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| Kirilenko is the latest T-Wolves player to miss multiple games. (Getty Images) |
The Minnesota Timberwolves fail to find consistency in their starting lineup again.
Starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko will miss his second consecutive game with back spasms. He was kept out of the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Kirilenko leads the Wolves this season in total minutes played and is second on the team in minutes per game (36.4) behind Kevin Love.
The Wolves did get a little good news before Friday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks when Love informed them he will play, despite feeling sick since shortly after the loss to the Clippers. Love will play in his sixth consecutive game of the season after missing the first nine with a broken hand.
The Wolves are still without four of their main rotation players with Ricky Rubio (out while recovering from his ACL rehab but recently cleared to practice with full contact and no limitations), Brandon Roy (knee surgery), Chase Budinger (meniscus tear), and now Kirilenko. The only player on the team to appear in every game this season is Luke Ridnour, who also has been battling back pain since the preseason.
When coach Rick Adelman was asked pregame about the Spurs-David Stern situation and whether or not he's ever wanted to rest his healthy players, Adelman deadpanned: "I haven't had healthy players." He further commented that he didn't want to get into that and he'd let Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and the commissioner handle that on their own.
