Banks remains a Wolves starter
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/14071586.htm
SEATTLE — Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey remains committed to developing
Marcus Banks, which means keeping him in the starting lineup.
Casey said he's pleased that Banks is playing well offensively and that
there's room for former starter Marko Jaric in the rotation as well.
Jaric headed into Friday night's game against the Seattle SuperSonics
with momentum. He was coming off his best game in more than a month with
20 points, four rebounds and four steals in 32 minutes during a 96-93 loss
Wednesday to the Utah Jazz. Minnesota outscored the Jazz by 10 points with
Jaric in the game.
It was his fifth 20-point scoring performance of what has been a
disappointing season for Jaric. Before the Utah game, he had totaled
just 18 points in his past eight games.
But he also played well March 1 in a 100-90 win over New Jersey,
with the Wolves outscoring the Nets by 21 points in Jaric's 25 minutes.
Jaric was demoted after Minnesota's worst loss of the season,
a 32-point defeat at Golden State. Knee tendinitis kept him out
of three games after that.
Banks has played well offensively, averaging 13.6 points and
4.2 points in the past five games to begin Friday. He has struggled
running the offense, but the Wolves believe he needs experience to
improve his playmaking skills.
"Right now, Marcus is our point guard," Wolves coach Dwane Casey said.
"Marko continues to work. I think that competition makes your team
better. Right now, Marcus is doing a good job and has done nothing
wrong to lose his position."
Jaric will have the opportunity to improve in his reserve role.
"There's a place for a guy like Marko coming off the bench behind
Marcus," Casey said.
Carter pleads not guilty: Wolves point guard Anthony Carter on
Friday pleaded not guilty to a fourth-degree charge of drunken
driving. Carter waived his appearance and had his attorney,
Emanuel Serstock, enter the plea on his behalf at a court appearance.
Carter was in Seattle with the team for Friday's game.
A pretrial hearing is set for April 27, after the Wolves' last
regular-season game, April 19. If the case is not settled at pretrial,
a trial is set for May 3.
Carter, 30, was arrested in Minneapolis at 12:20 a.m. March 3 after
failing two field sobriety tests and another such test later, police
said. Carter's breath test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.17 percent,
according to the charge, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Clouded future: The long-term fate of the Sonics remains unclear as
the team continues to seek financing to improve KeyArena. There's a
possibility the Sonics could leave Seattle. They sought $220 million
for renovation of the arena but were turned down, with the governor
encouraging the team to make another proposal in January.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has called the team's lease agreement
the least competitive in the league.
"They're having issues with the arena and the lease agreement,"
said Casey, who spent 11 years as a Sonics assistant. "I think it's
just part of the business of the NBA. I know the fans here are great
fans. They deserve a nice venue. I know the Sonics have done a lot for
this city as far as humanitarian things, building houses, community
relations, the stuff they do in schools, because I've been a part of it.
It's not just about basketball."
Briefly: Banks was expected to play Friday night despite a sore right
big toe.
‧ From a logistical standpoint, this might be the toughest set of
back-to-back games the Wolves will play this season. They were scheduled
to take a 2?-hour flight to Phoenix after Friday night's game.
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