Wolves' Foye back as a starter, for now

By Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune

Last update: March 19, 2007 - 12:04 AM

LOS ANGELES - The revolving doors weren't only on the concourse level Sunday at Staples Center. The Timberwolves had one of their own spinning again at court level, with rookie Randy Foye back in the starting lineup at point guard in place of Troy Hudson.

Hudson had started six games in a row in place of Foye, who had started eight at the point in place of Mike James, who held the position tenuously through the season's first 50 games.

And with 17 games left after the Wolves' 109-102 loss to the Lakers on Sunday night, the door could turn a few more times.

"I still haven't had anybody jump up and say, 'This should be my job,' " coach Randy Wittman said before the game. "We've just been up and down with guys in that role. I thought Huddy [Hudson] struggled with the Golden State game a little bit, a couple games prior to that.

"[The switch is] for no other reason than that. Till we can get clicking and going, I'm going to try different [combinations]."

Foye was one of the few bright spots in the 20-point loss in Oakland on Friday, leading the Wolves with 20 points off the bench. He had only three points Sunday.

"I like how he's been aggressive," Wittman said. "We need the ability at times to break down defenses and get to the hole."

Hudson at times showed a knack for running the offense in his stint as a starter and has good on-floor chemistry with Kevin Garnett. But Hudson had troubles defensively and had only 26 points on 11-for-35 shooting in the past five games.

Foye, at this stage, still is best at finding his own shot rather than distributing to open teammates and is prone to rookie mistakes. James, first off the bench Sunday, seemed stuck somewhere in between being a scorer and being a playmaker, and often did neither.

Wittman said that, until one man claims the job as his own, he might go to "situational" starters there.

Overlooked again?

With 18 points and 11 assists Sunday, James played as if he was trying to show that he, not Foye, deserved a second chance to start.

"It's tough to be starting, to be averaging over 30 minutes a game [for 50 games], to be coming off the bench wondering if you're going to get a DNP [did not play] or not," James said. "Especially when I know I'm a better player than that."

'High noon' it wasn't

Ricky Davis outscored Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter 14-12 but lost the second-half showdown 28-22.

Asked if Bryant is too tough to beat in a pure shootout, Davis said: "You can. But you've got to be on the right team."

Kobe 'not dirty'

If the guy who got whacked doesn't think Bryant is a dirty player, maybe that should settle it, as far as the Wolves are concerned.

Guard Marko Jaric, who got hit by Bryant's notorious flailing arm in the team's March 6 meeting at Target Center, waved off the claim.

"There are a lot more players in this league that you have to be concerned about," Jaric said. "To be a dirty player, you're trying to hurt somebody and you're trying to make a dirty move when the referee doesn't look. ... There are at least five, six dirty players in the league that I know of."

But not Bryant.

Steve Aschburner • saschburner@startribune.com