When San Antonio's Terry Porter dived for a loose ball and rolled onto the back of Timberwolves guard Chauncey Billups' right ankle Saturday night, one uneasy, incongruous thought passed through the minds of some Wolves watchers:

Why doesn't the team's newest player spell his first name with a "k" instead of a "c"?

Huh? Bear with us: Marc Jackson is the big guy acquired Thursday at the trading deadline. Mark Jackson is the aging, well-traveled point guard again playing for the New York Knicks. The former is a beefy addition to the Wolves front line who showed his value immediately in the 112-88 victory over the Spurs on Saturday. But the latter is the sort of insurance policy the Wolves seem to need at that most vital position, trigger man of their potent offense.

Face it, with starter Terrell Brandon (knee surgery) out for the season, with Billups historically vulnerable to injuries and slumps and with the postseason rapidly approaching, how comforting is it to know that the two current backups have, between them, only one NBA start at point guard?