If there is an art to taking a fall, Timberwolves forward Joe Smith is quietly becoming the basketball version of Monet.
At least once in every game this season, Smith has stepped in front of a charging opponent and kept his feet in place, his body still, his arms crossed over his lower midsection and his eyes wide open until boom! the players make contact, then bam! Smith's 6-foot-10, 225-pound frame hits the floor. Hard.

The action is nothing new. Smith has taken pride in taking charges since high school, when his coach made drills out of planting feet and bruising butts.

But Smith's skill has been renewed for the Wolves (8-1), who last season missed his passion for taking a pounding.

"There's no question he leads the league in charges (taken),'' Wolves coach Flip Saunders said. "If there's a pile on the floor, and it's all under the basket, 32 is going to be lying at the bottom of it. It's one of those little things that get you extra possessions in a game and that make a difference.''