Joe Smith, a few minutes behind some teammates in his postgame routine the other night, got back from the shower in Salt Lake City to find Marc Jackson standing fully dressed, talking to reporters, at the adjacent cubicle.

Smith took one look at Jackson, then said: "Could you leave, please, so I can get dressed?"

Jackson, decked out in a bulky, off-white, ribbed turtleneck sweater and dark blue jeans, glanced over and saw Smith's smile. Then he saw, hanging in Smith's stall, a bulky, off-white, ribbed turtleneck sweater and dark blue jeans.

Hilarity ensued.

"Man, I know we're a team, but . . .," guard Chauncey Billups said. "That's got to be a fine."

Pardon Smith if he's feeling a little crowded or copied these days. With Jackson's arrival two weeks ago and Gary Trent's return from an injury layoff, the Timberwolves' power forward position that belonged to Smith since training camp has turned into a time-share.

Smith still is the starter. But lately, it has been more of a titular thing. At Portland on Wednesday, the lanky seven-year veteran played 19 minutes, scored five points on 2-for-6 shooting and had three fouls and no rebounds. Trent, in 28 minutes, scored 16 points with six rebounds, and Jackson, in 21 minutes, got seven points and four rebounds.