He said he heard a “pop” when he tried to block Sean Marks’ shot, landed fully on his right leg and the knee buckled. He also said it didn’t feel nearly as bad after the game as when he mildly sprained his MCL in a September workout before training camp.
A teammate rolled into Al then and he missed more than two weeks, but came back to the final days of the Mankato training camp, sooner than expected…

Jefferson limped out of the locker room after the game by himself and without any help or crutches.

Ex-Raptors coach Sam Mitchell tops Kevin McHale’s short list for a new Timberwolves coach – if McHale continues to hold sway with owner Glen Taylor.

Rashad McCants played his third consecutive game. Are the Wolves showcasing him before the Feb. 19 trade deadline?

“No,” coach Kevin McHale said rather flatly. “I thought he practiced very well. I thought he gave us a boost in a game (Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta) before, so I thought I’d try.”


About 75 family and friends from his hometown of Prentiss, Miss., traveled to New Orleans to watch Jefferson play and then saw him helped off the court with that injured knee late in the game.
With 36 points and 22 rebounds in Saturday night’s 107-90 loss at Houston, Wolves center Al Jefferson recorded just the second 35-20 game in the NBA this season.
The first belonged to the New York Knicks’ David Lee, who had 37 points and 21 boards in a Nov. 21 game against Golden State.

Before that, the last such game belonged to the Los Angeles Clippers’ Elton Brand in 2005.
Through all of the intense focus on Jefferson recently, I still do not believe he was “snubbed” for the All-Star game. His numbers would justify a selection to the mid-season squad, but call me old school, I’m of the belief that players shouldn’t make the team if on a losing team. It hurts me to say that, as someone who has the opportunity to watch Big Al perform up close and personal on the regular, as well as spend brief periods of time with him. Yet, that is the old-school in me.
One thing favorable about the Timberwolves’ future is that everybody is signed through at least next year except Rodney Carney, Rashad McCants, Jason Collins and Kevin Ollie. The Wolves had an option on Carney that they didn’t exercise.

After this year Brian Cardinal and Mike Miller will have one more year with the Wolves, Sebastian Telfair and Craig Smith will have two, Ryan Gomes will have three and Al Jefferson will have four.