Comparing rookie point guards 'not fair'

Fairly or not, Jonny Flynn and Brandon Jennings might be forever compared. Unfairly, Kurt Rambis would say.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: November 7, 2009 - 12:11 AM

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WOLVES NOTES

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Like Brandon Roy and Randy Foye before them, the Timberwolves' Jonny Flynn and Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings might be forever compared, because they play the same position and were selected four spots apart in this year's NBA draft.

At least their surnames don't rhyme.

Jennings had fairly amazed in his first three NBA games, delivering a near triple-double (17 points, nine assists, nine rebounds) one night and a 25-point game another that already might have Wolves fans alarmed.

Don't be, Kurt Rambis said.

"It's not fair," the Wolves coach said of such comparisons. "[Jennings] has a lot more freedom than Jonny has. I'm asking Jonny to do a lot more things. He's in a much more complicated offense. So in terms of his individual expression, I've held Jonny down.

"He's not going to like to do it. But I think it's going to make him a better point guard once he learns those lessons. Then, I'll loosen the reins and let him do more of what he really wants to do."

Ramon Sessions has played for both the Bucks and coach Scott Skiles and for the Wolves and Rambis.

Skiles' system puts the ball in the point guard's hands and asks him to create. Rambis runs the passing triangle offense.

"Skiles is a point guard, Kurt was a big guy," Sessions said of the disparate systems, "so it's self-explanatory."

Upon further review

After a conversation with Rambis, Kevin Love has adjusted his expectations that he will be ready to practice two weeks from now. Love will have his fractured left wrist X-rayed again on Nov. 20. He said Wednesday he is optimistic he will get approval that day to start his return if his hand has healed sufficiently.

That would be a ahead of the original estimate of six to eight weeks. Love suffered the injury Oct. 16 in an exhibition game at Chicago.

"I got a little excited," Love said. "Hopefully, I'll be back in two weeks, but we'll just have to wait and see. If it ends up three or four weeks, I don't want it to look like anybody's fault."

Getting the point

It's no coincidence that the Wolves picked a former point guard when they hired Darrick Martin for a player-developmental coaching job, considering how much the franchise has invested in Flynn, Sessions and Ricky Rubio.

"It was part of it, it wasn't the only thing," Rambis said. "I think Darrick brings a lot of other attributes and strengths to it."

Going batty?

Somebody asked Love if his coach has instituted stringent rules prohibiting Wolves players from swatting at -- and picking up -- bats during games. San Antonio's Manu Giniboli has to get eight rabies shots in the next month because he did just that in a game on Halloween night.

"No, but I won't be doing that anyway," Love said, "especially not with my left hand."

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