Continued: Under McHale, Love must earn his minutes

O.J. Mayo arrives at tonight's second meeting in eight days between his Memphis Grizzlies and the Timberwolves still the NBA's leading rookie scorer, still a favorite for Rookie of the Year.

Wolves forward Kevin Love arrives after a promising week that makes the extremely early evaluations on the draft-night deal that swapped one player for the other seem only a fraction less lopsided.

Everyone from Love and Mayo to their coaches and teammates caution a trade can only be fairly evaluated after several seasons because of differing circumstances: Mayo plays 38 minutes a game and is an offensive centerpiece on a bad team. Love plays less than 23 minutes a game and is a reserve role player on a team that has won three games fewer than Memphis.

Which begs this question: Why isn't Love -- in whom a team that won't make the playoffs has invested so much -- starting and playing 30-plus minutes a game?

"I'm just a believer in that if you earn something, it always means more," Wolves coach Kevin McHale said. "It doesn't do any good to anybody to give them anything."

Just call McHale an old-school guy.

"That's not our society now," he said. "I gave my kids bikes, and they never knew where their bikes were. My bike was the only thing I had when I was a kid. I knew where it was at every moment of the day because I had to work for that bike. Some of the best lessons in life are earned."

McHale met with Love recently to explain his thinking. He told Love he didn't have the good fortune to be drafted by a playoff team whose coach is trying to win 62 games and secure home-court playoff advantage. McHale contends young players on those teams "figure it out faster" because they have to earn their playing time.

Love was asked after Monday's practice if he buys McHale's philosophy.

"I've got to buy it," he said with perhaps a forced smile. "I understand it. It's a little different for me, as you can imagine. I've always played a lot of minutes. I don't disagree with me having to earn them. I'm playing 22, 23 minutes a game right now. Hopefully, I'll keep building on that the second half of the season. Maybe I'll play 30. Who knows?"

Love has struggled in the season's opening 33 games to get off his shot against bigger, more athletic opponents, and he often has been outreached around the basket. He already, though, is proving himself to be one of the league's most efficient rebounders. Prorate his 7.9 rebounding average over an entire game and Love averages 16.7 rebounds per 48 minutes.

"For a 20-year-old kid, he's phenomenal, an unbelievable rebounder," McHale said. "He's got instincts that are just ridiculous. His shot needs to improve and his ability to play one-on-one in that elbow area has to improve. But he's going to be a really good player for years and years and years. When he gets a reliable 18- to 20-footer, he's going to be just a great complement to Al [Jefferson] when they're out there. They really sweep the boards.

"Look, Kevin Love is a 20-year-old kid. He's younger than three of my children. You've got to remember that."

Love averaged 18 points and nine rebounds in the Wolves' three victories last week -- their first winning week (3-1) of the season -- and demonstrated a newfound assertiveness around the basket by finding space to dunk the ball forcefully rather than having layups blocked or miss.

"In college, I could get away with laying the ball up," Love said. "I have to start trying to draw fouls and dunk the ball. Against Tyrus Thomas [the Chicago forward who had eight blocked shots Saturday] or a guy like Dwight Howard, if you don't do that, they'll just swat it away."

Love inevitably will become the team's starting power forward beside Jefferson, who isn't a center but plays one on television, because he possesses more skill and size than current starter Craig Smith. But not for now, McHale says.

"When you earn something, then -- you know what? -- you can get it," McHale said. "This is not about Kevin Love looking good against Memphis. This is about Kevin Love being a really good 23-year-old player. That's when you really want him to shine. There were a lot of nights I played eight, 12, 14 minutes my rookie year, and I never took playing time for granted, ever."

Starting point guard Kevin Ollie is expected to miss at least three weeks because of a dislocated shoulder sustained early in Saturday's victory at Chicago. He will be evaluated by doctors again then. The Wolves' options until then: Waive or buy out a player (Calvin Booth?) and sign D-Leaguer Blake Ahearn or another guard, trade for a guard or go with Sebastian Telfair and Randy Foye there exclusively. The first option is the best bet.