Wolves: Meeting of bad teams not quite worst ever

The combined 12 victories between the Wolves and Miami entering Tuesday was five better than the NBA record low for teams playing each other after 30 games.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: January 8, 2008 - 11:41 PM

Tuesday night's game at Target Center brought together more than the two teams with the NBA's worst records. It also ranked among the league's all-time list of teams meeting this late in the season with the fewest combined victories.

The Miami Heat, NBA champions only 19 months ago, arrived with its 8-26 record and without injured centers Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning. The Wolves brought their four victories (and 29 losses) to the party.

That's 12 -- count 'em -- total victories. According to STATS Inc., the fewest combined victories between NBA teams that have played a minimum 30 games is seven, coming when the 2-28 Denver Nuggets and the 5-27 Dallas Mavericks met Jan. 6, 1998.

Next is 11 combined victories, reached four times. The first was when the Philadelphia 76ers played Buffalo on their way to a league-record 9-73 season in 1972-73. The last time was in 1998, when Denver (3-40) and Dallas (8-35) met again 25 days after that record-setting meeting. Tuesday's game was the sixth in NBA history between teams with 12 combined victories at this stage of the season.

Somebody asked Wolves coach Randy Wittman what he would say to fans dismayed by the worst start in franchise history, a record that might threaten NBA history.

"You say just what I told these guys, all right?" he said, referring to his players. "Our success should not be measured by you [media members], by our wives, girlfriends, friends, all right? Our success, where we're at today, should be dependent upon how hard we come out and play. That's how our success should be measured right now, and it hasn't been measuring very good, all right? And that's going to be corrected. ...

"We've got to play five and we'll find five who will do that."

He renewed that search to find five guys from 13 healthy ones Tuesday by shuffling his lineup, inserting Rashad McCants as a starter along with fellow guards Marko Jaric and Sebastian Telfair to counter Miami's smallish lineup.

Who's that guy?

Newly cleared Randy Foye practiced with his teammates for the second consecutive day at Tuesday morning's shootaround. Only it wasn't him.

"I was the Heat, I was Dwyane Wade," he said, referring to his role running the opponent's offense. "A lot of pick-and-rolls."

Foye said he awoke Tuesday morning with no pain or swelling in his knee, one day after running with his teammates officially for the first time since October. Wittman kept open the possibility Foye could be sent to Sioux Falls of the NBA Development League for a few games to play himself into shape.

After Wittman hinted Tuesday morning at lineup changes he wouldn't then reveal, someone asked Foye coyly if he was the big surprise.

"Oh, no, definitely not," Foye said. "But I'll be out there soon."

Familiar faces

Antoine Walker, who helped the Heat to the 2006 NBA title, played against Miami for the first time since October's trade sent the veteran to the Wolves.

The game also brought former Wolves Ricky Davis and Mark Blount back to Target Center. They were dealt to the Heat for Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a first-round draft pick. Davis and Blount both started for Miami.

Etc.

• O'Neal, who has missed six games because of a hip injury, won't return to the Heat lineup for at least a week.

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