With the first morning training-camp practice just 12 days away, Kevin Love flew home on Team USA's chartered flight from Turkey at 3 a.m. Monday Istanbul time after he and Team USA walked off with World Championships gold medals following an 81-64 victory over host Turkey.

Love played just the final minute-plus Sunday night, after Kevin Durant once again long before he assured the Americans of victory.

Even if Durant ONLY scored 28 points this time.

Wolves assistant GM Tony Ronzone -- a scout and member of Team USA's staff since 2007 -- sent a photo of himself and Love celebrating the gold from his cell phone just after the game's end and just before he and Love, at least according to Ronzone's text message, "on our way now to have Diet Coke at the Nike Hospitality room" before catching that middle-of-the-night flight back home to where the NBA season soon awaits.

"World Champs for USA," Ronzone texted. "Now TWolves time."

The Wolves assemble for media day at Target Center, a week from Friday, Sept. 24. Right after that, they bus to Mankato for five days of training-camp practices before they fly to Europe to open their preseason schedule with games against the Lakers in London and the Knicks in Paris.