http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_5468240 Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman started Randy Foye at point guard on Sunday. The move isn't an indication that Wittman has shifted his focus to the future. Wittman said he remains intent on winning now and trying to get into the playoffs. "If we don't make the playoffs, this hasn't been a success," Wittman said before his team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 109-102. Whether Foye, Troy Hudson or Mike James can lead them there is another issue. The position remains unstable, as Hudson's six starts showed. He had season highs of 26 points and eight assists in his first start, but he totaled just 26 points on 11-of-35 shooting in his next five starts combined. "I just tried to help the team the best I could," Hudson said, noting he pushed the tempo and provided leadership. James and Foye tried to help, too, in their first tries as starters. The problem is the Wolves haven't had anyone play well consistently. "I still haven't had anybody jump up and say this should be my job," Wittman said. The same can be said of the overall roster, with the exception of Kevin Garnett. Wittman said how long Foye stays in the starting lineup depends on his performance. That's an indication the Wolves haven't committed to rebuilding, and that they're still making a push to win now. Unless the Wolves can figure out a way to make their guard rotation work, they might have to consider making a move at the position this summer for the third consecutive year. James responded against the Lakers, scoring 18 points and dishing out a season-high 11 assists. Asked if he could force Wittman to put him back in the starting lineup if he continues to play like he did Sunday, James said: "I'm just going to work, and I'm just going to be professional for the time that I'm here." Kobe tales: Bryant's 50 points set his career high against the Wolves. He also became just the ninth player to have at least two 40-point games against the Wolves. Allen Iverson has done it three times. Shaquille O'Neal owns the scoring record by a Minnesota opponent. He had 53 points when he played for Orlando in April 1994. Briefly: Several of the Wolves' alma maters still are alive in the NCAA tournament. Southern Illinois (Hudson) plays top-seeded Kansas on Thursday in the West Region semifinals. In the West's other semifinal, Pittsburgh (Mark Blount) plays UCLA on Thursday. North Carolina (Rashad McCants) plays Southern California on Friday. Indiana, where Wittman and Bracey Wright attended college, lost to UCLA on Sunday. McCants continues to experience ups and downs in his return from knee surgery. He had season highs in points (12) and rebounds (six) on Tuesday against Indiana and then followed that with nine points and five rebounds against Golden State. He has made just 3 of 19 shots from three-point range since the all-star break. "You're not going to bounce back from this type of (microfracture) surgery right away," Wittman said. --

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