Minnesota Timberwolves Lose Ridnour, Look to Start Malcolm Lee

The rough stretch for the Minnesota Timberwolves continues down an even bumpier road.

After Monday's 116-108 loss to Sacramento, the T'wolves lost more than another game in the standings; the team lost starting point guard Luke Ridnour, who sprained his ankle late in the third quarter.

All season long, injuries have plagued the team, throwing question marks at the rotation.  In the beginning of the year, J.J. Berea dealt with injuries he is still sorting out.   Nikola Pekovic has had his share of missed time, and even Michael Beasley remains sidelined by injuries. 

Nothing came as a bigger blow to the Timberwolves than their loss of star rookie sensation Ricky Rubio. He exited the season after tearing his ACL against the Lakers.   

After Ridnour's injury, the Wolves are currently stuck with one point guard, Malcolm Lee. The rookie from UCLA will have his chance to shine and lead the T'Wolves' offense.  Malcolm Lee proved in college his worthiness and capacity to compete at the NBA level and now Timberwolves fans will finally see Lee garner some more playing time.  Currently Malcolm Lee only averages 2.1 points per game and 1.1 assists per game.

One positive for Minnesota surrounds the hopes to have J.J. Berea return to the lineup for Wednesday's game against Golden State Warriors.  The Timberwolves need to lock it up and play strong during this tough stretch of games.  Each game is crucial in obtaining a playoff spot.  Without Ridnour in the lineup, another scoring threat rests on the bench.  Hopefully Ridnour’s ankle injury will heal soon as Malcolm Lee and J.J. Berea split time leading the offense.