[外電] ENOUGH TIME?
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16602801.htm
Rashad McCants' return to the Timberwolves' lineup could give the team more
scoring off the bench, a little more swagger and a player who can get to the
basket and hit three-pointers.
It also presents a challenge for coach Randy Wittman. He must carve out
minutes for McCants on a team that already is overstocked with guards.
McCants, who made his season debut Wednesday night against the Sacramento
Kings, will be a part of the rotation, Wittman said Thursday.
McCants' re-introduction following right knee surgery in June means there
will be fewer minutes for the shooting guards. That presents a challenge for
Wittman and the players.
"Performance is going to dictate that," Wittman said of playing time. "We're
trying to work Shaddy in. It's another player. Our guys have to understand
that. He can help us. The skills that he has, we don't have anybody out there
that can do that. It's a challenge, but we'll work it out."
As much as McCants' return could help the team, it also could contribute to a
precarious situation. Ricky Davis and Marko Jaric are players whose minutes
could dip. Jaric has complained about his lack of playing time, and Davis
refused to re-enter a game two weeks ago after he was replaced.
"The rotation will go from eight or nine to nine or 10 now," Wittman said.
"You can play he and Marko and Randy (Foye) together in that second unit.
Since I've taken over, Marko, Trenton (Hassell) and Ricky have shared those
minutes. So now those four will share those minutes."
McCants said Thursday he doesn't have any preconceived idea about his role or
playing time. He said he just wants to help the team win.
Said Hassell of possibly sharing time with McCants: "You've got to just play
with what's given to you and not worry about that because it's a team sport.
He's a great scorer. There's going to be times when some games you're not
going to play as many minutes, so you've just got to prepare yourself for the
minutes that you get."
Don't expect McCants to play a big role right away. He played five minutes in
his debut, and the Wolves don't want to rush him back.
"I'm going to try to build him up," Wittman said. "I would rather err on the
side of caution right now. I believe last year (Amare) Stoudemire played 25
minutes in his first game, and what did he wind up playing, three games?"
Stoudemire's first attempt at returning from microfracture knee surgery, the
same procedure McCants had, proved to be a disaster. But after taking more
time to recover last summer, Stoudemire is averaging 18.6 points and 8.9
rebounds for the Phoenix Suns this season.
McCants said he was worried at times during his seven-month recovery.
"Some days, I thought I'd be out of the league in two or three years," he
said.
Those dark days have given way to optimism. McCants said he felt no soreness
in his knee after the game. He said he feels he will be a better player down
the road.
Wittman said he played McCants on Wednesday night in part because the Wolves
were listless in the first half. McCants could have provided some energy.
"I thought he played under control. He didn't try to (force) anything,"
Wittman said. "He scored the one layup underneath coming out of a timeout. He
executed the play pretty good. We tried to get him a touch."
McCants averaged 7.9 points a game last season (12.3 points after the
all-star break) and shot 37.2 percent from three-point range. He's not as
athletic as he was before the surgery, but Hassell said he expects McCants to
find other ways to score.
"A talent like that, he can score," Hassell said. "He doesn't have to rely on
his athleticism. He can score without dunking on people. He's so strong he
can get his shot off. He'll be all right."
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