Timberwolves point guard Terrell Brandon has said all the right things and has gone out of his way to avoid creating the slightest ripple of dissent since returning from knee surgery last weekend.

Brandon has praised Chauncey Billups for stepping in as the starter and helping the Wolves maneuver to the top of the Midwest Division. The Wolves are 14-4 under Billups' direction and displayed no ill effects when Brandon went on the injured list for 16 games.

That, Brandon said, is reason enough to keep Billups as the starter. Why mess with a winning formula?

But how long do the Wolves stick to this plan? How long can Brandon, the team's second-highest-paid player at roughly $10 million per season, continue to come off the bench?