Love's chance at redemption also shelved

Kevin Love played his worst games last year against Portland, and will miss both games is his hometown because of injury.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: November 8, 2009 - 11:48 PM

PORTLAND, ORE. - Timberwolves forward Kevin Love suffered through two of the worst performances last season in Portland -- his hometown -- during an otherwise satisfying rookie year.

Whether he had put undue pressure on himself or whether the long, athletic Trail Blazers are just a bad matchup for him, he's still not sure.

Slimmed down considerably when he reported for training camp in late September, Love was hoping his new boyish figure would provide more of an answer in two November visits 13 days apart.

He'll never know -- at least not until next season -- now that his fractured left hand almost certainly will cause him to miss both visits back home, including Sunday's game against the Blazers.

"I was very curious to see how I'd play because I had some of my worst games against them last year," Love said. "I don't know what the statistics were, but they weren't good. I was hoping to come out and have a better showing, but I'll have to wait until next year."

Just FYI: He went 0-for-7 from the field and had two points and seven rebounds in a November game last season and was 3-for-8 for six points and seven rebounds in a March game when he got in early foul trouble.

When asked if he thought his troubles last season were related to anxiousness or LaMarcus Aldridge, Love said: "A little of both. They have tremendous size and length almost at every position. I definitely want to come out here in Portland and have a good showing. It just didn't happen for me."

'Going to be a process'

If you left Target Center Friday night thinking the Wolves' lifeless third quarter against Milwaukee was about as bad as it gets, well, here are a few words from Wolves coach Kurt Rambis.

"We didn't come out of the locker room in the third quarter and get the energy, the execution," he said. "They picked up their defensive intensity and we just kind of succumbed to it. We didn't start working harder, we started working less. That was the frustrating part.

"You can tell those people I thought the three games prior to that, this team played exceptionally well. This is a young team. We're growing and we're learning. We're still trying to figure out what we can and can't do. This is going to be a process all year long. It's not going to turn around overnight, not in a week, not in a month."

Rudy on Ricky Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez is best friends with Spanish national team member Ricky Rubio, who is playing in Spain rather than with the Wolves for at least the next two seasons.

"It's a good decision for him to play more time in Europe," Fernandez said. "More experience for him. He can play [at home] in Barcelona for one of the best teams in Europe and then come to the NBA. We'll see [how he fares in the NBA] in two years. He played against the USA in the Olympics and he played good.

"Ricky is talented, good player, smart player. For sure, he can play in the NBA."

Root, root, root for the ... David Kahn was asked at Sunday's shootaround if his 8-year-old son, who lives in Portland, would wear a Brandon Roy jersey at that night's game, as he did during Las Vegas summer league play.

"He might," Kahn said. "I'm not the fashion police."

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