The Nba

Getting the Point
Will Terrell Brandon and the post-Marbury Timberwolves tie the knot?

Stephon Marbury fled Minnesota for New Jersey a month ago, yet his shadow still falls halfway across the country over the Timberwolves' efforts to rebuild. You can't scrap one blueprint and then draw up a new one overnight.

When Minnesota constructed its offense, it was designed around Marbury, a penetrating point guard who dominates the ball, plays with reckless abandon and wants—or even demands—the final shot. But now the point guard is Terrell Brandon, and he's trying to run a team built to showcase Marbury's talents, not his. Brandon, who came from Milwaukee in the three-way deal that sent Marbury closer to his beloved Coney Island, is not a slasher; he relies on a sweet midrange jump shot. He's not an ankle breaker; he likes to work the pick-and-roll, a two-man game Marbury has little interest in. "It's hard," Brandon admits. "I'm still trying to get adjusted to my teammates. And I can feel them looking at me as well."

The lack of familiarity was evident in his first couple of weeks—the Timberwolves lost four straight after the trade—although it would be unfair to blame that solely on the new guy. "The biggest problem was that our entire backcourt was demolished," says Minnesota general manager and coach Flip Saunders. "We traded Stephon, and at the same time we lost [Anthony] Peeler and [Malik] Sealy to injuries. So not only was there no practice time to help Terrell get acclimated, there wasn't anyone in the backcourt who had been there and could help him."

Brandon is nevertheless adapting to his new team. He capped off a strong week with a career-high 16 assists in a win over Sacramento last Saturday, the Timberwolves' fifth victory in six games. Each time he and star forward Kevin Garnett take the court together, they learn something new about each other, and with Sealy (sprained left ankle and right thumb) due back this week and Peeler (strained left calf) expected to return shortly thereafter, Minnesota is looking to make a run in the playoffs.

The Bucks were willing to trade Brandon because he will become a free agent after this season. Brandon never told the Bucks he wouldn't re-sign; he simply wanted to keep his options open. New Milwaukee coach George Karl, however, was determined to establish stability. "I felt it was going to be a distraction, and why should I start out without a committed team?" Karl says. "Ray [Allen] had committed to us. Glenn [Robinson] had committed. And now we have Sam [Cassell], who will be here for a while."

If Brandon signs with the Timberwolves, the team will undoubtedly bring in personnel that complement his strengths. That's an attractive scenario for a player who has suited up for four coaches ( Saunders, Karl, Ford and Mike Fratello) in the past three seasons, but Brandon plays on without tipping his hand. Minnesota, meanwhile, is also keeping its point options open. The courtship is going nicely, but neither side is quite ready to commit.

The Hornets Sale
Will Michael Beat Out BET?

The news that Charlotte owner George Shinn was negotiating a 50-50 ownership deal with Michael Jordan surfaced on March 27, but Shinn decided in mid-February that he needed a partner in order to hang on to his faltering franchise. That, team and league sources say, is when he paid a visit to commissioner David Stern to ask for help finding someone wealthy and charismatic enough to inject new life into the Hornets.

Stern had an immediate, and emphatic, suggestion: Michael Jordan. Stern arranged a mid-March meeting between Jordan and Shinn, whose popularity has plummeted in Charlotte because of his penny-pinching management style—which has led to the departure of many of the Hornets' best players as well as respected coach Dave Cowens—and allegations by a local woman who is suing him for assault and false imprisonment. (Shinn denies the allegations and has filed a countersuit.) The owner also recently went through a divorce and could probably use an infusion of capital as well as a little positive p.r.