For the first time this season, the Timberwolves finally had their starting point guard back on the court.  Randy Foye played in Chicago for the first time in 43 games, scoring 11 points in 17 minutes, but the Wolves fell to the Bulls 96-85.

"It feels great," Foye said before the game. "Just to get back out there is going to be fun for me."

Foye was not listed in the starting lineup, and Coach Randy Wittman said his minutes will be limited, "until he gets his feet back under him."

The Minnesota Timberwolves today assigned rookie forward Chris Richard to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Richard, who is the 27th NBA player assigned to the D-League this season, is the first Timberwolves player to be assigned to the Skyforce.

Richard, 6-9, 255-pounds, has appeared in 24 games for the Timberwolves, averaging 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9.2 minutes, including a 10-point performance against Seattle on Dec. 14. Richard averaged 3.5 points and 4.8 rebounds, while shooting 54 percent from the field, in four games at the 2007 Toshiba Vegas Summer League.

The Orlando Magic?s Hedo Turkoglu and the Minnesota Timberwolves? Al Jefferson today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan 21 through Sunday, Jan. 27.

Turkoglu guided Orlando to a 3-1 week, including wins over Eastern Conference leaders Detroit and Boston. Leading the Magic in scoring in all four games, Turkoglu averaged 25.5 points on .492 shooting from the field and .500 shooting from three-point range.

Jefferson led the Timberwolves to a 3-1 week, averaging 28.8 points and 12.8 rebounds.

According to RealGM's season FIC totals, Jefferson is ranked 14th amongst all players this season while Turkoglu is 34th.

Kevin Garnett was forced to watch his Celtics lose from the sidelines against Orlando on Sunday due to a strained abdominal muscle.

Garnett is listed as day to day, according to the Associated Press, after injuring himself Friday against his former team at Minnesota.

The Boston Globe has reported that the agent for Minnesota swingman Gerald Green has asked Timberwolves' vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale and general manager Jim Stack to trade his client.

Green will make $1.4 million this year, and Minnesota opted to decline his option for next season.

He will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Behind a career-high 39 points and 15 rebounds by Al Jefferson, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night and earned their first two game winning steak of the season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves? Gerald Green will defend his crown in the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk competition to be held on NBA All-Star  Saturday  Night Feb. 16, at New Orleans Arena (8 p.m. ET on TNT). Green will compete against two first-time entrants: the Memphis Grizzlies? Rudy Gay and former D-Leaguer Jamario Moon of the Toronto Raptors, as well as the Orlando Magic?s Dwight Howard, who competed in the 2007 contest.  

For  the first time, fans will have the final say in deciding the winner of the  Sprite Slam Dunk competition. Following the concluding round of dunks, fans will be able to cast their votes via SMS TXT message and at NBA.com to determine  this  year?s winner.  The dunker with the most fan votes will be named  the  winner of the Sprite Slam Dunk. A panel of judges will continue to  play  a  key  role by determining which two participants advance to the final  round. During the final round, each judge?s vote will count the same as a fan vote.  

Last  year  in  Las  Vegas,  Green,  then  a  member of the Boston Celtics, outlasted  defending  champion Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks for the Sprite  Slam  Dunk  championship. Green tallied the three highest scores of the  night,  including  a  perfect  score  of  50  on  his final dunk as he windmilled while hurdling an All-Star table.  

Golden  State?s  Jason  Richardson  was the last player to win back-to-back Sprite Slam Dunk titles, capturing the 2002 and 2003 competitions. The only previous  repeat  Slam  Dunk champion was Chicago?s Michael Jordan, who won the 1987 and 1988 contests.  

The  dunker  with  the lowest total score from the first round will compete first  in  the final round. Dunks then will alternate until each player has completed  two.   Time limit rules still apply. After the four finals dunks are  completed,  fan  voting  polls  will  open  via SMS TXT message and at NBA.com. Each judge will then provide commentary on the dunkers and hold up a  placard with his vote for the winner. The judge?s votes will be combined with the SMS TXT and NBA.com votes to determine the champion.

Gerald Green has accepted the NBA's invitation to defend his slam dunk title at this year's All-Star Game in New Orleans.

The Timberwolves aren't on the same page on the court, but Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale and Coach Randy Wittman sure are in sync with their assessments of the team's struggles.

McHale, who addressed the state of the team after Monday's practice, put the onus on the players to fight more and play harder during games.

McHale voiced support for Wittman, 16-59 with the Wolves after replacing Dwane Casey as head coach last January.

McHale said Wittman is right to call out players if they deserve it, and that Wittman follows up the day after tough losses in the appropriate manner by reviewing video with players and setting the right tone in practice.

"I couldn't be happier with how he's handling the team," McHale said.

The Wolves (4-29) have the worst record in the NBA, and McHale said the lack of effort during a 101-78 loss to Dallas on Sunday is unacceptable.

"Right now, guys are getting beat down and losing their competitive edge," he said. "That can't happen."

Point guard Randy Foye, who has missed the entire season with an injured left knee, was cleared by doctors on Monday to begin more strenuous workouts in preparation for a return to the team.

Coach Randy Wittman, basketball boss Kevin McHale, and Foye himself all said the second-year player isn't close to playing in a game yet, but the news certainly came as a sigh of relief to a team that has lost eight in a row and is a league-worst 4-29 this year.

"It's a boost for me anyway," Wittman said. "I can't speak for [the players]. You can ask them that question. It's a boost to me. It's positive."