DENVER -- Big Al's health is no big concern.At least that's the word from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota star center Al Jefferson missed Tuesday night's 129-100 preseason loss to Denver at the Pepsi Center. But Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said the primary reason was Jefferson being under the weather rather than the sore left Achilles that kept him out of practice Monday.
"Yes, he would of if this was an important game,'' Rambis said when asked if Jefferson would have been able to play Tuesday had he not taken ill and been left at the team hotel in Denver.
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Rambis said there's a good chance Jefferson, whose health is being watched carefully after he was lost for the season last February due to a torn right ACL, will be play again in the preseason. The Timberwolves close with games Thursday at Detroit and Friday against Toronto in Sioux Falls, S.D.
"I anticipate yes, but I don't know how sick he is or how sick he will become,'' said Rambis, whose Timberwolves got 23 points Tuesday from guard Corey Brewer while forward Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 24.
Rambis called Jefferson's ailment flu-like symptoms while Minnesota president David Kahn dubbed it a cold. Kahn does not anticipate Jefferson's Achilles problem or his sickness keeping him out of Minnesota's regular-season opener Oct. 28 against New Jersey.
"No,'' Kahn said in an interview with FanHouse. "I think we were lucky to this point that he hasn't had any kind of minor setback. (The Achilles problem) is a minor setback, and, until he misses a regular-season game, I'm not going to worry about it.
"His Achilles is not on his knee side (on the leg opposite of his knee injury). It's been tender. So it's a precaution. He's resting. He also had a terrible cold, so he's at the hotel resting. He's fine.''
Rambis said Jefferson's sore Achilles could be but is "not necessarily'' related to his knee problem. Taking precautions due to Jefferson's recovery from knee surgery, the Timberwolves have limited Jefferson in the preseason, sometimes not using him in the second half of games.
In the meantime, the Timberwolves are quite thin up front. Power forward Kevin Love underwent surgery Tuesday on his broken left hand and is out six to eight weeks.Minnesota on Tuesday acquired center Nathan Jawai from Dallas for a conditional 2012 second-round pick. But Rambis said that deal was being discussed before Love got hurt.
Rambis considers Jawai a project so it's unlikely he'll be used much anyhow. Because the Mavericks wanted to shed the salary of Jawai, who played 19 minutes in six games last season as a Toronto rookie, all they took back was a pick protected through the 55th draft spot. So it's highly unlikely Dallas, which also sent the Timberwolves cash in the deal, ever will receive anything for Jawai.
No D-League for White
In the event James "Flight'' White gets cut by Denver, he's not planning on any flights back to the D-League.
"I would probably go overseas,'' said White, a forward who averaged 25.9 points last season for the Anaheim Arsenal. "I'm not going back to the D-League. It's more financially. It's a not a good thing (financially). If I haven't proven myself from the D-League and (an NBA) team doesn't like me from being in the D-League last year, I don't think I can improve my status from the D-League. I played great last year in the D-League, and did all I can do. My best bet is to go overseas.''
The Nuggets will complete final cuts as soon as Wednesday, and it's not looking good for White, who has a non-guaranteed contract and played just 42 minutes while getting into three of Denver's first six preseason games. He didn't play Tuesday.
The Nuggets might start the season with the NBA minimum of 13 players, with swingman Joey Graham all but certain to make the opening-night roster on a non-guaranteed contract. Locks to be cut by Denver are center Kurt Looby and guard Dontaye Draper, which gets them down to 14 players..
Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.
