Madsen sprains ankle on awkward landing

By Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune

Last update: February 21, 2007 - 11:20 PM

Timberwolves forward Mark Madsen knew it was bad when it happened, and he knew it was bad afterward, as he struggled to pull on his street clothes with a big, blue boot on his newly sprained left ankle.

For a guy who sounded like such an expert, his experience with this particular injury actually is pretty thin. "I think my last ankle sprain was when I was a sophomore in college," Madsen said. "This is the first time in my career I've ever come down on somebody's foot."

He fell to the court with 9 minutes, 56 seconds left in the third quarter of Wednesday's 100-95 loss to Charlotte, stepping on a Bobcats player's foot and crumpling. He lay on his back with his left leg bent, grimacing and beckoning for help. As he got carried off by two team members, Madsen put no weight on the leg and seemed initially to be favoring his knee.

Nope, wrong joint. X-rays of his ankle showed no fracture, but while he is listed day-to-day, the Wolves will conduct further tests and assume Madsen will miss at least some game time.

Will James be dealt?

There are a few players in the NBA who don't have to worry about the league's annual trading deadline: They are the "untouchables," either too good to move or too bad (or overpaid) to unload. But for the vast majority, it is a day that gets their attention at some level. The deadline is at 2 p.m. today.

"It affects you if you're human," Wolves coach Randy Wittman said. "There's always a little anxiety as a player, especially if your name's been in the paper. ... But you can't do anything about it but go out and play."

Heading toward the deadline, the Wolves player most often mentioned in speculation nationally had been Mike James, a valuable role player for most of his career but a disappointment as Minnesota's starting point guard after signing a free-agent contract last offseason. James was mentioned in connection with Sacramento, Detroit and Portland, among several teams.

But he didn't sound too anxious about the possibility of moving. "It is what it is," James said before scoring 17 points Wednesday. "You understand how this business goes, that things happen. If I get moved, I'm just going to work. Grind. Be the first one to gym, last one to leave. I can't worry about getting moved. My family is ready."

The hair apparent

Ricky Davis went with his Afro look, combing out his braids for a bushier, Ben Wallace look.

"I just took it out on the plane after the [Washington] game," Davis said before Wednesday's game. "I'm gonna give people a little laugh. See if they like it."

Davis said there was no special meaning to his full-blown look. "I usually only do it once a year. I think I've played pretty good [on those nights]," he said.

Expect inconsistency

Wittman said second-year guard Rashad McCants shouldn't be discouraged by swings in his production as he plays his way back from offseason knee surgery. He scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting against Denver right before the All-Star break, but managed only two points in the Wolves' 112-100 loss at Washington on Tuesday.

McCants had averaged 10.7 points in his first three Target Center appearances, but he scored only five Wednesday. The Wolves fell to 3-7 since McCants returned to action.

Steve Aschburner • saschburner@startribune.com