Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site on the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend
As part of the sophomore squad, Love is one of several extremely talented big men on the roster. Nets center Brook Lopez, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, Knicks forward Danillo Gallinari, and Heat forward Michael Beasley will present quite a challenge to the rookies. The actual game is over two weeks away and Love has ignited the trash talk with a bold prediction.

“We’re going to whoop-up on the rookies, it’s not even going to be a contest; we are probably going to beat them by 37 points or something like that,” Love boasted.

Flynn did not back down from Love’s challenge, “I’m probably going to go out there just to clown around and probably check him one time at post, or something like that. Hopefully I sneak a block or a steal so I can talk some trash.”

It’s a frustrating process and Jawai admits he’s still a work in progress.

The Timberwolves are trying to mould Jawai into a crafty forward, a far cry from the dominant centre who won the Cairns Taipans’ MVP award in the 2007-08 season.

Back in Cairns this week for family reasons, Jawai worked up a sweat at the Bendigo Bank Basketball Centre yesterday during a training session with his former NBL teammates.

Rambis said one reason he made the changes, which included starting Ryan Hollins at center, was to improve the team’s performance off the bench.

Wilkins and Kevin Love, starters for most of the season, gave the Wolves defensive and scoring punch off the bench.

“I told the team not to look at the moves as a demotion or promotion,” Rambis said. “We’re just trying to find units that can give us some consistent play. Everybody is frustrated with the losing and how we’re losing.”

From Gerald Narciso/Dime Magazine: Jonny Flynn Talks Dunk Contest And Rookie Hazing in Minnesota
Dime: So do the veterans on the team haze you and Wayne Ellington?
(note: Ellington is sitting right beside Flynn and they both smirk and look both ways to see if any of their teammates are listening to his answer)

JF: Yes! The only thing we got to do is like get donuts (Flynn is half-whispering). We get donuts, Wayne gets Five Hour Energy. We might have to grab scouting reports. We don’t have to do all that crazy stuff, so we keep quiet and do whatever they ask, so we don’t have to do no crazy stuff.
Wolves rookie Wayne Ellington is trying to find an open night in his schedule that coincides with a North Carolina Tar Heels home game so his alma mater can honor him from raising his jersey number into the rafters at Dean Smith Center. His number won’t be retired, but his jersey will hang there to honor a career that included a national title last season.

“Someday, I’ll be able to take my kids or my grandkids there to see it,” he said.

Ellington visited with Tar Heels coach Roy Williams after Wednesday’s game in Cleveland. Williams tries to get out once a season to watch his former players play. “Good talk,” he said. “Long talk.”

Former Timberwolves VP Kevin McHale on Wolves second-year forward Kevin Love, on NBA TV: “He’s a world-class rebounder. When he gets enough games under his belt to qualify with league statistics, he’s going to be second or third in rebounds. He’s a phenomenal rebounder.”