Troy Hudson indicated on Wednesday night that he would like to remain with the Timberwolves, a day after his agent expressed his desire to be traded.

"I'm coming off an injury," Hudson said after the Wolves' shootaround at Madison Square Garden. "It would feel better just to have support from the inside, knowing that [I am] out there, playing injured, on one leg. That they would support a person like that, more than [saying] 'A guy goes around him.' Or 'This guy's not giving his all.' Or 'How could this guy drive past him? How could he not make that shot or turn the ball over?'

"It seems like the confidence level [in me] is not there. It's like, 'OK, he's not the old Troy. So he can't really help us.' That's how it feels."

Hudson sat on the Minnesota bench the entire night.

Troy Hudson has been recently singled out by the Minnesota braintrust as a player to be critical of.

Hudson's agent said he felt his client was being made a scapegoat for the team's slow start and that his playing time was being cut just as his ankle was close to being completely healed. Neff added that the team hasn't communicated with Hudson the way Saunders and McHale said they had.

"If they're going to continue to pick on him, they should trade him," Neff said. "They need him. They may not think they do, but they do. And if they don't think they need him, they should trade him."

Hudson, whose 2003-04 season was cut short because of an ankle injury that eventually required surgery, signed a six-year deal worth up to $37 million, with the first four seasons guaranteed.

Lebron James scored 26 points with 12 assists and six rebounds, leading the Cavs to a 107-97 victory over the Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

With the loss, Minneosta fells to 0-5 against Central Division foes this season.

Kevin Garnett was impressed with the development of James.

"He's a lot more aggressive this year," Garnett said. "He understands the game a lot more. He's picking and choosing when to attack. His jump shot is 100 percent better. He's totally confident -- you can see that."

According to the Pioneer Press, the Timberwolves and New Jersey Nets are having discussions centering on Nets point guard Jason Kidd.

The latest twist is that the Wolves point guard Troy Hudson has entered into talks. There is one major holdup, however ? Wolves owner Glen Taylor doesn't favor a deal.

Latrell Sprewell can now join Kobe Bryant on Karl Malone's list of players that he doesn't like.

According to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Malone does not care for Sprewell and thus would not want to play for the Timberwolves.

Wally Szczerbiak scored a season-high 28 points Tuesday night to help lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 100-89 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.  In doing so, Mr. Szczerbiak reached 5000 points for his career.

"I've been here six years and have made a home here, so I am really happy about accomplishing things like that," Szczerbiak said. "But, it's in the past now and I have to strive for new milestones.

Tim Duncan overtook his fellow Texan, Dirk Nowitzki for the number two position on RealGM's Player Rankings.  He is now averaging 23.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and a stellar 3.3 blocks per game.

Once again Kevin Garnett is ranked number 1, with a commanding lead.

Nowitzki dropped one position to number 3, despite leading the league in scoring, with a 27.4 points per game average.

Second-year players Lebron James and Dwayne Wade round out the top 5.

It is an unwritten rule in the NBA that if the game is out of reach you dribble out the clock.  Someone forgot to tell Bulls rookie Ben Gordon, who shot and made a basket with 1.6 seconds remaining in a nine point game, to the anger of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"I didn't even know how many (points) I had at the time," Gordon said. "My initial intention was to just dribble it out. But I saw the basket and my eyes lit up.

"The older guys and a couple of the assistant coaches told me in a game like that, you just dribble it out. I was just out there playing to the end, I guess."

The Timberwolves took note of Gordon's late basket and may file it away until the teams play at Minnesota on Feb. 13.

"That was b.s.," Minnesota star Kevin Garnett said. "If he was going to the basket, it would have been different. That was b.s. They seemed to be excited because they won the game, but that was still b.s. That's OK, we'll play them again."

According to Sportsline.com staff writers, if Karl Malone decides to come out of retirement and play this season, expect the Miami Heat to give him a call.

Shaquille O?Neal has said he will use his ?powers of persuasion? to lure Malone to Miami. Dwight Manley, Karl?s agent, has already had a discussion with the Heat.

Though the Heat are not the only suitors for the Malone?s services. A number of teams would love to add the Mailman to their roster for a playoff push. Those teams include the Minnesota T-Wolves, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs.

Kevin Garnett scored a season-high 35 points with 18 rebounds and nine assists, and the Minnesota Timberwolves came from behind to defeat the Sacramento Kings 113-105 Friday night.

"The luxury of this team is that I'm like Peyton Manning," Garnett said. "My job is to get everybody touches. Granted, I make the game easier for a lot of people."

"We had 'em," Chris Webber said, after scoring 25 points. "Their energy went up and we didn't keep our groove. And when they're feeding off their crowd, you know they're going to try to make a run."

"They do so much cutting and freelancing," Garnett said. "Sac is about as close as it gets to playground basketball."