wolves/nba

Kevin Love did have that arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue buildup on his left knee today while he was at New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery to have a plate removed from his healing right shooting hand.

The team, of course, termed the surgery "successful."

While he's in New York City, the Wolves continue their three-game Western trip without Dante Cunningham against the Clippers in Los Angeles.

Cunningham is a late scratch tonight because of a sore right hamstring.

They'll do so against a Clippers team that on Sunday swept the Lakers in a season series for the first time since Donald Sterline bought the team in 1981 and clinched their first Pacific Division title.

Ricky Rubio, btw, will try tonight to shake off two bad shooting games since he missed a potential game-tying free throw in the final two seconds of Friday's loss to Toronto.

Rubio is 1-for-24 from the field in those two games: 1-for-10 in Tuesday's loss at Golden State and 1-for-13 in Saturday's victory over Detroit that got Rick Adelman career win 1000.

Kevin Love will not play again this season.

But it's not because of that healing broken shooting hand necessarily.

Love will have that hand re-examined in New York City at the Hospital for Special Surgery on Tuesday and while he's there, he'll consult with another surgeon who will perform arthroscopic surgery to repair scar tissue on his left knee later this week, sources said Monday evening.

A source called the operation "minor."

The knee apparently has bothered him some much of the season. The plan was to have it done at the end of the season if his hand was cleared for contact action, but it bothered him more as he ramped up workouts for his return and the decision was made to have the surgery now.

That, of course, ends any chance for him to play again.

The recovery time on the knee surgery is four to six weeks.

Love has played just 18 games this season after breaking his hand twice, once in October when he said he did it while doing knuckle pushups during a workout at his Minneapolis condo and then again in a game at Denver on Feb. 3.

He has not played since then.

The Wolves have six games left in a season that ends April 17.

 Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic was named the Western Conference player of the week for games played April 1-7.

It is a career first for Pekovic, who becomes the Wolves' first player of the week since Al Jefferson got the honor Jan. 5, 2009.

Pekovic averaged 25.0 points on 58.9 percent shooting and 8.5 rebounds per game as the Wolves went 3-1 with victories over Boston, Milwaukee and Detroit. He led the team in scoring in all four games, scoring at least 20 in each game. 

For the season Pekovic is averaging career highs in scoring (16.4), rebounding (8.9), assists (0.9), steals (0.7), blocks (0.8) and minutes (31.8). He has 26 double-doubles and 11 games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. He has also gotten an offensive rebound in 72 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the NBA behind Kevin Love (75). 

Rick Adelman's wife and son wiped away tears in the moments after the Timberwolves' 107-101 victory over Detroit placed their coach in that exclusive club of now only eight men who have won 1000 NBA games.

Adelman got hugs and congratulations from his players when they finally got him to that threshold, just 24 hours after the same opportunity slipped away with a home loss to Toronto.

This time, the Wolves took an 11-point, first-half lead and hung on all the way to the end, even though the Pistons got back to even and create many nervous moments in the game's final minutes.

Adelman wrapped an arm around his wife Mary Kay as a video tribute played on the big overhead scoreboard and then he addressed the crowd in a special post-game interview with team play-by-play guy Dave Benz conducted on the court.

In the press room after that, Adelman talked at length about the evening's meaning, particularly the chance to do it at home with his wife in attendance.

Here's the game story from Saturday, with many of his comments.

There also should be video up by morning of his post-game presser.

A couple other quick things:

* Ricky Rubio had his left shoulder wrapped in ice after the game.

He hurt it in the third quarter after colliding with Brandon Knight and was in obvious pain.

Asked if it'll be all right, he said afterward, "I hope so."

Rubio missed his first 12 field-goal attempts, but made his final one, a crucial one in the final minute that helped keep the Pistons away.

He'll have a couple days to let his shoulder heal: Adelman gave his players Sunday AND Monday off before they fly Monday afternoon to San Francisco to begin a three-game Western trip.

* David Kahn consoled Alexey Shved at his locker after the game.

The rookie guard played less than four minutes Saturday after playing eight minutes against Toronto.

He obviously has struggled here down the stretch of a long NBA season that he's experiencing for the first time.

It figures, doesn't it?

Tonight's Wolves-Raptors game from Target Center is not being televised locally -- one of four Wolves game this year not so carried -- and of course it's the night Rick Adelman goes for career victory No. 1000.

Just off the top of my head...Wolves fans also never saw Kevin Love's 30-30 game back in 2010 and Ricky Rubio's first career start last year as well.

Adelman's wife Mary Kay, btw, will attend tonight's game, as she has done most home games recently.

And as long as I mentioned Love...

He was not cleared today for full contact -- remember last week they said he'd be re-evaluated this week? -- and now he'll be evaluated again early next week, the team says.

The leaves only about a week in the season and only a handful of games.

Sure sounds like he's not going to play again, right?

Adelman says he still would like to see Love play, even if for a few games.

"My stance is still the same," he said. "If he's cleared to play, we'll address it at that time. But it has been going on sl long now that we'll just stay with the guys we have and see what happens."