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A vast majority of the limited attention the Minnesota Timberwolves receive focuses on Kevin Love, followed closely by Michael Beasley. Even Darko Milicic gets well-deserved attention this year, as he is in the midst of the best season of his career. Yet, there is another player on Minnesota’s roster having a fine season, but only receives attention when he makes a mistake.

That would be Luke Ridnour, who is averaging a career-high in points per game (11.5, matching 2005-06) to go along with his 5.7 assists. An unspoken aspect helping players such as Love and Beasley have their great seasons is Ridnour’s ability to spread the floor and give them the room they need by shooting the three-pointer at yet another career-high 43%, ranking 10th in the NBA in that category.

"It’s just getting older in my career and not worrying about little things," Ridnour told HOOPSWORLD. "You’re going to have games where you don’t hit shots, but as long as you’re taking the ones you know you can make and their good shots, you’re going to make them. I think it’s a confidence thing and continuing to play, not letting the other things in the game contribute to makes or missed shots."

In the current golden era of point guards in the NBA, Ridnour stands out only because he doesn’t stand out. He quietly goes about his game, taking what the offense gives him and running his team as best as he can, even with Jonny Flynn on the roster and the Timberwolves holding the rights to Ricky Rubio. While other point guards put up huge numbers on a regular basis and are NBA stars, Ridnour knows who he is and understands if things go according to his team’s plan, he won’t be a starter for long. He also is mature enough to understand that doesn’t mean his value to the team doesn’t remain high both this season and into the future.

"For some reason, this is the place where the door opened wide enough and I thought this is where I’m supposed to be for this time," said Ridnour. "That’s why I’m here. I believe I can help this team get better and try to win games. I knew it was a young team, trying to find themselves and I’ve been in situations with losing teams that have turned it around and made the playoffs. I’m just trying to bring the knowledge I have from being around and I felt this was a good place to try to do that."

After a season in Milwaukee where he helped then-rookie Brandon Jennings adjust to the NBA, Ridnour has the opportunity in Minnesota to help second-year Jonny Flynn re-adjust. The return to action after hip surgery has had its ups and downs for Flynn, but Ridnour is there to help his young teammate keep his head up during the rough times. After all, at 29 years of age, Ridnour is the Timberwolves’ elder statesman.

"What he’s going through is a tough situation because he’s trying to get healthy, but at the same time he’s coming back and trying to play a position that’s very hard to learn in the NBA," said Ridnour. "I think he’s done a great job of just continuing to work and staying positive. He has tons of talent, you can tell that, and I just think he’s going to get better and better. I’ve just tried to tell him that I’ve been through some of the things he’s going through right now. He’s just going to continue to get better and better."

While some are only able to remember the unlucky moments for Ridnour on the court, wishing he were the much-discussed Ricky Rubio, his teammate Jonny Flynn appreciates Ridnour both on and off the court.

"I think one thing that Luke does that, not only me but a lot of people can take from, is that he just goes out there and plays the game," Flynn said. "He doesn’t have a certain mindset of ‘I’m going to go out there and get this many assists’ or ‘I’m going to score this many points today.’ He’s going out there and getting whatever that play gives him, whether that’s a jumpshot, whether that’s a slip-pass to Darko (Milicic) or whether it’s a pop to Kevin Love. He goes out there and plays every possession on a clean slate and you don’t see that a lot. Just to have Luke here and to see the success that he’s had, I’m definitely going to go out there and not think too much. I’m just going to go out there and play basketball like I’ve been doing since I was young.

"You always pick up from a guy like Luke, a guy that’s steady. He’s a guy that doesn’t say too much, but when he speaks everybody is tuning in, everybody is looking to him. I picked up a lot of things, both on and off the court like how to handle situations off the court and basketball-wise, there are little things that he does so well that makes his team go. With a guy like Luke, you can learn many things and not just about basketball. You can learn about life."

Ridnour is unassuming both on and off the court, but his steady play surprised many of his young teammates. However, those who have been around for more than a season or two knew what to expect from the eighth-year point guard from Oregon.

{AUTHOR_BOX}"He’s a quiet guy and he speaks when he needs to, but there are two different kinds of leaders," Martell Webster said. "There are the ones that are vocal and there are the ones who lead by example. He’s one who leads by example. When the time is needed for someone to speak up, he or I will do it. It’s not overkill when it comes to being vocal and he’s been doing a great job. I’ve known Luke since my high school days and have grown up watching him play. He’s been doing the same thing since he got in the NBA, but he’s just gotten a lot better at it."

David Kahn states the Timberwolves are still looking for leaders. While Ridnour didn’t come into the mix expecting to claim that title, his teammates do look up to him. As a whole, he is a steady, dependable presence on the court and his value as an example of being a professional off the court very well may be more important to the team this season and in the future. As any true leader is able to do, Ridnour knows that he can always strive for better things in his role, constantly evaluating himself for the betterment of his team.

"I can definitely continue to get better and more vocal with these guys, telling them what to do," said Ridnour. "Sometimes it’s hard because you can’t control everything out there. You have to just do what you can do, lead by example and let guys see you playing hard and that playing hard is just as important as putting the ball in the hole. I’m going to continue to get better and try to be vocal with these guys. As an older guy, I’ll let them know the experiences that I’ve gone through that can help us."

A leader must also be blatantly honest, never sugar-coating anything for a young team.

"In the NBA, you can’t use excuses," said Ridnour. "There have been times where we have lapses for whatever reason in stretches of the game and that ends up costing you at the end of the game. Our defense hasn’t been good enough to win a lot of games and that’s something that we really have to get better at. We’ve been in every game. There’s only been a few where we were really blown out and that happens to everybody. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to win games as a young team, putting teams away when you have leads and little things like that.

"It’s been a process of having a whole bunch of new guys coming together and trying to figure out a new offense and new everything. It’s been good, it’s been a challenge, but it’s been something that’s been fun to see our team get better even though the wins haven’t come yet. I think I’ve seen our team get better and better. Everyone is working real hard, everyone is competing in practices and everyone here wants to win. That’s where it starts, that desire to win. We just have to put it together and find a way to get wins."

Simply put, the Timberwolves have a long way to go. They believe they have two of the most important pieces in place for future success in Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. If they don’t already, the team would be better off acknowledging Ridnour as another piece for their future success as the eventual backup point guard, whether to Ricky Rubio or someone else.