Wolves lose in Charlotte, Kahn and others to decide today if Flynn plays tomorrow and more
Recaps of tonight's loss at Charlotte:
Dana Wessel/1500ESPN.com: Bobcats beat the Wolves 113-110; Telfair continues to step up
Derek S. Smith/NBA.com: Timberwolves-Bobcats notebook
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune: Wolves let this one get away
Ray Richardson/Pioneer Press: Hornets 113, Timberwolves 110: Charlotte gets 26 points each from Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson
From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune:
Wolves guard Luke Ridnour is expected back Wednesday against the Clippers after missing more than a week to rest his strained hamstring, but Jonny Flynn's return remains something of a mystery.
On Sunday in Atlanta, Kahn said everybody would meet Tuesday and determine whether Flynn is ready to play some minutes starting Wednesday. On Monday in Charlotte, Rambis said he "seriously doubts" Flynn could play as soon as Wednesday.
"He's still getting better, but I don't think he's physically ready to play," he said. "He doesn't feel comfortable getting out there right now. He had a couple really hard workouts back to back and got really sore because of them."
From Anthony Maggio/FOXSportsNorth.com: Beasley progressing, but has not yet arrived
From Kevin Pelton/Basketball Prospectus:
That kind of accurate shooting on long 2s will be difficult for Beasley to sustain. Before Wednesday, he was shooting 42.9 percent from 16 to 23 feet. The league average from that distance is even worse (39.9 percent). While players like Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki show that it is possible to make a living with long 2s as a staple, Beasley has not yet proved to be at their level. But his 25-point game Sunday at Atlanta might be more encouraging for the long term. Beasley made all six of his attempts in the paint and added just enough longer shots to finish 10-of-16 from the field.
From Mike McCollow/FOXSportsNorth.com: Wolves fall back to reality
From Luke Byrnes/Hoopsworld; Award Watch: Rookie of the Year
Wes Johnson may just be the tortoise in this race. With a few hares in front of him, the Syracuse product has been steady for the Timberwolves and after coming off the bench to start the season has now started seven straight games for Head Coach Kurt Rambis and has posted three straight double-digit scoring performances as Minnesota won two consecutive games for the first time in nearly a calendar year (the Timberwolves won four straight from Jan. 29 to Feb. 6 of last season), a streak that was stopped by a loss to Atlanta on Sunday.
From Ray Richardson/Pioneer Press:
Charlotte's Larry Brown was the latest coach to stress the importance of keeping Love off the boards. Before Monday night's game against the Timberwolves at Time Warner Cable Arena, Brown said he was impressed with how Love followed up his 31 points and 31 rebounds against New York on Friday with 22 points and 17 boards Sunday in Atlanta.
"When you validate a performance like that (against New York) against a team like Atlanta, with their athletic front line, that's pretty neat," Brown said. "I don't think we'll see 31 and 31 again."
Love said he's prepared for the extra attention he might receive from opponents. Love entered Monday's game leading the NBA with a rebound average of 14.8 a game.
"From a rebounding aspect, I would hope that teams put me at the top of their game plans," he said. "If they pay more attention to me, it'll help the entire team."