The Wolves entered Thursday with a 20-25 record and were 2½ games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Minnesota has lost five of seven games since (Ricky) Rubio got hurt. While there were strong rumors about acquiring Portland Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford, the Wolves didn’t replace Rubio by the trade deadline – much to (Kevin) Love’s chagrin.

Love credits Rubio for playing a major role in improving his scoring average by five points. Rubio will be a key figure in keeping Love happy in Minnesota.

“I never played with a pass-first point guard,” Love said. “He hits me rolling to the basket with easy buckets. The jump in my scoring has been from the work I’ve put in during the off-season. But a lot of it had to do with how he was setting me up on the court. He’s been great to play with and someone I want to continue to grow with.”

The Wolves have three talented young players to build around in Love, Rubio and (Derrick) Williams and a respected coach. Bolstering this roster will be a challenge since Minneapolis isn’t a hotbed for free agents due to its cold winters, lack of championships, old arena and average-sized media market. The biggest free agents signings in franchise history include Joe Smith, Terrell Brandon, Mike James and J.J. Barea. That isn’t saying much.

via Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports