2012 NBA power rankings: T-Wolves drop to 18th

Despite winning two of the three games they played last week, the Minnesota Timberwolves dropped to 18th in this week's NBA power rankings from SB Nation's Seth Rosenthal. The recent success comes after the team had lost six of its past seven games, which presumably explains the continued drop.

While Rosenthal does drop Minnesota in the rankings, he says, "... the Wolves' appeal runs pretty deep. I don't really know how they ended up down here, but I don't expect it to last."

With Kevin Love still working into form and Ricky Rubio not even playing yet, Minnesota certainly isn't close to peak form, but much of the early-season optimism seems intact if the team can finally get healthy. Reports on Rubio's progress seem positive, so there's a good chance the T-Wolves will be working with something like a full deck soon.

The Western Conference continues to dominate the top of Rosenthal's rankings, as the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder populate the top three spots once again, albeit in a new order. The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets round out the top five.