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Love makes debut as front-court heavy Timberwolves host Kings

Oct 29, 2008 - 10:16 AM Sacramento at Minnesota 8:00 pm. EDT

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Rookie Kevin Love makes his debut on Wednesday when the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Sacramento Kings in the season opener for both teams.

The Timberwolves already had a formidable inside game, with All-Star Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Craig Smith anchoring the front court. Jefferson, who was acquired in the deal that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston, finished third in the league with 55 double-doubles last season.

Now, the Timberwolves should be even more dangerous with the addition of Love, who helped lead UCLA to the Final Four in his only season in college. The Timberwolves acquired Love - the fifth overall pick - from Memphis for guard O.J. Mayo.

The 6-10, 271-pounder will add an extra dimension to Minnesota's offense, as he is an excellent rebounder with an uncanny ability to start fast breaks by firing point-point accurate outlet passes.

He makes his debut against the Kings, who went 38-44 under first-year head coach Reggie Theus last season and traded away their two biggest stars. Sacramento traded point guard Mike Bibby to Atlanta prior to the trade deadline, and sent enigmatic forward Ron Artest to Houston in the offseason.

The Kings will lean on guard Kevin Martin, who is coming off a breakout season, to carry the load. Martin was sixth in the league with an average of 23.7 points last season. Martin averaged 33.0 points against the Timberwolves in 2007-08, but Sacramento lost two of the three contests.