Are the Cavaliers and Warriors the Only NBA Teams with Hope for Next Season? No. There is Another.

in sports •  7 years ago 

This NBA offseason has been far more compelling than this year's playoffs. Unfortunately for most teams, all of their hard work is tantamount to shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. There are only two teams who have any real hope of making it to the 2018 NBA Finals. Those teams are of course the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, there is a third team who may have a season that actually matters.



Three of the locations on this map may actually be happy next June.

Some may argue that fans of the Celtics, Thunder, Rockets, and Spurs may be able to convince themselves that their team has a legitimate chance to make the finals... but unless LeBron gets injured or the Warriors' team bus crashes, they are fooling themselves. Although they might still enjoy watching their team in the regular season, come June they will be sitting at home frustrated and watching the Warriors defeat the Cavaliers once again.

Surprisingly, there is a third fan base who might actually be happy come June. Even though their team will have long been eliminated from the playoffs, they will be able to look back at the season as a success.

That team is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Please don't get me wrong. I do not believe for one second the Timberwolves will challenge the Warriors for the top spot in the West. I do think they can give their fans something they have not had in 13 years... an opportunity to attend a playoff game.

For the teams mentioned above, just making the playoffs is not a big deal. They are all expected to make the playoffs. Most of them have made the playoffs for many years in a row. Three of those teams have multiple championships and the other made it to the NBA Finals in 2012. So when they are eliminated from the playoffs, their fans will feel disappointment.



Wah! My team got my hopes up! Wah!

But I predict that the Timberwolves are going to do something they have only done twice in their 28 year history. They will accomplish something they haven't in 13 years. The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to win a playoff series next year. There fans should be ecstatic!

The Timberwolves may have had the best offseason of any team. They added a legit superstar in Jimmy Butler, picked up a solid defense-first veteran in Taj Gibson, essentially flipped Ricky Rubio for Jeff Teague and a future first round draft pick and signed one of the best bench scorers of the past ten years (perhaps the best) in Jamal Crawford.

These players were added to a core that already includes two budding starts in versatile big man Karl Anthony Towns and a long defensive wing in Andrew Wiggins who were the number one over-all pick in the draft in 2015 and 2014 respectively.

Their team is now incredibly deep. The pretenders in the West should be very worried.



Whooo! We got Butler, Teague, Gibson and Crawford!

Although those acquisitions are quite impressive, the number one reason I am confident that Minnesota will win a playoff series is their coach Tom Thibodeau.

I was a Bulls season ticket holder for each of Thibodeau's five seasons as the coach of the Bulls. During that time, the one thing I learned is that he is freaking crazy.

He has an unnatural desire to win not only every game but every possession of every game. It is a mania. He has never been married. He has no children. Basketball is his life. Even though this mania eventually cost the Bulls dearly by putting too much strain on his players' bodies, his teams always had a chance to win on any given night. He valued regular season wins more than any other coach I have ever seen. He would rather play his star player the last two minutes in a game with his team leading by 14 than risk losing a regular season game. As a result, he burned out Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and Derek Rose.

But overplaying those guys was not his fault. When he had a bench filled with players he trusted, he had one of the best rotations in the league. In 2010-2011 when the Bulls won 62 games and made it to the Conference Finals, his "bench mob" was the best in the league. Unfortunately, the front office dismantled that weapon and left him with no choice but to run his players into the ground in an attempt to win every regular season game. And it worked. He got more out of undermanned teams than anyone I have ever seen. In 2015, instead of giving him a bench, the Bulls fired Thibodeau. After sitting out the 2015-2016 (and getting paid by the Bulls.. one last F.U. to the organization) Thibs was hired as the coach and GM of the Timberwolves.



There are 8 seconds left and we are up 17 but you didn't get back on defense! I'm going to eat your soul!

In just over one year, Thibs made more excellent acquisitions than the Bulls have in the past 15 years combined. Thibs isn't changing. He's not going to ever accept losing a regular season game. So he did the smart thing. He gave himself a bench. He does not have to kill his young stars now.

He also added his two favorite players from his Chicago days: Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson. They know his defensive system (which is all that really matters). They share his desire to win every possession. They are the leaders the young players on the Wolves need. If one of those youngg players fails to get back on "D" or misses an assignment... they are dead. They will learn to defend or they will sit. Thibs doesn't mess around. Now he has players in his locker room to back him up.

I anticipate the Wolves starting lineup will look something like this:

C Towns
PF Gibson
SF Wiggins
SG Butler
PG Teague

That lineup has three lockdown defenders in Gibson, Wiggins and Butler along with an athletic big who Thibs will coach up to become a defensive force (Joakim Noah won defensive player of the year under Thibs... and he did it with no real talent). In addition, Butler, Wiggins and Towns can all score.

If Thibs runs things the way he did in Chicago, when it comes time to rest his starters, I expect him to leave Butler on the floor with four bench players.



Sadly, due to injury, Superman's enemy Non will not be on the team next season.

In that lineup, I would actually expect Butler to run "the point" with Jamal Crawford playing off the ball. That leaves three from a very deep mix of Dieng, Payne, Casspi, Aldrich, Bjelica, Patton (my gosh he has a lot of big players), and Rush. None of this even includes minutes for PG Tyus Jones. Thibs has proven over and over that he can take small point guards and get them PAID (see John Lucas III, Nate Robinson, D.J. Augustin, Aaron Brooks). Can he do the same for Jones? Why not?

I also would not rule out one more addition to the roster. Rajan Rondo, who played for Thibs when he was the defensive coach for the Celtics, was released by the Bulls. Perhaps he could sign with Minnesota to further solidify their bench.

I think this is the perfect recipe for the Timberwolves to finish with the second best record in the West.

But that does not mean I believe they will be the second best team. Other teams will be better... but they won't try to win every single game the way the Wolves will. Therefore, Minnesota could very well end up the number two seed with home court advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. If that happens, they will play the seventh best team in the conference. That scenario should result in the Timberwolves' first playoff series win since 2004.



kevin-garnett_wolves-kings_game-7_051904.jpg
Color photography had not been invented before the Timberwolves last playoff series win.

Even though the best the Wolves can hope for is playing until May, a playoff series win will mean a tremendous amount to a fan base who has suffered through watching some of the hottest garbage on the court for the last 13 years.

I doubt I will be watching many Bulls games next year... but I will do my best to catch a few Timberwolves games.

What do you think? Can the Timberwolves compete for second in the West?



Images 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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Maybe the heat will light back up that flame lol. LETS GO!

Not sure if Olynyk is enough to push them over the hump but just about anyone can make it to the Eastern Conference finals, especially if the Celtics have any injuries.

I think it's a tad early to crown the Timberwolves the prince of the West, but they certainly have an exciting team with a good mix of youth and experience. I still don't think they're good enough to beat the Warriors, Spurs, or Rockets in a 7 game series, but they're definitely in the mix for that 4 seed with OKC. Should be an exciting year for Minnesota.

Agreed. I just think they can have the 2nd beat regular season record (because their coach is a maniac) but I don't think they can beat the teams with multiple stars in the playoffs. But winning one round is a big deal for them.

I've been saying that the Wolves won the offseason as well! I am SUPER excited for them, especially because I believe they most definitely will be a playoff team. However, I can't say they'll be a top 2 or 3 seed. I think they can achieve home court advantage in the 1st round (being a 4th seed) but it's a stretch for anything more than that. What I WILL say is that NO ONE is going to look forward to playing the Wolves...especially in a 7 game series. Thibs will have this team being the toughest and most ferocious group of guys we've seen in a while (imo).

MAN, I just can't wait for the season to start.

LETS GOOOOO.

Yeah I am really excited for wolves fans. I think I am becoming on honorary member. I have seen thibs do crazy things in the regular season with an undermanned roster. Those others teams will rest during the regular season... the wolves won't do they can pick up 5 games on the better teams just based on that alone.

Valid point!

And last year they dang near set a record for losing close games, haha. If they can fix that, which I think they will finally, that's another 5 games maybe (even if they had the SAME roster as last year).

In short, the Wolves got a lot of things going for them.

I think everyone knows deep down the answer to your question in the title is "yes".

So, the article (while well-written and appreciated) is pointless. ;)

LOL. Well it all depends on your definition of "hope". Hope to win the championship? No chance. Hope to win their first playoff series in 13 year? I think so. I think the NBA has become ridiculously boring with no parody at all. So finding any team outside of Golden State that can actually feel good at the end of the year is really tough.

Totally agree. The 90s it was the Bulls, the 2000s were the Lakers and Spurs, now it's the Warriors and Cavs...ironically two of the worst teams in the league the last 25 years.

Good point. It's amazing that golden state has risen. They had a brief flash with "run tmc" but that was broken up pretty quickly.

I was ready to blow off the notion of the Wolves as the second best in the West - now I am at least considering it.

The Spurs and Twolves games are going to be fun to watch for the constant chess strrategy. Second in the West probably comes down to those two.

Good call. I can't wait to see what Pop does. Although he could just sit all of his guys and list the reason as "old". that was hilarious when he did that!

One of the best memes I've seen in a while. I don't know why...but I cracked up hahahahaha. Thanks for sharing.

Lol, you're quite welcome.

outstanding thoughts shared. keep it up dude!

@hanshotfirst - I feel for the Bulls! With my affinity to Chicago, they will always remain close to my heart. It is unfortunate that their coach has burned out their best players. Guess he did not have much choice with all the upheavals that had gone on. I believe that your argument in favor of Minnesota Timberwolves being a strong contender are quite logical. Time will tell who makes it to the playoffs. Will be interesting to wait and see.
Thanks for your article with such acute analysis. Upvoted

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Yeah... it will be a long time before the Bulls will be watchable.

I think Cavs and Warriors are only contenders this season. Timberwolves is building up but still not even close to their level. Still, this could be an interesting season

Oh yeah. They wouldn't stand a chance against the Warriors. I just think their fans may finally have something to cheer about for the first time in many years.

Boston Celtics addition of Hayward and Morris is an excellent move. They will definitely stay on Eastern top 1-2 position.

Minnesota addition of matured player like Butler, Gibson and Teague to support the youngters will help them past the second round.

San Antonio is always there to break any forecast if they stay healthy.

Follow me @Yehey

What do you think of the Celtics losing Bradley, though?

Kyrie has been on record saying that Avery is the best 1-on-1 defender he's ever faced.

That was a big loss. Actually very underrated how big it was. And they will most likely lose crowder. They took a big step forward offensively but I step back on d. Personally I don't think it matters. Lebron will be in the finals every year he's in the NBA. They make way too much money off of his presence.

Yeah, but at least they put themselves in a good position to take advantage of any injuries that the Cavs might have. At full strength, I suspect Lebron in the East to be in the finals for the next 3 years at least.

I agree with your analysis. A lot will depend on injuries.

Yesss as I was slowly reading and scrolling down I was hoping to see it be the T-wolves, or maybe I just already knew that in my head that they are going to be nasty this year!

They will be fun to watch! And they are one of the few teams where this season matters. In three years the warriors may not be intact. The wolves should be outstanding by then.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

The talent is definitely there, but chemistry, learning curves, injuries? Same goes for every contender. The west is STACKED! It's anybody's game. I mean you never know, maybe a Cinderella team will show up out of nowhere ...cough... SUNS

Oh yah. Once injuries are factored in, anything can happen. I just saw how crazy Thibs is about the regular season. No one else cares as much. Everyone is just playing for 2nd though. I hope the Suns are exciting! They might be the 4th seed if they were in the East.

Interesting thoughts. I'm looking forward to seeing how Oklahoma plays coming season :)

I don't trust Westbrook to share the ball with anyone... but Paul George is a surprisingly good catch and shoot player. It could be interesting. Plus they can fix the rotation that each of them has about 15 minutes on the court without the other.

I like the PG pickup because he can catch and shoot. Plus, while he's a good player, he's definitely not as good as Westbrook. He should be a good #2 option. Westbrook is an alpha dog though, he's not gonna be passing too much, but hopefully more than last year since PG is better than anyone else he had last year

Good points. Yeah PG is still top 15 in the league.

TImberwolves have a shot, but they have to get much better on defense. Its kidna surprising how bad they were on D considering Thibs is their coach. A few other teams have a decent shot at making noise, I wouldn't count out the Spurs or OKC with Paul George. In the end though, we already know GS and CLE will likely meet again

Yep. That is a foregone conclusion. Taj and Butler run Thibs system to perfection. The Wolves defense is going to take a huge jump this year.

Agreed!

Wow! Such an early pre-season prediction. I think that they are capable but I don't see much debt. I think that as long as Towns stays healthy, they can definitely be in the mix.

I think I'm just bored with no sports today lol. So I figured I'd make a prediction 11 months in advance. That's normal... lol.

Congrats on your upgraded team @hanshotfirst from out here in Warriors country ..:) Towns is a beast..glad to see the supporting cast taking shape. We need some competition! Not too much though please! Go Dubs!

No one can compete with the Dubs. I've never seen anything like them and I was in Chicago for Jordan's heyday. Bulls d was better though.

Timber...what? I dont think so...i think they r there to make the numbers, n like u said, it is d Cavaliers, Warriors n others

One round. I think they win the first round and then go home to watch Cleveland vs warriors iii.

Reading your post makes me miss my team, the Seattle Supersonics (now the OKC thunderclouds or something). Hopefully in the future there will be a new Sonic's expansion team. I remember when Kemp and Payton would charge down the court.... ah, memories! Thanks for your post!

The raiman and the glove!

I remember them well. Played the Bulls in the Finals once. Seattle deserves a team. I hope they get one back.

As a Spurs lifer who flirted with the Timberwolves a bit in the KG days, I would have to agree. Ever since Wiggins, every year always feels like it's the year the pups get their turn in the limelight, a la the Thunder and the Warriors. This is their best lineup in more than a decade, and I really do hope they get to contend in the playoffs.

It's a shame that Rubio was shipped off, as I feel he could thrive in a roster filled with scoring options. Since Thibs' teams are almost always top-heavy, we don't really even need to talk about the bench now, do we?

Though, I do believe that the Rockets are making a lot of headway. Aghast! I feel the vomit coming up. If they get Carmelo Anthony, they have a legitimate shot at contending with the Warriors, I think. That is, if Harden doesn't forget to recharge himself before do-or-die games. A-YO!

That harden game was sad. The entire west is ridiculous. So much talent. I've been a season ticket holder in Chicago. Thank god I gave them up. The only games worth anything would be Cleveland and all the western conference games. Even the bad teams in the west have a hot Ticket because of all the stars there.

You know, a little less than a decade ago, I kept referring to the East as the Leastern Conference, because of that season when the 11th seed in the West could still make the playoffs in the East. But, I would've never thought that it would persist up to this day, especially after there were high hopes brought about by that tight East Playoff race back in the '15-'16 season. I, for sure, thought that I was happy to be proven wrong that season.

It is seriously a mess. Are there more than 4 teams even trying to win the east? The race for last and best chance in lottery will be more compelling than that for first.

I think the contest this season was compelling, though it was a fight for the 7th and 8th spots haha!

Current betting odds to win next year's NBA championship on Bovada:
Warriors -200
Cavaliers +450
Celtics +900
Spurs +1600
Houston +1600
Thunder +2000
Twolves +2500
Twolves +3500

Can I just bet on them making it to the Conference finals? LOL

My friend is a basketball fan. Maybe he knows the answer.
Let's see, let's see!

I'm curious to hear what he says.

I think you just might be right. Minnesota is making some solid moves.

I almsot want to buy NBA TV just so I can watch them. The Bulls are unwatchable.

Nice write up here. Had no idea the Timberwolves made all of these additions. Jimy Butler is legit and I like Jeff Teague too. I learned more about Jeff when I played fantasy basketball. You could chalk him in for about 30 FP every night and that shows he contributes on the floor. This guy shares the ball and will get a minimum of 5 assists per game. I will remember to check on the Wolves this year.

The Teague acquisition was great, because he's a little bit more sharp at the point of attack compared to Rubio. What we saw a lot last year was the Wolves inability to easily score down the stretch, forcing Wiggins to force tough, contested shots.

With Butler, Teague, and the rest of the additions, it'll open up even more opportunities for Towns and Wiggins to take their game to another level. SUPER excited!

You have me excited just reading your reply. It would be nice to see Wiggins do better this year and if the Wolves can pass the ball around better than we should see an uptick in Wiggins scoring ability.

I really think they will be one of the more interesting teams to watch.

Man, the part of the map marking the Orlando Magic is way too small =/

I've almost quit watching the NBA, it's never been more pointless. GSW almost swept the playoffs, LOL, 3 games longer winning streak than the record?

GSW are in the running for being the greatest team of all-time. Teams like that dominant, lol. Personally, I think its amazing to see dominance like that because it won't always be around.

I can respect your point of view though. I think there are valid points on both sides (how competitive it is, are dynasties more fun or not, etc).

I'd agree. In fact, if they just said "screw salary caps, luxury tax, do whatever you want" I'd actually like that better (than the current system). What they have currently is this carefully restrictive system that concentrates power in some of the dynasty teams, despite all the seeming attempts at financial parity.

If they just made it total wild-wild west, we'd at least get an evenly matched Lakers vs. Celtics/Some Other East Big Spender team each year.

Then again, I could be totally wrong.

I know... I was stretching for something to bring me back next year. The playoffs were unwatchable.Rooting for the Twolves could be fun.

For those of us who don't, it sort of explains the popularity of sports betting. At least then you have something to get excited about.

Maybe the NBA should institute a point-handicap to teams based on their seed, in an attempt to see a 1/16th chance for each playoff team to win each year.

Ridiculous, but I'd watch it way more than I am now.

That sounds fun! I think you'd need to do that in an independent league though. Kind of like what the xfl was trying to do.

Yeah, but then we'd have different players, and I suspect we wouldn't care =/

I still can't believe the Bulls gave away Butler for not much in return. Butler is a legit franchise player imo. If only the Wolves were in the Eastern Conference though. Too many great teams in the Western Conference.

I was fine with the trade... until I saw that the Bulls had to include their first round pick in the deal. If it had been Dunn, Lavine, and the number 7 pick I would have been ok. But having to throw in the #16 really blew it for me. But it is to be expected. the Bulls front office has never "won" a trade. They ALWAYS overpay.

Whose front office is worse? The Bulls or the Knicks? Hmm....probably still the Knicks hahahaha.

I don't know much about NBA.
Maybe because I don't have much of a zeal for sports.
I've started to follow you so I can hope to expand my knowledge regarding the professional scene.
Let's see if Timberwolves will win a playoff series

I LOVE sports but I don't write about them as much as I should. My blog is kind of all over the place. I hope you will find some things you will enjoy.

I'm seriously impressed by all the moves they made. I don't know about ending up as the #2 seed, but with all those great defensive players mixed in with natural scorers like Butler they have a chance.

This made a ton of great suggestions when he was coaching the Bulls... but the front office ignored him. He begged them to take Draymond Green instead of Marquis Teague and Dieng (who he now has) over Tony Snell. He also wanted them to keep Asik so he didn't have to run Joakim Noah to death.

That is why he only took a job with total control. He knows what he needs.... and he got it. The fact he has no life outside of basketball means he is in the unique position to handle both jobs well.

Yeah he does seem like a brilliant mind when it comes to basketball, but that only means so much if the players underperform this year. If Butler or KAT gets injured, I think their playoff hopes could be completely gone with how tightly competitive the west will be this year.

Oh yeah. This is all "perfect world" no injuries fantasy.

You should be considering the OKC too this time. It may be that they would this time defeat warriors and get a place in the finals. The reason is Paul George being in the OKC thunders alongwith Westbrook. Something intresting is to be seen.

I don't trust Westbrook to give up the ball enough... but anything is possible.

However he is the MVP, he may prove us wrong.

The Timberwolves have been on the brink of something for a long time. Ever since Rubio joined. I think with the addition of Butler they'll make waves in the regular season but there's only one of two teams winning the championship. And that's the Warriors or the Spurs.

For sure. I'm just stretching to find another team to get excited about.

I'm quite optimistic when it comes to spurs this year :D
so with that being said GO SPURS GO

They always have a chance. Did they get a pg yet?

i dont think that they can match with cavaliers and warriors they are 2 best teams in nba

For sure. Everyone else is playing for 3rd.

3rd place in my opinion will be oklhoma they are good team i cant wait to se paul george and wetbrook playing together

Cant wait either! I think the season will be much more interesting with the fresh balance of stars on different teams, but the end matchup in June will be the same.

Wiggins is definitely NOT a "lockdown defender", but agree the team can compete with the best if he actually starts playing ANY defense.

We prefer the chances of Charlotte and Miami to upset the Cavs, and we think Houston has the best chance to take down GSW.

https://steemit.com/news/@tenhanger/houston-rockets-look-great-at-12-1-odds

OK I stand corrected. I may need to look at that a bit more. I think I was going on his reputation too much. He better play D if he wants to see the floor...

Coming into the league, many thought that Wiggins athleticism and length would translate into him being an effective "lockdown defender". However, he has a lot of mental lapses and doesn't seem too interested on that end. That being said, I think he has all of the tangible tools to become an All-NBA defender (seriously). Just look at what JR Smith has become so late in his career--its possible. With another year of learning Thibs defensive principles (and Jimmy to mentor him), I think we might see another level in Wiggins.

Maybe I'm just optimistic, but I'm not ready to dog on a 22-year-olds​ defensive focus when he has to put up 24 points a game to keep the team afloat.

REALLY interested to hear why you think Charlotte or Miami have a good chance to beat the Cavs?

Sadly I don't think anyone stands a chance of keeping lebron out of the finals. The NBA has become an out of control money making machine. No one is going to kill that golden goose.

Lol...wait are you saying that Lebron has made it 7 straight times because he brings ratings/money to the league?

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Hmmm... It seems to me Cavaliers and Warriors will be in our face for the next 3 years at least. No big surprise for Oklahoma. KD is a better player than PG. Let's see.

The rest of the league its just playing for 3rd. I think Timberwolves might surprise an make it there...

You never know with OKC, though. Yes, in a vacuum KD is better than PG-13. But the 2016 Thunder with KD had a 3-1 lead on the Warriors...I think we might be surprised at how effective the Thunder could be this year. I guess we'll see :)

Thanks for expanding my limited knowledge about basket :) Those guys are so tall heh :D

Yes. Yes they are!

You mean the Minnesota TimberBulls? I'm from Chicago so know all about Thibs, Jimmy and Taj. They will be a gritty team that should be unstoppable on D, but their shooting will leave a little to be desired. Either way should be a fun team to watch.

I like that. Timber BULLS it is!

Rockets about to break up the party and lead the league is assists

It could be. But not sure how much harden wants to give up the ball.

As a tortured TWolves fan for life, I can't wait for this season!!!

I am really excited for you. There is nothing quite like the excitement of seeing a team grow right in front of you. I loved thibs as a bulls fan. I'm jealous of your franchise for sure.

Oh and I love your avatar!!!!

Nice post,thanks!

Very nice this post👍👍

i think lakers can do it next season @hanshotfirst

Very much interesting article.

The interview of Robyn Miller is great. It also shows the evolution of a game from b/w to color to 3D. That's cool!

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Nice write-up. Followed.

may be they can make it.

I love NBA .Now i miss this game due to my office workload i am not watching this properly.plz help me in @blueheaven

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In my concept Boston,Bulls, OKC and Spurs can fight

Bulls?? With the team they have now?? No chance? They're rebuilding

I don't think you meant the Bulls. They are tanking. I don't think they will win 30 games. If they do, they are even failures at tanking.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

nice post.very interesting

Amazing post. Thanks for share. Im upvote and resteem now.

Interesting thoughts Mr. Shakespeare. Appreciated & upvoted.

I am eagerly waiting for upcoming matches, lets rock

Yes i think so!

How about the Spurs and Rockets? Both look to have improved their roster significantly. I understand the T Wolves have improved also but its their first year with a lot of the new pieces. For the Spurs its the same core with the addition of Rudy Gay over Simmons. And for the Rockets they got Chris Paul! I'm actually not too sure how the Rockets will do compared to the T Wolves. I do think Spurs will finish higher than the T Wolves though.

I also create basketball content and am looking to grow the basketball community on Steemit. Please follow as I think you will like my content. Cheers and keep the good posts coming!