Knicks' Stoudemire to have knee surgery, miss 6-8 weeks

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) -- Amare Stoudemire could be sidelined for two months, the second straight season the New York Knicks forward will miss significant time because of injury.
The Knicks said Tuesday that Stoudemire would have left knee surgery and could be out six to eight weeks, more than twice as long as originally estimated when he was hurt during the preseason.

The team said he will have a debridement, a procedure to remove tissue.
"It's tough. I mean, Amare's a big piece to our puzzle, man. I don't care how you slice it," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "We'll be here when he gets back, that's for sure. We've just got to hold the fort down until he's able to get back in a uniform and on the floor playing."
Stoudemire missed the first two preseason games with a bruised left knee, then scored 18 points in 27 minutes against Toronto on Oct. 19. He was bothered by more pain and the Knicks announced he had a ruptured cyst and would be sidelined two to three weeks.
But he and the Knicks decided after further discussion and consultation to have the procedure.
Stoudemire struggled through an injury-filled 2011-12, though none of his problems were with his surgically repaired knee. He missed 15 games, 13 with a bulging disk in his back, and his average of 17.5 points was his lowest since his rookie season.
His absence further hinders the Knicks' hopes of getting Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony to mesh in their first full season together. The Knicks are just 31-40 when both play, and both have said they expected things to be better this season with their first training camp.
"It's disappointing. I definitely thought this was going to be the season that we had a chance to go out there and play together in a full season, no injuries or things like that," Anthony said. "But at the end of the day, you can't control that. You can't control what happens to your body, you can't control injuries.

"We want him to just be healthy. End of the day, when he's ready to come back, his jersey will be hanging in the locker and we'll be ready for him."
The Knicks could opt to play Anthony at Stoudemire's power forward spot, which they did with success late last season.
New York did get good injury news Monday when center Tyson Chandler was able to take part in portions of their practice. He was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee after a collision in an exhibition game last Wednesday, but hopes to play Thursday in the season opener at Brooklyn.
That game could be in jeopardy as New York recovers from damage to the subway system caused by Hurricane Sandy. The NBA said Monday it was still evaluating games for later this week.
"As far as I've been told it's still on and that hasn't changed," Woodson said, "so we're preparing to play Thursday."

Heat receive championship rings in glitzy ceremony

MIAMI (AP) -- LeBron James held his index finger aloft, then turned and took a walk nine years in the making.

A few moments later, a championship ring - finally - was his.

James and the Miami Heat celebrated their NBA title once again Tuesday night, with the ring-and-banner ceremony replete with an indoor fireworks show that immediately preceded their season opener against the Boston Celtics.

NBA Commissioner David Stern handed Heat owner Micky Arison the first ring of the night, and Arison handed the others out to executives, coaches and players.

James went last, as the crowd roared for the reigning NBA MVP.

"It's not given," James said earlier Tuesday. "These moments are not given."

Stern gave brief remarks to the crowd, starting his address by mentioning "those who were affected" by Hurricane Sandy, which struck the East Coast earlier this week. (Stern misspoke and referred to the storm Hurricane Katrina, though his point was clear.) He congratulated Heat executives and coaches, then lauded Miami's players.

"And congratulations to the Miami Heat fans," Stern said.

The only player to address the crowd was veteran Mike Miller, who spoke after warmups.

"We want to thank you guys so much for all your support," Miller said. "Without you guys, a night like tonight's not possible. The journey that starts tonight is going to be even more challenging, so we're going to need your passion, your support and your energy even more. Enjoy the game tonight and let it fly."

The rings had the words "All In" on one side, and "Family" underneath two images of the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the other. James hugged Stern briefly as the commissioner said a few words, then got a few words from Arison before checking out the box that held his newest bauble.

Players posed for a quick photo as the banner started being raised, then James and others took their rings out to examine the detail. He touched the banner as it rose behind him, then went back to checking out the ring.

Soon, they were put away, the lights came on, and the season started.

"I think we all know what another year's all about," James said. "We know what our long-term goal is. But we're not going to take any short cuts. It's a process. It's always been that way for us."

The pursuit of a title is what drove James every year since joining the NBA in 2003, and he had been close twice, ultimately falling in his first two trips to the NBA Finals.

His breakthrough came last June, and James capped his stellar postseason with a triple-double in Game 5 of the finals against Oklahoma City, as the Heat capped off the second title in franchise history.

"I'm not going to take this moment for granted," James said. "It doesn't happen to everyone. I know the history of the game. I am going to live in the moment. Not going to sit here and say I'm not. It's a special moment for not only our team, for our organization, for the city, whoever's a Miami Heat fan, our families, everything. We'll live in the moment, but we also have some other business to take care of as well."

In the long term, that means another title.

In the short term, that meant getting ready for Boston.

Miami's first ring night was an unmitigated disaster - a 108-66 loss to the Chicago Bulls after the 2006 championship jewelry was issued. The Heat were on the other end of a banner blowout last Christmas in Dallas, where in a finals rematch they ran out to a 35-point lead shortly after halftime.

The Heat were clearly inspired by having a chance to put a damper on Dallas' day. And they expected the Celtics to feel the same way, after Miami ousted Boston in last season's Eastern Conference finals and then lured Ray Allen away in a free-agency coup over the summer.

"We were hoping that Oklahoma was playing Miami on opening night to watch ring night," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I don't know why they chose us. But it is what it is. They deserve it. They won it last year. They get to have their day. We had our day and LeBron had to sit and watch that.

"It's his payback night," Rivers added. "And he deserves it. He really does. He's probably gone through more scrutiny than any player, maybe any athlete, that I can ever remember. In that light, I'm happy for him."

The Celtics were not on the court for the ceremony, which preceded the usual pregame warmup period.

"To be able to raise that banner in front of our fans, it took a tremendous amount of work collectively," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We don't want to diminish that."

Kobe's foot still bothersome for season opener

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Kobe Bryant has missed the last week of practice with an injury. His teammates still don't know their new offense. And the Los Angeles Lakers just finished the first winless preseason in franchise history.

Ready or not - and most signs point to not - the Lakers' regular season has arrived.

Bryant sat out Monday while his teammates went through a lengthy workout ahead of Tuesday night's opener against Dallas. It's the first of four games in six days for a star-studded club with championship aspirations, but plenty of work ahead.

"I think all of us are ready (for) the popcorn and the lights to come on tomorrow," said Dwight Howard, who played in just two preseason games while returning deliberately from back surgery. "It's not going to come overnight. We all understand that. We just have to stay patient through the whole process. We have to keep working, and we'll be fine."

Bryant might not be fine for a bit longer. The fifth-leading scorer in NBA history is resting his right foot, which was bruised and strained last week, and the Lakers won't decide whether he'll play against the Mavericks until game time.

He showed up at the Lakers' training complex Monday for treatment and practice, yelling at his teammates from the sideline while Jodie Meeks ran with the Los Angeles' starters.

"We've got to worry about that when it comes, but I can see him playing tomorrow, definitely," Metta World Peace said of Bryant. "When Kobe is hurt, whether it's the preseason or the playoffs, he plays. ... Kobe has never been afraid to be hurt and play. I think his mind is different from other people."

Indeed, Bryant has played through all manner of injuries in his career, particularly in the past few seasons, so his absence from practice concerns coach Mike Brown. Bryant's leadership and court sense is particularly valuable while the Lakers integrate two new starters and a revamped bench into a new offense, but Kobe hasn't been available for significant stretches of camp.

"If there is one guy that's capable of sitting out and then playing in a game, it's Kobe," Brown said. "There's concern there, because you want him to be healthy, but that's why we're a team. He has bounced back from a lot of stuff. You know it had to be serious if he's been out this long."

At least Brown had good news on other injuries Monday: Howard is good to go for the Lakers' season-opening back-to-back games and beyond, with no limitations on his minutes, while backup big man Jordan Hill also is expected to play after taking the day off from practice.

While his players heal, the coach is still waiting for his club to grasp the intricacies of its new Princeton-inflected offense. Brown deliberately installed the new schemes slowly, but the absences of Howard and Bryant from several preseason games set back the team's development.

"It obviously gets in the way of our growth when we don't have a full lineup, especially two key guys," said Steve Nash, who played sparingly in his first preseason with Los Angeles. "I think in the long run, we'll get plenty of time. It's just a matter of how quickly we can get some chemistry and some success."

But the losses couldn't have helped the Lakers' confidence in that offense, either. Los Angeles went 0-8 for the first time, blowing late leads and getting blown out with equal ineptitude.

Brown doesn't believe the preseason reveals anything about his starting lineup's progress or the depth of a bench that hasn't played well at all in October, and he sees the offense as the biggest problem for his defense so far. With more turnovers resulting from poor execution of the offense, Los Angeles' theoretically sturdy defense in front of the dominant Howard has been giving up transition points in bunches.

Yet even amid all of the losses and injuries, the Lakers know they've got the chance for a remarkable season. They've largely avoided commenting on Oklahoma City's trade of James Harden to Houston, ostensibly weakening the defending Western Conference champions and opening the door for Los Angeles a bit wider.

Until the Lakers get a few wins in their own column, they won't be thinking about other teams' losses.

"I see it, I feel it, and I know it's going to be great for us later on," Pau Gasol said. "We just have to stay with it and be persistent."

Allen ready for season opener against Celtics

MIAMI (AP) -- There's no shortage of potentially awkward events for Ray Allen to endure Tuesday night.

Most of his new Miami Heat teammates will get championship rings; he won't be among them. When the franchise's second title banner gets raised to the rafters, Allen isn't sure how he's supposed to react. And all that hubbub will occur as his past collides with his future - his former team, the Boston Celtics, will be the opponent awaiting the Heat when their pregame tribute to the 2012 NBA title ends.

"It's their moment," Allen said.

It is, however, loaded with irony - since Allen was on the team that almost thwarted Miami's title plans.

Allen was with the Celtics last season when they took the Heat to seven games in a classic Eastern Conference final. Then came the summer, when Allen spurned Boston and signed with Miami, changing sides in the rivalry with just a few strokes of a pen. And deep down, he knew long ago that things would work out this way: Celtics-Heat, opening night, a marquee matchup to get the season started.

He was right.

"I've gotten over it now to the point where you just say, you can celebrate their success," Allen said. "More than anything, I'm just focused on once that's over with, we have a game to go out and win."

That's a mantra shared by just about everyone in the Heat locker room.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade both said they would have preferred the ring ceremony to happen Monday night, so that nothing interferes with the importance of the game Tuesday night. Chris Bosh said the celebration could inspire both teams - since he remembers how hungry his team was for last season's opener when Dallas raised the title banner it won at Miami's expense, then got blown out by the Heat.

The final margin was only 11 points; the Heat led by 35 less than 4 minutes into the second half.

"You know they're going to be amped-up," Heat forward Shane Battier said. "We're going to get their best shot. We know that going in."

Seeing their friend-turned-foe will only add to that.

Allen's changing of addresses adds substantially more spice to a rivalry that didn't really need any extra oomph. James and Paul Pierce have been waging some duels for nearly a decade now. The Heat and Celtics have met in the playoffs in each of the last three years, Miami winning the last two since James and Bosh came to join Wade.

It's even more heated now, with Allen wearing red and black instead of green and white. Kevin Garnett said early in training camp that he doesn't even have Allen's number in his phone anymore. There's been a lingering sense that at least part of Allen's decision to sign with Miami was out of some sort of dissatisfaction about now-former teammate Rajon Rondo. Celtics coach Doc Rivers even has said that Miami is Boston's target this season, plain and simple.

In some respects, Allen is eager for Tuesday night to end, if only in that Wednesday morning may bring some normalcy.

"We can move on," Allen said. "We can move on. I think it's two-fold, having a ring ceremony and then playing Boston. It's like both situations, letting go of what happened last year and moving forward. They're repeating, but I'm on the quest for a championship. That's a challenge that we're all facing together."

Allen remembers just about everything from his first ring night - the Celtics won the title in 2008, then opened the following season at home against James and his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston won 90-85.

The Cavs didn't watch the Celtics' pregame party. The Celtics almost certainly won't watch Miami's, either.

"When you win a championship you have two key points that you look forward to," Allen said. "One is the parade. And two was getting the rings."

Even though he's not getting one, Allen said he is looking forward to whatever is coming on Tuesday night.

He's with the Heat now. Miami is home. What's done with Boston is done, he said. He's going to celebrate with his team.

"It's an event," Allen said. "It brings closure to it. People get to celebrate it, going into the next season and then you can let it go."

THUNDER TRADE HARDEN TO ROCKETS

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Contract extension talk between the Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning KIA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden took a wrong turn somewhere. How else to explain tonight’s shocking news, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman, that Harden has been traded to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, rookie shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, two first-round Draft picks and a second-round Draft pick?

The Thunder will also send Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Rockets to complete the deal.

This shakes up not on the Western Conference playoff chase but also the entire landscape of the league, what with the Thunder losing one of the most explosive scorers in the league as he enters the prime of his career. The Los Angeles Lakers remade their roster over the summer, addingDwight Howard and Steve Nash to a nucleus of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace. And the Thunder needed to keep the core of a team that had home court in The Finals last season intact if they intended to hold off challenges from the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference crown.

But instead of fortifying their core group, they’ll have to reshape it without Harden, for reasons that Mayberry explains here:

The deal comes on the heels of negligible progress being made on a contract extension for Harden following nearly four months of negotiating. As a result, the Thunder parted ways with the fan favorite after stagnant talks made it clear Harden would be too much of a financial burden to keep.

If no deal was reached on an extension by Wednesday’s midnight Eastern deadline, Harden would have become a restricted free agent next summer. Houston is believed to now be ready to ink Harden to the maximum-allowable contract that Harden has long been believed to covet.

A report by Yahoo! Sports on Saturday said Harden recently turned down a four-year extension worth roughly $52 million. The report also was the latest to say Harden is pushing for a max deal, expected to be roughly $60 million over four years.

But with max contracts extended to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook — as well as more than $52 million invested in Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins over the next three seasons alone — the Thunder faced the possibility of stiff penalties under the new, more punitive collective bargaining agreement.

Making a move this drastic just days before the start of the regular season could cost the Thunder as well, as they’ll have to incorporate Martin and Lamb into their mix basically on the fly.

But Thunder general manager Sam Presti clearly had no intention of playing games with Harden with so much at stake this season for a young Thunder team that prides itself on the collective good outweighing all things.

The Rockets, led by an equally aggressive and fearless general manager in Daryl Morey, are also in the midst of reshaping their roster and can now pair Harden with a rising star of their own in Jeremy Lin in one of the most exciting young backcourt tandems in the league.

Stay tuned to HT and NBA.com for more details …

NBA Nightly Highlights: October 25th

NBA Nightly Highlights: October 25th

Top 5 Plays of the Night: October 25th 

 

Bryant, Howard and Paul out for Lakers-Clips game

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard are sitting out of the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against the Clippers, who are giving Chris Paul a rest on Wednesday night.

Bryant has a strained and bruised right foot, while Paul was hit accidentally by a teammate in practice.
Coach Mike Brown says he wanted to rest Howard, who was recovering from general soreness after his Lakers debut on Sunday.
Brown says Bryant won't play in San Diego against the Kings on Thursday night, when the Lakers conclude their preseason schedule. Bryant missed an exhibition game earlier this month to rest a sore right shoulder.
The Clippers wrap up their preseason schedule Thursday night at Denver, and coach Vinny Del Negro said Paul will play in that game. He said he wanted to rest Paul heading into back-to-back games.

Harden deadline looms large, but Thunder can wait it out

The image, of Thunder general manager Sam Presti standing in front of a bathroom mirror with a razor in his hand, springs immediately to mind.

Does he trim The Beard?

Conventional wisdom says it's just one week until the NBA's most precocious team has to make the decision that will determine its future. If James Harden was being completely truthful when he said at the start of training camp that he wasn't singularly focused on getting a max level contract, then the i's will be dotted, the t's will be crossed and the whole scary scenario can be ended by Halloween night.

But if there is no contract agreement in place, then Loud City is expected to become a deafening echo chamber of rumor and recrimination leading up to the trade deadline on Feb. 21 and then next summer, when Harden can become a free agent.

It is easy, of course, to understand both sides of the equation, especially after the Thunder added to their payroll that was already top heavy from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook by tossing Serge Ibaka another $49 million. If Ibaka was worth it, doesn't last season's Sixth Man of the Year merit the same kind of consideration and compensation?

But if you're the small market Thunder (28th in the NBA) there is always a more-pressing need, to watch the bottom line, at a time when huge future luxury tax burdens are looming. If they fork over the max four-year, $60 million deal to Harden, the estimated tax bill in OKC is more than $30 million for three seasons. And then it explodes right through the roof.

The question always asked by the number-crunchers: What's the value of an NBA title if the weight of the championship banner(s) hanging from the rafters pulls down the franchise?

The entire affair is reminiscent of the famous line from "North Dallas Forty", Pete Gent's seminal novel about the NFL: "Every time I say it's a game, you tell me it's a business. Every time I say it's a business, you tell me it's a game."

While it seems practical, from a budgetary standpoint, for the Thunder to draw the line somewhere, eventually there will come a time when the franchise will have its hand out to the citizens of Oklahoma City, expecting a wad of tax dollars to be forked over for a fancy new arena with all the latest bells and whistles. At that time, when a protector of the city coffers points out to studies showing that public investment in arenas rarely works out, the Thunder will surely trumpet the intrinsic value of a professional team and the invaluable community bonds created by a championship.

So, the argument goes, don't you grab for the brass ring when it's within reach?

I say it's a business, you tell me it's a game.

The truth is, there is no reason for Thunder management to strike a deal with Harden now. If they agree to less than the max, it won't be by much. And down-the-line luxury tax implications will still be out there.

There is a side in the debate, though, that says no new contract will create chaos in the OKC locker room, upsetting the delicate balance of a championship contender, distracting Harden from his job. But not every would-be free agent player is as pliable and petulant as Dwight Howard. And remember that amid the maelstrom that surrounded LeBron James, he still performed and was named MVP in his final season in Cleveland.While Harden is an ingredient in the contender's mix, he hardly is the main one. He has not yet shown himself to be an elite difference-maker on a par with Manu Ginobili in San Antonio. He can be indifferent on defense and his offense evaporated against the Miami Heat in The Finals.Without a contract extension now, Harden has more reason to up his game in order to get that max offer from the likes of Phoenix or Dallas or Houston or someone next summer. Without being fatalistic, the Thunder get another season to see if Harden can remain healthy -- knee ligaments tear, bones break -- before becoming tethered to a potentially crippling contract.What if playing with Harden finds the Thunder coming up just short of a championship again this season? Even failing to get out of the West in the face of the reconstituted Lakers or the burgeoning Clippers and Nuggets or the timeless Spurs?Flexibility is an asset. Time is an ally.So as the clock ticks down and Presti stands in front of the mirror, there's really no reason not to let The Beard grow a little longer.

Bynum still sidelined, may miss Oct. 31 opener

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Philadelphia 76ers center Andrew Bynum remains sidelined with right knee pain and is a long shot to play in the Oct. 31 opener.

Bynum will continue to be held out of all basketball activity as he recovers from a bone bruise suffered during an offseason workout. The Sixers had pegged Wednesday as his potential return date. Instead, Bynum was on the sidelines while the rest of the Sixers practiced.

Sixers general manager Tony DiLeo says each day Bynum is out increases the likelihood the All-Star center will not be ready for the opener.

Bynum says he wants to be cautious with his return and will not play until he is pain free. He received an injection of Synvisc -- a gel-like substance that sometimes provides relief for inflamed tissue -- on Monday.

NBA amends All-Star ballot presented by Sprint

New York -- For the first time, the NBA All-Star Ballot presented by Sprint will feature two position choices, guards and frontcourt, NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson announced Wednesday.

Fans will select two guards and three front-court players when choosing the starters for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. Previously, the ballot featured three positions, with fans picking two guards, two forwards and a center.

"The NBA's competition committee and the league office agreed that having the center position as the only specific position singled out on the ballot was outdated and not representative of today's game or players," Jackson said. "Our players have become more versatile each season, and this ballot will more accurately reflect that versatility."

The 2013 NBA All-Star Ballot presented by Sprint will be unveiled on Tuesday, Nov. 13 during a special event in Houston.

GM Survey: LeBron and Heat the faves, but look out for L.A.

In his ninth season in the NBA, LeBron James got his ring. Now, how many more can he get?

At least one, if you ask the league's general managers. Despite major moves made by the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat are still the prohibitive favorites to win their second straight title, according to NBA.com's 11th annual GM Survey. And James is clearly head and shoulders above every other player in the league.

All 30 GMs responded to 57 different questions about the best teams, players, coaches, fans, and offseason moves. General managers were not permitted to vote for their own team or personnel. Percentages are based on the pool of respondents to each question of the survey, rather than all 30 GMs.

Mavs' Nowitzki encouraged after first knee surgery

DALLAS (AP) -- Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki says he's encouraged after the first knee surgery of his career but says a timetable for his return is "pretty ridiculous to talk about."

Nowitzki walked gingerly but without a noticeable limp on Tuesday, four days after arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right knee. Coach Rick Carlisle said the 11-time All-Star was expected to miss six weeks.

The 34-year-old Nowitzki battled soreness and swelling in the knee throughout training camp and only played in one preseason game -- the opener in his native Germany.

Nowitzki has never missed more than nine games in a season during his 14-year career, but the Mavericks are likely to be more than 10 games into the season before he returns.

Kobe skips Lakers practice to rest ailing foot

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Kobe Bryant has skipped the Los Angeles Lakers' practice to rest his aching right foot.

The Lakers announced Monday that Bryant's foot is sore and bruised.

Bryant was injured during the third quarter of the Lakers' 99-92 preseason loss to Sacramento on Sunday night. He stayed in the game and scored 21 points.

Bryant has fought a handful of nagging injuries in training camp this month. A sore right foot kept him out of an early practice, and he missed a preseason game in Ontario, Calif., to rest a strained right shoulder.

Forward Metta World Peace practiced on Monday with a splint on his right middle finger. World Peace dislocated his finger Sunday night, but popped it back in and kept playing.

Wolves' Love won't need surgery on broken right hand

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota Timberwolves got a bit of good news Thursday when doctors told All-Star Kevin Love that he wouldn't need surgery on his broken right hand.

The bad news is they still have to figure out a way to replace his 26 points and 13 rebounds a game for the next six to eight weeks.

Love said in a statement Thursday that he broke his right hand while doing knuckle push-ups the day before in a pre-practice workout. The injury means the Wolves will be without their two best players - point guard Ricky Rubio isn't expected back until mid-December at the earliest because of a torn ACL in his left knee - for the first month of the regular season, and possibly longer.

"Although I'm disappointed that this injury happened, I will work extremely hard to stay in shape and return to the court as quickly as possible," Love said.

The situation is similar to what Wolves coach Rick Adelman had to deal with in Houston, when he lost stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming for extended stretches.

"I was just shocked," Adelman said when he was told of Love's injury. "I couldn't believe it. Here we're trying to get ready and then we have something like this happen. I learned a long time ago. I've had so many injuries to good players, I've started to think maybe it's me."

Adelman chuckled just a bit after uttering those words, but figuring out how to move on without his leading scorer and rebounder and without getting buried isn't going to be easy.

His options, however, are many. Starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko can move to the power forward against some teams, with Dante Cunningham, Lou Amundson and Derrick Williams also available to fill in.

If anyone thought it was Williams' spot by default, Adelman shot that down Thursday.

"Why would people assume that?" Adelman asked. "He's certainly one of the guys that has to play there, but it's going to be him, Dante, Lou, Andrei may play some there. That's what we're going to have to find out the next three games and the practices, what's the best way to go."

Williams spent most of the summer reshaping his body and working on his ball-handling so he could earn more minutes at small forward with Love getting the bulk of the time at power forward. But he has done some of his best work at power forward, including a 22-point, 10-rebound performance against the Lakers on March 9 when Love couldn't play because of back spasms.

"I think it's a big opportunity for myself as well as DC and a few of the other guys on our team that can play multiple positions," Williams said. "It really does (stink). He's a two-time All-Star and the best player on our team. We're just going to have to do without him, same without Ricky. We can't make any excuses."

Williams impressed the coaches with his work ethic and aggressiveness early in training camp, but Adelman still wants to see more consistency from the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft.

"It can't be one night, one game someone plays well and two games later he doesn't do anything and he gets lost out there," Adelman said. "I'm looking for consistency from all those guys."

Adelman was able to lead the Rockets to the playoffs when McGrady and Yao were injured, and the Timberwolves maintain that remains the goal in Minnesota this season.

"I'm hoping our guys respond like the guys in Houston did," he said. "We can still win and we can still be successful. We just have to find out how we're going to do it. Guys have to step up."

The Wolves have three more preseason games before opening the regular season at home against Sacramento on Nov. 2.

Adelman will spend that time exploring different combinations and lineups to try to find the right mix.

"He's obviously a big piece of our puzzle," Cunningham said. "Right now we're dealing with a team coming together. For him to go down right now is definitely a blow to our team. But we're going to pick it up and move forward."

If Adelman has his way, all workouts going forward will be push-up-free.

"I think that should be taken out of the repertoire for sure," he cracked. "In fact, all push-ups. Anything to do with the hands. I looked over and saw Ricky doing push-ups after I heard about it. I said, `No, let's stop there."'