Sessions gets to face former team in first Wolves game

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: October 4, 2009 - 7:18 PM

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WOLVES NOTEBOOK Preseason opener: 5 p.m. today vs. Milwaukee in Mankato • Radio: 1130-AM

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MANKATO — They're hoping to burn some jerseys in Wisconsin this weekend, but new Timberwolves guard Ramon Sessions is pretty sure his isn't one of them.

"I don't think I played there long enough for that," he said.

Sessions played 96 games -- less than two full seasons -- in Milwaukee before he signed a four-year offer sheet with the Wolves last month .

The Bucks, with point guards Luke Ridnour and first-round draft pick Brandon Jennings already on the roster, chose not to match the $16 million deal, sending Sessions to a team where, at age 23, he is the veteran point guard.

"It's crazy that's being said," Sessions said. "One of the guys said, 'Vet, you want something to drink?' I'm a vet? That lets you know just how young this team is."

Sessions plays his first game as a Timberwolf today in the preseason opener in Mankato. And wouldn't you know it? The opponent is the Bucks.

So now Sessions still wears a No. 7 jersey, only today it'll be blue, green and white.

"I don't think anybody will be burning Ramon's jersey," Wolves forward Al Jefferson said, smiling. "I don't think it's that deep because Milwaukee had a chance to match and get him back, and they didn't do it. Better for us."

First time back

Jefferson will play his first game since he suffered that season-ending knee injury last February. Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said he doesn't know how much he'll play Jefferson and said he will defer that decision to trainer Greg Farnam.

Jefferson will return with a matchup against Andrew Bogut, an improving center who also is coming back from a season-ending back injury.

"Playing again, that's going to be fun for me," Jefferson said. "I got a tough matchup. Andrew Bogut's a tough guy. He's going to be one to get ready for, to let know, you know, 'Welcome back.'''

Considering his options

Rambis said he will experiment with starting lineups and other combinations for the preseason schedule's opening games but hopes to settle on a rotation in the final three or four of eight games.

"I'll try and play as many guys as I can to show us what they can do in game situations," he said. "That's only fair for the guys in camp. But as it goes get closer to the regular season, I've got to start to settling on a lineup."

'Instant' replay?

Rambis likes the NBA's decision to expand instant replay to include whether a shot-clock violation occurred any time during a game and which team last touched the ball in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime.

But he also is concerned about maintaining the flow of games.

"I wish there was a system to get every single call right with instant replay and still maintain the flow of the game," he said. "There's human error that's part of the game and always has been. They're making a determination in the closing minutes that those are the ones that are important and the other ones that could have impacted the flow or the momentum earlier in the game aren't. We all want to make sure things are done right; I don't want us to spend so much time looking at replays that it extends the game."

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