http://www.startribune.com/511/story/1106973.html A lot of what happened in Saturday's 96-94 loss to the Hornets at Target Center looked very familiar. Ball movement, for example. For the umpteenth time this year the Wolves shared like a co-op for the first half, getting 17 assists on 24 baskets. Only to go into a solo act in the second. "We diverted, like we always do," said Kevin Garnett, who didn't get his 10th point until seconds remained in the game. "Same old, same old." Or rebounding; the Wolves allowed the Hornets to grab 17 offensive rebounds and score 23 second-chance points. Free throws? The Wolves shot 14, the Hornets 38, another big reason why the Wolves lost for the fourth consecutive time at home despite holding their opponents to 33 percent shooting. "We're a jump-shooting team," Wolves coach Randy Wittman said. "When we don't have motion, it's all jump shots. And you're not going to foul many jump shooters." But there was something new. Wittman and the Wolves have clearly made a decision that it behooves the team to be playing the young players a lot down the stretch. Rookies Randy Foye and Craig Smith and second-year player Rashad McCants have been playing bigger minutes, and have been playing a lot together. There is little question that it is the best thing for the franchise's future. But what does that mean for the present? Some thrilling highlights and some frustrating mistakes. For example, the good: Smith, Foye and McCants were on the court, together, a lot, in a victory Friday in New York. They were part of a big first-half run and they came up big in the fourth quarter as well. Saturday? In an impressive second quarter Foye and McCants combined for 24 points. But there is still a learning curve. And that could be seen Saturday. After an outstanding second quarter, for example, Foye came back into the lineup late in the third and made consecutive turnovers that jump-started a Hornets rally. In the fourth, more of the same, with the result being a 37-point second half. Foye missed all three fourth-quarter shots and turned the ball over two more times. Still, Wittman stayed with the youngsters. He even waited until there was just 5 minutes and 42 seconds left in the game before reinserting Garnett. "Those guys have to start learning, in tough times, to play," Wittman explained. "They're going to play together down the road, as the years go on, hopefully," Wittman said. "That's how you build a foundation to a winning team. You get guys who stay together and ... have a good chemistry together." This despite a bit of a breakdown Friday. The Wolves shot 5-for-20 in the fourth quarter, but were still in it late. Down seven with 28.7 seconds left, the Wolves pulled within one on Garnett's three-pointer, but could get no closer; Smith's three-pointer from midcourt just missed at the buzzer. Focusing in FSN decided to focus on Garnett, using a camera to follow his every move, even when he was on the bench. That view was superimposed over the game coverage. Garnett didn't know about it until after the game. Might not have been the best time for it -- Garnett's streak of scoring 10 or more points almost ended, and he only played 31 minutes. Garnett, Part II Garnett was asked after the game about what he thought his legacy would be as a player. He isn't looking back, not yet. "I dunno, I haven't even assessed it, man," he said. "People always appreciate that I give 110 percent and I leave it out there on the floor and I do play with a lot of passion." When it was suggested that the minutes he'd played made him a relatively old 30-year-old, Garnett disagreed. Seasoned, he said, was a better word. Staff writer Steve Aschburner contributed to this report. --

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