Don't want to mess with a winning combination...

Kurt Rambis seems in no hurry to get Kevin Love back in the starting lineup

December 8, 2009 at 7:20AM

Phil Miller covered practice today while I traveled to Toronto for Tuesday's game against the Raptors. Here's what he submitted for the blog. Sorry I was delayed getting here and didn't post this earlier...


Kevin Love may appear close to his rookie-season form, but Kurt Rambis doesn't seem to be in any hurry to restore him to the starting lineup. Or maybe he is -- the coach didn't give many clues about his intentions on Monday.
"We're looking at teams and matchups, and we'll go from there," Rambis said, declining to divulge his lineup for Tuesday night's game in Toronto. "There are teams that it might be beneficial for him to start, and teams that might be more beneficial for him to come off the bench."
Can't blame Rambis for hesitating, considering the transformative effect the current lineup has had on Ryan Gomes. Playing in a starting frontcourt the past four games with Al Jefferson and Damien Wilkins -- which forces a power forward to guard him -- Gomes has averaged 21.3 points per game. In the previous 18 games, in which Gomes was mostly guarded by small forwards, he averaged just 8.3 points.
Besides, Rambis said, "I've always put a high value on bench players, guys who can provide us some sort of punch offensively, defensively, rebounding the basketball. It's hard to find those guys."
If Love remains a reserve for now, can Rambis find him enough minutes to be effective?
"Yes," the former L.A. Lakers assistant said before invoking his old team's sixth-man specialist. "Ask Lamar Odom."

-- Nathan Jawai did not practice Monday after coming down with what the team believes is food poisoning. But Rambis said Jawai would make the trip to Toronto

about the writer

about the writer

Jerry Zgoda

Reporter

Jerry Zgoda covers Minnesota United FC and Major League Soccer for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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