As the month of December comes around, NBA fans all know that it means the season is in full swing. The teams that are playing well now are most likely going to be the teams we see in April and May. The teams playing poorly are already looking towards the trade deadline and the offseason as the season slips away. However, a lot of the big time awards such as MVP, DPOY, and 6MOY are too far off the horizon for us to make definitive statements about anything. There’s strong speculation for certain players in each of these, and other, categories, sure. But nothing is set in stone.

The closest benchmark we have to knowing who’s who of the 2017-18 season is the all-star game. The all-star game, in recent years has been sort of a wash. Even a lot of the players look like they don’t care to be there. There’s no real competition, and even if there were, there’s no real crowning achievement or incentive to play well in the all-star game. It seems the days of the 1987 or 2003 version of the all-star game is behind us. Which, in a lot of ways, is perfectly acceptable. Players don’t want to risk injury or exert themselves too much when they’re supposed to be on “vacation”. Maybe things will change with the new rules allowing players to be drafted, but that, albeit an extremely exciting factor, remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, the all-star game is a privilege and an honor for NBA players. Who wouldn’t want to be recognized as one of the best 24 players in the league? But it is an honor that only five Timberwolves players have been awarded during their time with the franchise. The last, and the Minnesota player to appear in the most all-star games, being Kevin Garnett in 2007.

But the tide has turned for Minnesota since those 10 years have passed. And we may be on the brink of having two players represent the Timberwolves in Los Angeles this February. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler.

Let’s start with the obvious: Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns is currently putting up 20.7 points per game, which ranks him at 3th amongst western conference centers and 6th in front court players in the West. He’s also 3rd in rebounding in the West with 11.8. Absolutely all-star worthy numbers from KAT and he’s led the Timberwolves to their best start in...actually, let’s not even go there. But in the stacked Western conference, it doesn’t matter which position you play. You’re going to have a ton of competition.

So taking a look at Towns’ competition, Boogie Cousins and Anthony Davis down in New Orleans are pretty much a lock. Their team is in the playoff picture and they’re both have a better season than Towns. Other than those two, things are actually kind of up in the air for the remaining front court spots. Kawhi Leonard missed a huge chunk of the season so far and even though he’s back, he’s on a tight minutes restriction so it’s safe to assume he might not return to the ASG this year.

Speaking of players from last years Western conference team, Gordon Hayward is now in the East so that will free up another frontcourt spot.

DeAndre Jordan is up in total rebounds but, to me, that’s more of a reflection of Blake Griffin being out. Jordan is also down points per game this year, which is another slight. Finally, the Clippers struggling to stay in playoff contention and, call me old fashion, but if the team is struggling, as a whole, it’s harder to vote for a guy being an all-star, unless he’s having a truly incredible season.

Draymond Green is probably a safe bet to make the roster as he continues to just be a all-around exciting and crucial player on both ends of the court.

Marc Gasol is an interesting selection because while he’s still having a good season by his standards, it’s not better than Towns. The Grizzlies are also a struggling team which leaves it up in the air whether Gasol will even be on the roster by the time selections are made. I’m not saying he should be left off the team, but if Gasol makes the cut and Towns doesn’t, we riot!

Going down the line, staples of the all-star game like Paul George and Carmelo Anthony could possibly be left off the roster. They’re both struggling to adjust in OKC and the stats reflect it. It’s tough to make a case for either one of them over KAT this year.

The biggest threat to KAT’s all-star campaign is LaMarcus Aldridge. He’s been on a tear this season with Kawhi out, averaging 22 and 8 over the first two months of the season. Furthermore, he’s managed to do this while keeping the Spurs at the top of the West. The only knock on Aldridge this year is that he plays for San Antonio who somehow flies under the radar in these situations. But as long as fans and coaches are taking note of what LMA is doing for the Spurs this season, he should look to make his 6th ASG appearance this season.

After that, there’s only the spot occupied by Kevin Durant who will certainly be selected by fans as a starter.

It’s not likely that KAT is going to be selected as a starter, but he’s garnered much respect and attention from coaches around the league, and it would be tough for them to pass over the young guy this season. It’s time that we start treating him as he is; one of the best big men in this league.

Jimmy Butler is more of a long shot. Over the past few years, he was a staple and a starter for the diluted Eastern conference. But now he’s tangled in the West, being matched up night in and night out, with some of the best players in the league and some of the best guards of all time.

When Butler came over to the Timberwolves this summer, one of my first thoughts was “I hope he’s okay with not being an all-star.” And with the way he started the season, I figured it’d be a foregone conclusion that he, concededly, would not be an all-star.

At first, he was almost a spectator to the Wolves. Hitting clutch shots when he needed to, playing great defense, and being a great teammate and mentor to the young guys around him. He was more content to let KAT and Wiggins take the lead on offense in order to get them acclimated to their roles and figure out how everything should work.

But lately, he’s been much more aggressive on offense, finding his shot more, and getting to the line. All the wonderful things fans came to love about his game in the past seasons. Currently, Butler is averaging 19.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.8 steals. So overall, not really up to par for Jimmy but he’s still continuing to surge and it’s possible his number could be back up to his usual totals by the time the coaches make their selections.

For the sake of skepticism let’s say this is the Jimmy Butler we’re going to see this season. A quite possible outcome now that he’s playing with two other offensive powers. Does he still have a shot at the All-Star Game?

Right away, we can lock in your Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. That leaves one spot left and there are a few players in contention for it. Klay Thompson is the obvious front-runner. But also the multiple times snubbed Damian Lillard and his teammate C.J. McCollum, as well as the rising star of Devin Booker.

As it stands, any one of Thompson, Booker, McCollum, or Lillard are more likely to make the team than Butler. But this is the NBA where nothing is ever safe. So there are a few ways this might play out.

Devin Booker is the easy man out here. He’s the youngest which means there will be plenty more opportunities for him to make another ASG. He also falls under the same provision I hold for DeAndre Jordan; if your team is bad, you should have to watch the game from the sidelines.

McCollum and Lillard have both been snubbed before and although I’ll be the first to say that these two absolutely deserve a spot on the roster, in fact, I think Damian Lillard should already be a lock. But it’s possible they’ll get looked over once again. It would be tragic and confusing, especially in the case of Dame, but stranger things have happened in the NBA.

Klay is the guy that checks all the boxes. He’s having a great season all-around, there’s no significant time missed or dip in stats. And his team is playing great. So the guy to catch for Jimmy would absolutely have to be Klay Thompson.

Which isn’t an outrageous concept. There’s still a lot of time before the coaches make their selections it seems like Jimmy is finally starting to hit his stride and become a bigger threat on offense than he was to start the season. If Butler can get above 20 points per game and 6 rebounds, maybe throw in some clutch moments for the Timberwolves, I believe that would be the key to him getting the attention he deserves and challenging guys like Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard for that final spot.

The All-Star game is something I look forward to each and every year. It’s not about the level of competition or the outcome of the game. For me, it’s more of a snapshot of where the league is at and where it’s headed. You have guys like LeBron who have done this for over a decade, intermingling with guys who are just starting out their careers. What’s more interesting than the game is analyzing the rosters -- seeing who was snubbed or who was a questionable addition. So, regardless, that time of year is always special as an NBA fan. But to finally have the Timberwolves represented in the ASG, would bring an added bonus and it would mean more than just getting to see them run the floor for 12 minutes. It would be a notice to the league and to the fans that the Timberwolves have all-star caliber players and a playoff caliber team.