in some preseason pecking orders. Randle is not Towns, but DiVincenzo is a perimeter threat who has been more than what Finch had hoped for. DiVincenzo and Randle also bring toughness the Wolves can use. That’s not a knock on Towns, just an acknowledgment of what the Wolves received in the deal.

And Joe Ingles will help somewhere, somehow.

The 2023-24 Wolves reached the Western Conference finals but haven’t settled. Finch now has, in his estimation, up to seven starting-caliber players and multiple reserves to choose from. I agree.

Naz Reid. I better get his name in here. Just because.

So as opening night approaches, sleep on the Wolves at your own risk.