Ratliff said he hopes he can play again by the
all-star break, which is in mid-February. The center had right knee
surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Dec. 18 and has played in just six
games this season. Ratliff said his follow-up visit with Dr. James
Andrews this week went well. No more doctor visits are scheduled. He
will continue to rehabilitate and strengthen his knee.
 
"He is doing more and more each day,” Wittman said.
 
Also from Leighton:
Foye participated in a full-contact scrimmage for 15
minutes Tuesday, but Wittman couldn’t gauge Foye’s conditioning. Foye
is scheduled to scrimmage for 30 minutes today.
 
 
 
10,000 Takes on the good and bad of Minnesota sports.  
 
 
 
Wolves coach Randy Wittman has been using his small lineup almost exclusively in recent weeks, one that puts Gomes at the power forward position. That often will give him an offensive mismatch, which forces the opponent’s power forward to cover him on the perimeter.
 
But the Wolves also have done a good job of posting up Gomes — and getting him the ball — when he’s matched up against a smaller player. That’s what happened at Golden State, where he often was guarded by Baron Davis.
 
And then there is Gomes’ confidence, which has soared along with his
shooting percentage. Wittman’s confidence in Gomes has grown, too,
which means more plays called for Gomes.