Wittman: Jefferson has 'positive day'

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: October 1, 2008 - 11:17 PM

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MANKATO - Injured Timberwolves star Al Jefferson ran freely on the sidelines and participated with his teammates generously in noncontact drills on Wednesday, an indication he could return to live practicing before the team breaks training camp Saturday night.

"Today was a really positive day for him," Wolves coach Randy Wittman said. "He ran a sprint tonight and looked pretty good running it. He might be getting a little antsy. As long as we keep him with no pain and no tenderness, we might be headed toward seeing him on the floor sometime this week."

Jefferson sprained his medial collateral ligament 16 days ago, when rookie free-agent guard Blake Ahearn fell into his leg during a preseason workout at Target Center.

Jefferson said he can run forward normally, but he still isn't quite comfortable cutting on the knee.

"Getting better, getting closer," he said. "But I also don't want to rush anything."

Camping out

The Wolves did their first bit of full-court offensive work Wednesday night after focusing mostly on defense during camp's opening practices.

"We've gotten a lot of good things to build on from a defensive standpoint quicker than I anticipated," Wittman said. "We were going 100 miles an hour offensively, but that happens the first day. I don't know if they got tired, but they slowed down and made some good plays. I'm really happy with our effort and our enthusiasm right now."

Center Calvin Booth visited a chiropractor Wednesday afternoon about his bad back, which has caused him to watch all four practices so far.

Need a trim?

Forward Craig Smith is sporting a new hairdo at camp: a variation of a mohawk, or what he calls a "wavy hawk" because of his naturally curly hair.

"Just something different, something new," he said. "People have different styles. It just happens to fit me pretty good."

Asked if he's offering to give teammates a new look, he said, "If they've got clippers and they need a cut, I'm sure I can give them the same cut I've got. Maybe even better."

Love hurts

Veteran Mark Madsen needs a root canal when he returns from Mankato to repair damage done when Kevin Love accidentally hit him in the mouth the first day the two worked out together at Target Center last month. Madsen needed 13 stitches and had a tooth loosened when Love's other arm struck him as Love attempted a dunk.

When told Madsen should be introducing him to the NBA rather than the other way around, Love said: "I didn't mean to, especially not on the first day. I felt bad. I called him up and apologized. He's probably one of the greatest guys in the league."

Be like Mike

Wittman knows this already about veteran Mike Miller, acquired with Love in the trade that sent the draft rights of O.J. Mayo to Memphis: "He's a gym rat. He loves being in the gym, and that rubs off on other people.

"It's a long season and this guy just loves playing basketball. He's been energetic and he's very good with our young guys."

Made for prime time

The Wolves' two Target Center home games during the preseason -- against Chicago and Milwaukee on consecutive nights -- will be carried by FSN on Oct. 22 and 23. Those are the last two of eight preseason games before the team opens the regular season at home against Sacramento on Oct. 29.