Basketball Forum : Professional and College Basketball Forums - View Single Post - Love and Rubio injected life to the Timberwolves

**Basel** · 02-10-2012, 04:36 PM

Quote:

MINNEAPOLIS — These aren't the same Minnesota Timberwolves who had become one of the NBA's weakest links in recent years.

With two sure-fire headline players in the making in forward Kevin Love and point guard Ricky Rubio, the T-Wolves have become downright entertaining and a major force in the Western Conference to contend with. The Dallas Mavericks have discovered that the hard way as they're 0-2 against the T-Wolves this season.

“They've made shots, they've made plays, they've penetrated on us and they've given us problems on the boards,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. “They've done what they do.

“This is a way different team than we've seen in the last few years here. They're a load to deal with.''

The Mavs (15-11) will try and deal with the T-Wolves (13-13) for the third time this season when they play them at 7 tonight at the Target Center. That means having to deal with Love - he made his second All-Star team on Thursday - and Rubio, the rookie sensation who Carlisle compared to Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Pete Maravich.

“Love, his motor is phonemically high,'' Carlisle said. “The outside shooting ability and the tenacity to go after the ball is something I haven't seen.

“I haven't seen a guy get 13-plus rebounds a game then spot-up at the three-point line a lot. It just doesn't happen much.''

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02...d-life-to.html