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His left foot propped on an exercise bike and a can of Gatorade in his right hand, Mark Madsen watched as Timberwolves assistant coach Randy Wittman's son, Ryan, gave Kevin Garnett two pump-fakes before going underneath the 7-footer for a layup.
The move brought "oohs and aahs" from the players and had Garnett
running off laughing.
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"That's something, to have Kevin, the leader of this team, but yet he's a real person," Madsen said. "That's one of the big things that made me want to come, Kevin Garnett." Ticketmaster
Less than two weeks ago Garnett sat in a chair at St. John's University in Collegeville,
Minn., cutting the tape from an ankle, and talked about Madsen.
"He's a guy who gets after it on the court, plays with a passion. I like
that," Garnett said.
Madsen, who signed with the Wolves as a free agent, won't have fans expecting
a spectacular spin move for a dunk or a drop-step that leaves the defender staggering.
Instead, the fans will be cheering as Madsen flies over the scorer's table or
knocks a bucket of popcorn out of the hand of a fan in the first row.
Madsen, or "Mad Dog" as he's known around the NBA, doesn't always
play artistic basketball, but the Wolves like his style.
"In high school, my coach was a believer that when you step on the court,
you have to play hard," said Madsen, a 6-foot-9 forward/center.
That was Madsen's style for three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Hard.
Fast. Physical. And sometimes out of control.
Although his numbers didn't show it (2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds a game), Madsen
became a better player while learning from Robert Horry, Brian Shaw, Kobe Bryant
and Shaquille O'Neal.
"Those were the guys who helped me understand what it takes in this league,"
Madsen said. "They really helped me grow a lot as a player."
Madsen originally thought he would return to the Lakers, but that changed when
they signed future hall of famers Gary Payton and Karl Malone. After weeding
through his options, Madsen narrowed his list down to the Wolves and the Dallas
Mavericks. Madsen traded in his flip-flops for winter boots after several long
conversations with Wolves owner Glen Taylor, general manager Kevin McHale and
coach Flip Saunders. Ticketmaster
"It got to the point that the decision was very, very easy, and I was so
fired up to come," Madsen said. "On this team, I can tell it's going
to be an environment where guys are going to help each other."
Madsen is expected to be in the Wolves' eight-player rotation this season, but
his role has yet to be determined.
It doesn't matter when or how much he plays; Madsen knows how he's going to
play.
"The common denominator on the court is playing hard," he said. "Off
the court I think I'm the opposite of that. Maybe the court is a release for
me." Ticketmaster
Briefly: For the first time this exhibition season, the Wolves had all their
players go through dry-run drills in practice Thursday. Saunders said guard
Latrell Sprewell (Achilles' tendon) likely won't play today against Indiana.