There is one thing everybody who talked after the Wolves practice Wednesday agreed upon:
It's time to play a game.
The Wolves have been practicing for a week and a half, session after session of going against each other. Judging from how loud the practices are – you can hear the yelling through the walls in the media room – they have been intense.
But it's time for the next step.
"We have practiced very well, but you're ready to play a game," Ricky Rubio said. "That's when you put it all together.''
Rubio likened it to school. You can study all you want, but you won't know where you really stand until you've taken the test.
According to coach Tom Thibodeau the team has had some very good practice sessions, but he agrees it's time. The Wolves open the preseason against Miami in Kansas City Saturday night. The team will practice here Thursday and then Friday morning before heading down for the game.
"You go through practices, you're competing against the same people," Thibodeau said. "Then you wan to see exactly where you are. And that's what the games do. They show you exactly where you are at. It tells you the things you need to continue to work on. You can't work on everything every day in practice. You have to prioritize and go from there. So we're looking forward to going against somebody other than ourselves.''
As part of a team-building plan, the Wolves are playing their first five preseason games on the road, and the team will not return to Minneapolis until after that fifth game, which is in Oklahoma City Oct. 16.
