On Thursday, Al Jefferson discovers whether he has made his first All-Star Game. On Wednesday, Timberwolves rookie Kevin Love learned he was left out of the NBA All-Star Weekend's Rookie Challenge.
Love, his teammates and his coaches weren't happy about it. Love used a colorful word to explain that the voting by NBA assistant coaches was nonsense and said their decision "could have" inspired his 17-point, 10-rebound, four-assist night in Wednesday's home loss to Detroit. The NBA assistants instead chose Chicago's Derrick Rose, Miami's Michael Beasley, Memphis' O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol, Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, the Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Gordon, New Jersey's Brook Lopez and Portland's Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez.
"Absolutely embarrassing," Wolves guard Mike Miller said. "I can't think of two or three rookies playing better than him right now. He's done more to help us win in the last month."
Love said he will use the five-day All-Star break to return to Los Angeles, work on his game and rest. He was averaging 8.9 points and 8.4 rebounds in 23 minutes a game entering Wednesday's game, and at age 20 already has proven himself to be one of the league's most efficient rebounders.
"I'm still going to be upset because I'm so competitive and I would have loved to be in that game," said Love.
"I thought it was all political. I've just got to keep playing the way I'm playing. There's always next year as a sophomore."
Wolves coach Kevin McHale called Love's omission a "travesty."
"That's utterly ridiculous. Who picks that team?" McHale said. When told assistant coaches do, he said, "No way."
Said Wolves assistant Jerry Sichting, slyly: "You can never trust assistant coaches. We know nothing."
PISTONS 98, WOLVES 89: Two months ago, the Wolves went to Detroit nearly lifeless after a 2-9 season start, and they transformed an 11-point lead into a 25-point, third-quarter bulge that produced an inexplicable runaway victory.
On Wednesday, they carried the NBA's best record in 2009 into Target Center and this time frittered away an 11-point, third-quarter lead and a three-game winning streak with a loss that left coach Kevin McHale and his players mystified.
The Pistons scored 14 of the game's first 20 points and 13 of its past 16. In between, they erased the Wolves' 69-58 lead with a 15-3 run that ended the third quarter and began the fourth.
"We didn't push the ball, didn't attack, we just, I don't know," McHale said. "We were a half-beat off all night long. We couldn't get it all night. The start was the finish, and that's what happens in our league sometimes. That being said, we were up 11 and had the chance to put it away right there."
Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace led the Pistons at the end of the third quarter. Wallace was the guy at the end, when it mattered most. Wallace scored on three consecutive possessions down the stretch, including a dagger of a three-pointer with 53 seconds left, one that enabled the Pistons to transform an 84-79 deficit midway through the fourth quarter into a nine-point victory that ended their two-game losing streak.
Wallace finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
