Monday: Foye happy about start; James left puzzled

By Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune

Last update: February 12, 2007 - 9:22 PM

There was a changing of the guard for the Timberwolves Sunday, with rookie Randy Foye starting at point guard in place of Mike James.

For Foye, it was his second NBA start. He got into the starting lineup of the Wolves' game at Phoenix on Jan. 21 thanks to Ricky Davis' one-game suspension. For James, meanwhile, it marked the first time in 51 games that he did not start.

One guy was a lot happier than the other, as one might expect.

"They were preparing him and they were seasoning Randy," James said after the Wolves' 109-107 victory over Boston at Target Center. "This is what they've worked for. They're getting what they want. It's just that, it's tough at times. I just feel like, if I'm not a fit here ... like they always said, if it ain't one place, it can always be another."

Coach Randy Wittman said he relied on his "gut" when he woke up in making the switch, but he didn't specify which morning. Foye said he learned of his assignment after practice Saturday.

"[Wittman] just said, 'I think we need a change' and he asked me if I was ready," said Foye, a rookie from Villanova. "And obviously I'm not going to say no. So I said yeah. He said keep playing how I'm playing. Go out there and make plays."

Foye played 34 minutes 22 seconds and finished with 10 points, eight assists, five rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot (on Paul Pierce with the Wolves down 105-103) and just one turnover. His last assist was his best, interrupting his drive to the basket to find Davis open on the right baseline for the game-winning jump shot.

Most of this season, Foye has tended either to attack the rim or hoist three-pointers, and dishing on his way into the lane hasn't been very common. So this qualified as progress.

"Young fella's had so much pressure on him to be good, and ... to be good now, he falters under that," teammate Kevin Garnett said. "I try to tell him, you're human, man. You're going to make some mistakes. Don't worry, no man ever plays this game perfect. Play it with a lot of energy and never let one play dictate your [game]."

James, a valuable reserve for most of his career until he became a 20-point scorer with Toronto last season, played 13 minutes 38 seconds, scored five points and had three assists and no turnovers. He has averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 assists, 1.9 turnovers and 28.2 minutes, but often has seemed stuck between setting up other players and searching for his own offense. Wittman said he hoped James could play more aggressively and look to score coming off the bench.

It remains to be seen how well he handles the switch.

'Challenges'

It wasn't that long ago that Boston coach Glenn (Doc) Rivers had the pleasure of coaching several of the players his pal Wittman currently oversees. In particular, Rivers referred to Davis and Mark Blount as "a challenge."Ricky is a challenging personality," Rivers said before the game. "But there was a lot of communication -- I think that helped with him. I think we still forget how young Ricky still is.

"The one thing I told Mark all the time, 'If you ever just played ... When he plays well, he's one of the better bigs in our league at times. He's not consistent, but you can see it there."

Steve Aschburner • saschburner@startribune.com

Recent Timberwolves stories

Rookie Budinger scores career high 17 in Rockets' win over Jazz - February 12, 2007

Rookie Budinger scores career high 17 in Rockets' win over Jazz - Rookie Chase Budinger scored a career-high 17 points and was one of eight Houston players to score in double figures as the Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 113-96 on Monday night. More