Tough road gets tougher: Wolves at 12-1 Pacers tonight

This tough November schedule the Timberwolves find themselves in gets even tougher starting tonight.

In the next six games, the Wolves are playing opponents that are winning at a 75-percent clip.

That includes the 12-1 Pacers tonight as well as 12-1 San Antonio, 10-3 Miami, 9-3 Oklahoma City and 9-5 Dallas.

The cupcake of the bunch is 6-6 Denver at home on Wednesday,

"I know, we're very aware of that," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said, "and most of the team are on the road. That's just the way the schedule breaks and of course one of the home games is not at home. Every is going the other direction. It's a challenge and opportunity both."

The home game that's not a home game to which he refers is the Dec. 4 game against the Spurs in Mexico City.

A couple other things:

"I think there have been a few chippy games," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "They play physical. We play physical. So anytime you have two teams that play that style of play, it's going to be a little edge, a little chippy. We welcome that."

* Former Strib columnist Dan Barreiro went on his KFAN radio show this afternoon and said Derrick Williams is as good as gone. He didn't have any more specifics, but he does have the Batphone line directly into Flip Saunders' office and home.

It's no secret Adelman doesn't see a place for him on this team and Saunders has been searching for a deal.

I was told this afternoon nothing is imminent.

One team that is looking to make a deal and wants to get younger is Sacramento, which would offer a veteran such as swingman defender Luc Mbah a Moute or Adelman favorite Chuck Hayes. Maybe the deal would even include reserve shooter Jimmer Frederette.