Wolves' injury situation worsens: Jefferson out too

Eight days before the Timberwolves kick off their 21st season at home against New Jersey, Minnesota tonight will play a preseason game in Denver with its two biggest pieces facing uncertain futures -- short and long term -- because of injuries.

As expected, forward Kevin Love will undergo surgery today to repair the fractured fourth metacarpal bone in his left hand. He suffered the injury last weekend in Chicago and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

But in a surprising development Monday, Al Jefferson did not practice because of a sore Achilles' tendon that caused him to play less than six minutes in the second half Saturday at Milwaukee.

Wolves coach Kurt Rambis, growing tired of injury questions, did not elaborate much on either player's condition.

"I just deal with the players that are out there on the floor," he said. "If they're not out there, then that's the trainer and the medical staff's responsibility."

Love was not available for comment Monday. Jefferson, who was present Monday, left the Wolves practice facility without speaking to reporters.

Like it or not, Rambis now faces the reality that his two best players are either out (Love) or questionable for the time being (Jefferson).

Love's surgery, which will be performed today by Dr. Andrew Weiland of New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery, means the NBA's rookie rebounding leader from a year ago (and ninth overall with 734 boards) could be sidelined up to the week before Christmas. The typical recovery time for this procedure is six to eight weeks.

"Kevin will have all the resources necessary here to help with his recuperation, and ideally he'll be back on the court closer to six weeks than eight weeks," said David Kahn, Wolves president of basketball operations. "Having said that, the most important thing is that his hand fully heals before he plays."

Jefferson, who missed the final 32 games last season after surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, faces the unknown.

He traveled with the team to Denver on Monday, but Rambis did not sound optimistic about Jefferson's status.

"It all depends on ... the treatments and the medication and whatever they're doing for him," Rambis said. "It all depends how quickly it affects it."

Rambis has coached this preseason using an almost to-the-minute scripted system of who plays when. That plan already was set to get torn up and reshuffled during these final three preseason games to set a firm starting five and rotation schedule.

The question now is, who steps up?

"Everybody. Whoever's left," Rambis said. "Whether they are [ready] or they're not, they're going to be out there. We can try bigger lineups, we can roll smaller lineups or a combination thereof. Guys are just going to have to get up there, get their time, stand in there and play."

The two injuries -- particularly to Love -- are the latest setbacks in a rash of bad luck among high draft picks for the Wolves dating to Rashad McCants.

After being selected 14th overall in 2005, McCants was limited to 37 games in 2006-07 following microfracture surgery on his right knee. Randy Foye (stress reaction), Corey Brewer (torn ACL) and now Love have all been lost for significant time in their second seasons with the Wolves.

"I don't know, man. Everybody's joking like it's the second-year curse or something like that," Brewer said. "You know, it's just something that happens; it was a freak play the way [Love's injury] happened.

"As a team, we just have to hold together. We gotta play tough, scrap. Nothing's going to be given to us. We just have to play hard every night."

Rambis, who said he doesn't believe in "black cats and all of that kind of stuff" in regard to the second-year injury coincidence, was already set to coach in a tough situation involving young players in a new system. That task has now become even more of a challenge.

"Timing-wise, rhythm-wise, all of that stuff with having guys out always has an impact on a team," Rambis said. "But other guys are going to have to step up with more minutes and play better, play harder."

• The Wolves cut guards Devin Green and Mustafa Shakur.