Three's not a crowd at Wolves' point

The Timberwolves are auditioning guards for a backup spot behind Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: October 2, 2008 - 1:12 AM

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WOLVES TRAINING CAMP

Preseason opener: 7 p.m. Monday at Milwaukee

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MANKATO - This time last year, Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman soon would wonder if he had even one point guard ready for the regular season.

Now, three days into the team's training camp, he is focused on finding a third.

With Randy Foye's good health presumed and Sebastian Telfair signed to a new two-year contract, the Wolves' search for a little extra insurance has covered the spectrum: NBA 11-year veteran Kevin Ollie is competing with rookie Blake Ahearn on the Bresnan Arena court while the Wolves continue to court unsigned and injured free agent Shaun Livingston, who likely will sign with Miami once the Heat completes some salary-cap bookkeeping unless the Wolves sweeten their offer.

Wittman is looking for what he calls a "combination" of qualities for that third point guard.

"Obviously, a guy who can play, and the ability to lead a little bit," he said. "I'm harder on my point guards than anybody else. I demand more of them than anybody else. They've got to be able to handle that. That third guard is a guy who's an eyelash away from being out there every day in the action, so he has to be able to handle an offense and have an understanding of what we want to get done."

In Kevin McHale's perfect world, the Wolves will find a player who could play both guard positions and perhaps some small forward (ironically, a player a lot like Marko Jaric, the 6-7 point guard whose bloated contract the team happily unloaded in its draft-night trade with Memphis).

That's why they have pursued Livingston, a 6-7 point guard whom the Los Angeles Clippers selected directly from high school with the fourth pick in the 2004 NBA draft. He hasn't played since February 2007 because of a severe knee injury, and it's not certain when, or if, he will return to full health.

The Wolves are serious enough about Livingston that they sent their management and Foye, Mike Miller and Al Jefferson to work him out in Chicago last month, but he remained unsigned on Wednesday.

"We've moved on now," Witt- man said. "We're going to take a look at who we've got here."

The Wolves signed Ahearn -- an NBA Developmental League guard who played 12 games for Miami late last season -- from their Las Vegas Summer League team. He has taken the obscure path to the NBA, from Missouri State to Bismarck, N.D. That's home, of course, to the Dakota Wizards in the D League.

"Going from 30-below to sunny and 80 in Miami, that was a good experience," said Ahearn, 24.

He has reached his first NBA training camp because he can shoot: He owns the NCAA records for season (.975) and career (.946) free-throw percentage.

"My job is not to come in and reinvent the wheel," said Ahearn, who visited San Antonio in August but considered the Wolves a better opportunity to win a job. "People know I'm kind of a skill guy, a shooter. I just have to come in, make my shots, don't make mistakes and just be a confident guy who brings competitiveness. That's kind of what I'm about."

The Wolves are Ollie's 11th NBA team, 11 in 11 seasons. An undrafted college player from Connecticut, he has, at age 35, played 567 games. He played the last four seasons with Philadelphia and started 23 games in both 2005-06 and 2006-07.

"I've been with some teams, so I can adapt quickly," said Ollie, more of a pure point guard than Ahearn. "I'm just here as a fountain of positivity. Both Randy and Sebastian, they're fairly young. I don't want to hover over them, but whatever they need, I'm here. Hopefully, I lead by example on and off the basketball court, but I haven't made the team yet."

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