Die Planung » ent of basketball operations Flip Saunders

MINNEAPOLIS -- In a rare season of losing in Los Angeles, discombobulated Lakers fans have taken to dreaming about Kevin Love in purple and gold. They see him as the saviour, the young star they need to carry the franchise forward and help Kobe Bryant restore the teams pride. Is it a pipe dream or a real possibility? Its unlikely anyone will know until 2015, when Love can become a free agent and the Lakers will have money to throw at him. In the meantime, Love gave those suffering Lakers fans another performance to drool over. Love had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double and the Minnesota Timberwolves set a franchise record for points with a 143-107 victory over the Lakers on Friday night. "Everybody wants someone like that," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said before the game. "When youre talking about one of the best players in the league, yeah that makes sense." Nikola Pekovic scored 26 points on 9-for-10 shooting in his first game back from an ankle injury and Love hit three of five 3-pointers in just three quarters of work. Kevin Martin scored 17 points for the Wolves, who led by 19 points in the first quarter, 37 in the second and 40 in the third. Steve Nash made a surprise appearance for the Lakers, picking up four points and six assists in 14 minutes of just his 12th game of the season. It was about the only notable development for the Lakers, who lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, then allowed the Timberwolves to shoot 67.1 per cent, the highest any team in the league has shot in a game this season. "Terrible right now, man," Lakers guard Nick Young said. "Its a bad feeling." Love put on a clinic during a masterful first quarter, scoring 15 points, hitting two of three 3-pointers, grabbing five rebounds and dishing four assists. He threw one of his trademark 60-foot outlet passes to Kevin Martin for a layup, threw down a dunk, hit a 3 and finished a fast break during a 20-3 run that gave Minnesota a 26-7 lead. He grabbed his 10th rebound of the game just before the third-quarter buzzer, and his teammates leaped off the bench and cheered his achievement. "Even with the team they have now, its still nice to be a team thats been a heavyweight for a very long time," Love said of the Lakers. It was the quintessential Love performance -- versatile and punishing from inside and out, unselfish and relentless. And it is everything the Lakers are missing right now. Kobe Bryant has missed most of the season with injuries, Nash is on his last legs and the Lakers are desperate for a star to carry them forward when Bryant, who will start a new two-year contract next season, decides to retire. Love went to UCLA and his father, Stan, played for the Lakers in the 1970s. Love can opt out of his contract after next season, at which point the Lakers will have enough cap room to sign him to a maximum contract. The Timberwolves remain confident that they will be able to do enough this off-season to upgrade the roster to convince Love, who has not been to the playoffs in his six seasons, to stay. President of basketball operations Flip Saunders has told teams calling about trading for Love to not even bother asking. The Wolves can also pay him about $26.5 million more than any other team. "My parents lived there and they had me there, so its not my fault," Love said of the fascination with him in Los Angeles. "I dont really care about that right now. I just go out there and play and dont really worry about it." DAntoni coached Love with Team USA, so hes well versed in his abilities. "He was a big piece in what we were doing and obviously hes a big piece here," DAntoni said. "Guys a good player. Wherever he goes, hes going to be good." NOTES: Kent Bazemore scored 21 points and Jodie Meeks scored 19 for the Lakers. ... The Timberwolves topped 40 points in the first quarter for the fifth time this season. ... Xavier Henry sat out for the Lakers with a sore knee. ... Timberwolves PG Ricky Rubio had 10 points, six assists, six rebounds and one steal, which tied Tyrone Corbins franchise for steals in a season with 175. Wholesale Adidas Stan Smith . Garcia had eight birdies overall to go with a lone bogey on the fourth to move to an 18-under total of 198 at the Asian Tour event. "I was able to hit some really nice shots and then was able to roll two or three really good putts in and it was nice to be able to finish birdie, birdie on this difficult finishing stretch," Garcia said. Adidas Stan Smith Sale . Its a blessing and a burden for nine sons of former NHL players who are all expected to be taken in the first four rounds of the draft this weekend. http://www.cheapstansmithuk.com/.com) - Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist both scored in the shootout as the Detroit Red Wings denied the Minnesota Wilds comeback bid with a 5-4 win on Tuesday. Adidas Stan Smith Wholesale Uk . Jim Leyland, in his eighth playoffs, has never had a starting rotation he trusts as much as the grouping of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. Cheap Adidas Stan Smith . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91.Joffrey Lupul looks ready to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The winger practiced on a regular line with Peter Holland and Nikolai Kulemin Tuesday and appears ready to make his return afterr missing the last seven games with a groin tear.dddddddddddd The Leafs play the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. Lupul has eight goals and 15 points in 22 games this season. ' ' '