Kevin Love posted a USA Olympic basketball team photo on Twitter in July and jokingly posed the question, "Who's the white dude????" Love also said in jest on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that he made Team USA because "they always need at least one token white guy."

Now, Love is getting those jokes in reverse as the star of the Minnesota Timberwolves, one of the whitest teams seen in the NBA in years. Kevin Love (AP)

"Most of the [Olympic] team was giving me a hard time about being the only white guy and it was really light," Love told Yahoo! Sports. "I'd throw it right back at them. Here on this team a lot of people have said we look like the old Boston Celtics teams or the old Minneapolis Lakers …

"Bill Russell said back in the day about the Boston Celtics that they could play two black players at home, three when they were away and five when they were behind. With this team, we can play four white guys when we are at home, three when we are away and one when we are behind. That's my little

Read More »from Kevin Love can joke about T'wolves' racial makeup up to a point

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups will make his season debut Wednesday night and is expected to start against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

Clippers guard Chauncey Billups tore his Achilles tendon on Feb. 6. (AP)Billups tore his left Achilles tendon in a Feb. 6 game at Orlando and missed the remainder of the 2011-12 season. He wasn't expected to return until December.

Billups, 36, isn't expected to be under a minutes restriction, but the Clippers do plan to bring him along slowly as he gets into stronger condition. Los Angeles has previously started Willie Green at shooting guard this season and has a logjam at the guard positions with Billups, Green, Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford and Eric Bledsoe. The Clippers are also still awaiting the debut of injured forward Grant Hill.

[Also: NBA Power Rankings: Grizzlies on top; Knicks take tumble]

Despite the lengthy recovery process, Billups quickly announced after the injury that he didn't plan to retire. The Clippers re-signed him to a one-year, $4 million

Read More »from Chauncey Billups to return against Timberwolves

Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are off to a flying start in Memphis this season. (EFE)The Memphis Grizzlies have clawed their way past the New York Knicks and other elite competition to take over the top spot in Yahoo! Sports' weekly NBA power rankings for the first time this season.

The Grizzlies, the only NBA team with just two losses, finish the month against the struggling Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons. The Grizzlies would have been No. 1 a week ago after a big win against New York, but ruined that jump by losing to the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 19.

New York dropped from the top spot to sixth after losing three of their past four. The Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are all nearby, keeping Memphis from getting comfortable at the top.

1. Memphis Grizzlies (10-2, previous ranking: third): Memphis was reminded about the high value of point guard Michael Conley. The Grizzlies beat the Kyrie Irving-less Cavaliers by a low margin, 84-78, without Conley on Monday. Rudy Gay is playing like an All-Star.

2. Miami Heat (10-3,

Read More »from NBA Power Rankings: Grizzlies take top spot

Andrew Bogut (Getty)Andrew Bogut is targeting a return to the Golden State Warriors' lineup next Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, a source tells Yahoo! Sports.

The injury-plagued center plans to practice on Monday and, barring a setback, is expected to be back on the court after a hiatus to rest his surgically repaired left ankle.

Bogut played in four of the Warriors' first five games of the season – averaging just over 18 minutes per game – before the coaching staff decided to give Bogut time off so he could strengthen his ankle.

In the four games he's played, Bogut averaged 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds.

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Read More »from Andrew Bogut hopes to return to Warriors' lineup on Dec. 1

HOUSTON – The weight of the "Linsanity" monster has been too heavy to bear for Jeremy Lin thus far as a Houston Rocket. But on Friday, Lin's teammates lessened the stress of it all for at least one night as Houston rolled to a 131-103 victory in Lin's first game against the New York Knicks since departing Manhattan for a big paycheck this past summer.

Lin was the Rockets' fourth-leading scorer Friday with 13 points and shot 50 percent from the field for just the second time in 13 games.

"Obviously, no one wants to play the way I started the season," Lin said. "But that is the reality of the situation. And now it's about forgetting about the past and moving forward."

Lin's memorable run last season with New York – a 12-game stretch before the All-Star break where he averaged 22.6 points and 8.7 assists – is hard to shake, especially since it helped land a three-year, $25 million deal with Houston. The unrealistic expectation for Lin is to play like that superstar he was with the

Read More »from Jeremy Lin got help from Rockets to tame 'Linsanity' beast and beat the Knicks

NEW ORLEANS – Even on the road, Spike Lee had a good to seat to watch his New York Knicks take on the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday. And it hasn't been hard for Lee to notice something different about Carmelo Anthony this season.

"Carmelo is just playing a complete game," Lee said. "Now for whatever reason that is, I don't want to get into it. I don't know. But there is a distinct difference in what he is doing now and when he first put on a Knick uniform."

Carmelo Anthony thinks this season could be his best chance to win a championship. (Getty Images)The difference: For a change, Anthony is playing defense. The Knicks are better for it, having won eight of their first nine games for the NBA's best record.

While no one has ever questioned Anthony's ability to score, his former coaches with the Denver Nuggets often wondered why he never showed the same willingness to defend as he did while playing for Team USA. This season, however, Anthony committed himself to becoming a better defender.

Lee thinks Anthony's improved defense is because of the time Anthony spent playing

Read More »from Carmelo Anthony's improved defense makes him legit MVP candidate

The New York Knicks like their perch atop the NBA, and they might stay there a while, thanks to their immediate schedule. The remainder of November is filled with dates with New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Detroit and Washington. The Knicks have only two more games this month against teams with winning records: Brooklyn and Milwaukee.

The Knicks owe credit to their best start in 18 years to Mike Woodson, whose demanding style has translated to Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith working harder on defense.

1. (7-1, previous ranking: first): Marcus Camby returned Sunday. That, along with the Knicks' fast start, should allow Amar'e Stoudemire to take more time to return from knee surgery.

2. Los Angeles Clippers (8-2, previous ranking: fifth): The Clippers have won six straight, including victories over Miami and San Antonio.

 

[Related: Can Clippers sacrifice egos and minutes?]

3. Memphis Grizzlies (8-2, previous ranking: sixth): Memphis was on verge of moving into the

Read More »from NBA Power Rankings: Clippers gain ground

The Los Angeles Clippers, winners of five straight, started the season hot largely because of their roster depth, but coach Vinny Del Negro might have trouble on his hands as his team regains its health when Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups return from injuries.

More bodies mean fewer minutes, and some Clippers have showed some displeasure about their current allotment. After sitting for an extended time after a fast start against the Miami Heat, Jamal Crawford received a pep talk from assistant coach Robert Pack about his reserve role in the middle of last Wednesday's game. Against Portland earlier this month, Blake Griffin had some choice words for Del Negro about sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter, according to a source. Even Chris Paul is lukewarm about playing 32 minutes a game, which would be a career low for him. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Clippers are off to a solid 7-2 start this season. (Reuters)

"I want to play," Paul said. "But it is fun sitting over there and watching those guys play. I like being a cheerleader at times. It is a long season."

Read More »from Can Clippers sacrifice egos and minutes?