Milwaukee arrives at Target Center on Wednesday for its only visit noticeably remade, with Jason Kidd as coach and a new sense of hope.

Bucks second-year guard and St. Cloud's own Nate Wolters last week discussed his new coach and his changed team in this his second NBA season as well as the growth of young stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker.

Q You won 15 games last season. How does it feel to be part of an early-season success story?

A It has been a lot of fun, a total 180. A new energy with a new coaching staff, and we're all healthy. Last year, we had so many injuries to start the year.

Q What does it feel like to be over .500?

A Me and Giannis, the two rookies last year, we didn't have a two-game winning streak. Now we've had two, one of them a three-game winning streak. It feels a lot different to win, and it's a lot more fun.

Q Did you seeing this coming?

A Yeah, just with new ownership and new coaching staff, it's just like the whole vibe was different. We didn't know what to expect coming into the season. Obviously, we really struggled last year. It was really important to get off to a strong start. We won a triple-overtime game [Wednesday at Brooklyn] that there's no way we would have won last year. We're winning close games. That really helps.

Q You're a point guard, your coach is one of the best ever. Is it different playing for Jason Kidd than any other coach you've had?

A Yeah, he's obviously a great guy to learn from. He played just a few years ago, so he knows what we're going through. He does a good job teaching. I'm sure the game came so easy for him. I'm sure he sometimes wonders why we're not seeing what he's seeing.

Q You don't see the game like he did?

A No, he's one of the smartest players ever. He's really smart. He does a good job explaining, especially on the offensive end. This year, we're moving the ball a lot better, which really helps.

Q You went from starting 31 games and playing 41 minutes one night last season to not playing some games. How difficult is that tradeoff?

A Obviously, everyone wants playing time. Right now, we're a pretty deep team with a lot of guards. I'm just trying to compete for playing time. He does play 11 or 12 guys some nights. It's a little different than last year, but we weren't a very good team last year, either. It's a lot more fun to win.

Q  How do you spell Antetokounmpo?

A  Oh, I still have no clue. You want me to give it a try? A-n-t-e-(pause)-k-o-u-n-p-o? Well, it's tough. I know how to say it. I don't know how to spell it yet.

Q How freakish is the Greek Freak?

A He's really good. He has gotten a ton better since last year. Just with his length, there are not too many guys who can do what he does. He handles it like a guard. He's a really good passer.

Q How good can Jabari Parker become?

A He's going to be good. He's learning a lot right now, especially defensively. But you can just tell right now, he's extremely skilled and he's pretty sneaky athletically. I think he'll be a really good player.

Q You're coming home the night before Thanksgiving. Will you be able to get back to St. Cloud for some turkey?

A Nah, I think we're headed out right after the game. And we play at home Tuesday night, so I'll only be in Minnesota for the day. I get back home in July and August, though. It's too bad, but I'll be in Detroit for Thanksgiving.

NBA short takes

Those silly Spurs, they're naturals

San Antonio's stars are back for another year of the quirky commercials they've shot annually for the H-E-B chain of grocery stores in Texas.

This one features Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and the team's Coyote mascot grilling burgers in a backyard when they finally goad Australian teammate Patty Mills into asking them to throw one on "the barbie" for him.

"The fact we have a great camaraderie on court translates into being in a nice spot when you do things like that," said Ginobili, an Argentinian. "Most of us, when we do commercials, it's just one guy in front of a camera.

"In this case, it's five guys always with a funny line. They let you sort of improvise and let you say something you're thinking and it makes it funny because the laughs are real.

"Patty's a rookie, but he was surprisingly good. With that type of accent, everything becomes funny. I don't have that. I have a different type of accent."

Waiting is the hardest part

The Timberwolves and the Sacramento Kings met on Saturday night at Target Center in a tussle of two teams that haven't reached the playoffs in seemingly forever. Nobody has waited longer than these two for a return to the postseason:

TeamLast playoffs

Wolves2004

Sacramento2006

Detroit2009

Phoenix2010

Cleveland2010

Wolves' Week Ahead

Wednesday: 7 p.m. vs. Milwaukee (FSN Plus)

Friday: 9:30 p.m. at L.A. Lakers (FSN)

Sunday: 8 p.m. at Portland (FSN)

Player to watch

Jabari Parker, Milwaukee

He doesn't like it, no sir. But last summer's No. 2 overall pick will forever be linked to No. 1 Andrew Wiggins just because of their draft connection. No question that Parker is already a gifted offensive player who'll contend for Rookie of the Year.

Voices

« Just another rock on my road. »

Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio describing the detour he has taken this season because of a badly sprained ankle that could keep him out until 2015.