Al is expected back for practice on Monday. KLove will get his broken hand X-rayed again on Friday to see how the healing goes and if he can return to practice (that might be wishful thinking this soon).
It’ll be interesting to see if, or how much, the Wolves’ style of play changes once Love gets back and gets in the groove.
Thus far, neither Rambis nor Kahn has ranted or raved, each trying hard to strike a balance between accepting the inevitable learning curve and not accepting outright poor play. "People just see the losses," Rambis said. "I know a lot of the things that happened in this organization in the past, good and bad, but this is kind of our Ground Zero from where we'll move forward. The team is going to look to me to see how I handle things, and I told them at the start of the season that this is going to be about education."
On the team's flight to Memphis on Friday night, Kahn wrote another letter to Timberwolves followers -- as he has done from time to time since he was hired in May -- addressing the start, now 1-10 after Saturday's loss.
"Our record was to be expected -- but it will not be accepted," he wrote. "Big difference, I think."
He wrote that Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington "need to take advantage of the rare opportunity to play significant minutes as rookies." He called for a "physical and mental toughness, even when we lose" that was not displayed in that 41-point loss at Golden State last week. He said the team will start "running and attacking more on offense," especially when Kevin Love and Al Jefferson return to the team.
From
Deadspin: Timberwolves GM Wants Fans To Know He Is Aware Of How Much Team Sucks
I understand that it should be considered refreshing that a general manager would choose to be up front and honest with a team's fans, and that a proactive approach such as this should be applauded. On other other hand, it has all the appearances of an act of desperation by an already beleaguered GM only 10 games into the season.
"It's hard to explain what's happening, and it's hard for a player to be in this position," Pecherov said. "But it's the way it is, and it's the coach's decision, and I just have to work hard. Hopefully, I'll be OK."
Rambis said there is a simple explanation, or more accurately, several. Matchups have kept Pecherov on the bench at times, he said. And then there is the fact that he is essentially a 7-foot small forward.
That's the way he's playing, anyway.
Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site on Saturday's loss in Dallas:
The Wolves newcomer, Nathan Jawai again showed potential in Jefferson's absence. The bruising Australian enjoyed success in the post with 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the field. In his first career start, Jawai received high praise from the Wolves headman.
"I actually thought he did a really good job in the ball game," Rambis said. "You know, he's still learning how to play -- what he can do with his body and his size. His teammates really like him; they enjoy watching him go to work and be aggressive."
STAR TRIBUNE'S STAR OF THE WEEK
Nathan Jawai, forward: There aren't many candidates when you haven't won since last month, so let's go with the big Australian who has intrigued with soft hands, bulk and quick leaping ability. Scored a career-high 16 at Portland, played career-high 25:46 against Dallas.
Chris Fry created this group on SportProjections.com. 