Al Jefferson may have been out for three weeks with surgery on his right knee’s torn ligament but things are looking different on his return. Not only is Jefferson happier on the whole, he is lighter and confident that he will have a fantastic return to the courts.
The injury had been quite traumatic for the Minnesota Timberwolves man and the majority of the brunt was borne by his television set in his Minneapolis home.”I’m replacing a TV in my house right now, as we speak, because I threw things at the TV because I’d be so upset,” Jefferson said when meeting the press for his first public comments since his injury against New Orleans on the 8th of February. “Sometimes it’s a bad call with the ref or anything. So I’ve got to control my emotion on that point.”
The size 18 shoe can be quite hazardous especially when aimed at the picture tube of a television set.
“I had to replace that TV anyway,” Jefferson said with a shrug.
Things haven’t been easy for the Timberwolves either as they have struggled to find a replacement for Jefferson. During his time on court, Jefferson had a 23.1 points per game average as well as 11 rebounds before falling in the final minute of the game against the New Orleans Hornets.
The Timberwolves are on a losing streak with 10 straight loses heading into the game against the Memphis Grizzlies and without Jefferson, have a dismal 1-12 win-loss record.
“I felt like I just let myself down and let my team down,” Jefferson said. “I know it was a freak accident, but I can’t stand that they’re playing without me and I can’t be there to support them and be the backbone for them.”
Jefferson came to the Wolves as the main attraction in a seven-player package that came from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Kevin Garnett. Jefferson was proving to be the main source of power for the Timberwolves and got them a 10-2 start in the new year.
“The thing that we’ve struggled with as a team since Al’s gone out is really just how we’re going to play, the style,” coach Kevin McHale said. “We try to play with a little pace, but then with the pace we’re turning it over. We try to slow it down, then we don’t score very much.
“We’re right now still in a phase where we’ve still got a lot of questions and not as many answers as you’d like.”
The season is over for the Timberwolves after their 18-45 win-loss record and looking ahead to the next season, Jefferson would be ready. “There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be ready when the season starts,” he said.”I’m just going to take advantage of this time,” he said. “I want to come back and be better than ever when I come back. And now I’ve got the time to do it.”
Jefferson is glued to the TV set and has made an effort to watch as much basketball as possible. Watching the game from outside the court has helped him develop a better understanding of the game. “I’m learning a lot of stuff,” Jefferson said. “When Kevin McHale use to get on me in the film room sometimes, now I’m seeing what he’s talking about.”
Jefferson is in the initial stages of the rehabilitation process and his coach, Kevin Mchale, knows that the problem will be on the mental side of returning to action, not the physical. “Al’s still a young guy. He’ll bounce back and he’ll be fine,” McHale said. “It’s just going to be a long road between now and next October or November when he gets back to really being able to play. The rehab is just a long process.”