Wolves host Golden State tonight...Darko says he's sore but will play on Wed...Players talk about how they're coping with the losing season...Team gets control of ad space on a wall facing Target Field.
Previews for tonight's game against Golden State
From Marcus Thompson II/Mercury News: Don Nelson's record-breaking moment is put on hold
Nelson remains tied with Wilkens for the most coaching victories in NBA history (1,332), and he'll have another chance to break the record tonight at Minnesota. The Timberwolves are one of two losing teams left on the schedule.
From Phil Miller/Star Tribune:
Darko Milicic had a headache on Sunday, and smaller ones Monday and Tuesday. But an elbow is to blame, a direct shot to the jaw, and not his team's steady diet of losing.
Both conditions, the Wolves' center believes, are just temporary.
"It's sore, but I'm not running on my jaw, so I'll be fine," Milicic joked about the shot he took to the face from Jamaal Magloire's inadvertent elbow during Saturday's loss to the Heat. "I will play [Wednesday]."
He could have played Sunday in Oklahoma City, he insisted, but the team's doctor recommended being cautious because Milicic showed signs of a mild concussion.
From Ray Richardson/Pioneer Press:
An early 15-game losing streak wasn't bad enough. The Wolves topped that with a franchise-worst-tying 16-game skid that ended last week. They have lost 18 of their past 19, 24 of their past 26. At 15-62, they need to win one of their last five games to avoid matching the worst record in the franchise's 21-year history, set in 1991-92.
How are they coping?
Fifth-year forward Damien Wilkins said he hasn't seen the team coasting toward the end of the misery.
"If that was the case," Wilkins said, "I'm sure somebody would step up and say something."
From Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site:
In paying respect to the popular Dan Patrick radio show, I asked Kevin Love if his passion bucket is still full after a difficult 2009-10 season. Love, who is a frequent guest on the DP Show, honestly answered, "Yeah, it's been drained out a little bit, you know the life sucked out of it but we got five games left and we hopefully grind these out and they will be good games."
Love also reacted to Duke's title victory last night over Butler. The former UCLA forward admitted to cheering for Butler and considers himself a fan of the underdog despite playing for an iconic collegiate program. Love actually squared off against Blue Devils forward Kyle Singler for high school supremacy in Oregon.
"Yeah, we were rivals in high school. He was kind of the southern hero and I was the up-north bad guy. We had a lot of great games against eachother," Love remembered.
From Lee Handel/MSU Reporter: Timberwolves going nowhere fast? One writer thinks so
Ben Palosaari/City Pages previews Friday's game against the Lakers:
That being said, when the T-Wolves take on great teams like the Lakers, they're pretty decent entertainment at a price unheard of in most major sports markets. Plus the game isn't being televised locally, so going down to Target Center is your only chance to see it.
From Rochelle Olson/Star Tribune:
The Minnesota Timberwolves won two big ones at home -- the battle to sell advertising space facing Target Field and the weenie war.
A Hennepin County judge has allowed the team to erect signs on Target Center's hulking wall on Second Avenue in Minneapolis. The previously empty space on the arena's north side will soar in value starting Monday when the Twins take the field for their official home opener in their new park.
Thousands of Twins spectators will see the wall when they look toward right field. Television viewers worldwide will see it, as well, as will pedestrians in the plaza below the wall.
In the aftermath of the ruling issued March 26, Timberwolves CEO Rob Moor said Tuesday that the team is talking to possible sponsors and is in no hurry to throw up a sign. "The ballpark is going be there a while, and so are we," Moor said.