Matching Love pedal for pedal during practice was center Al Jefferson, who is over the flu but still is battling a sore Achilles’ tendon that threatens to keep him out of Wednesday’s opener against New Jersey.

Wolves coach Kurt Rambis had no idea Sunday if Jefferson would be ready for Wednesday’s opener, but he sounded as if Jefferson might need more time to get healthy when asked if Jefferson did anything other than ride the bike on Sunday.

“No, he went through semi-practice,” Rambis said, “Pretty much how we approach it at the beginning of training camp. Going to slowly bring him back into everything then reevaluate the following day.”

Kevin Love, back from his hand surgery in New York City last week, did. He had that left hand protected in a split that he says he has to wear only for practice, where he watched and rode the exercise bike and ran a little today.

“Originally, they were saying six to eight weeks, but hopefully I can get back sooner than that,” Love said. “They didn’t make any promises.”

He said he will have an x-ray taken again in 3 1/2 to 4 weeks and have that sent to the New York City doctor to see if he gets the OK to return.

The Wolves haven’t had a winning season since 2004-05. For many years, Garnett’s presence was considered their best marketing tool to attract free agents.

Kahn still believes the timing is good for the Wolves to take advantage of a quality free-agent market. Since coming to the Twin Cities, he has seen the excitement surrounding the Twins and Vikings and how fans have embraced the teams’ star players — particularly the Vikings.

“Two of the NFL’s biggest stars are playing in Minnesota — Bre tt Favre and Adrian Peterson,” Kahn said. “You’ve got a hall of fame quarterback who came out of retirement to play in Minnesota. It takes away (negative) perceptions about playing in the Twin Cities. What’s important to players is the culture, the opportunity to win and the opportunity to make money.”

Nobody doubts that Flynn has game. In its basketball preview edition currently on newsstands, Sports Illustrated quoted an anonymous NBA scout that said: “With the floor spaced like it is in the NBA — and the fact that (defenders) can’t put their hands on him — he’ll get the ball in the middle with the chance to use his quickness and strength. This league is made for a guy like him.”

New T-Wolves coach Kurt Rambis will be the first to tell you, this thing isn’t going to turn itself around overnight.

“There’s probably 70 percent of the guys on our team are new,” Rambis said. “So they’re all trying to learn about each other on the court and off the court and learn how to play together. It’s a difficult situation for any team to assimilate that many new ballplayers and find that chemistry that they need in order to play out there on the court.”

Bob Sansevere/Pioneer Press conducts a Q&A with Coach Rambis:
Do we have a superstar to build a championship team around? He may or may not be here. It may take a few years to determine if the player is here right now. The overall talent level of this team has to improve. We have to get better across the board. The good players who are here have to get better, and we do have to add new pieces to this ball club.

I just want to see these guys play the right way. I want to see them play together. And I want to see them play hard. If they’re doing those things, I think the wins eventually will come. The education will come. And the process moving forward will come.