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Source: Pioneer Press, St.儲存 Paul, Minn.Oct. 04--MANKATO, Minn. -- At the end of Timberwolves' practice Thursday, owner Glen Taylor ambled over to Shabazz Muhammad and initiated a conversation that lasted nearly six minutes.Such is the importance the Wolves are placing on the rookie swingman who averaged nearly 18 points a game in one season with UCLA but whose first impression as a pro was being unceremoniously sent home from the NBA's rookie transition camp in New Jersey last August."Glen has talked to him a lot when he sees him, and I think that's been very much a positive," said Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders, who used the 14th overall pick to select Muhammad in the June NBA draft.Muhammad, 20, was fined an undisclosed amount for breaking a camp rule about having a female guest in his hotel room. He moved fast to convince the Wolves they didn't get the wrong guy, writing Taylor and Saunders a letter of apology.It opened doors for what appears to be a relaxed relationship between Muhammad and Taylor, whose name is on the building the Wolves are using for training camp this week at Minnesota State Mankato. This is Taylor's hometown, and he invites players and staff to his home each fall as part of an effort to engender a family atmosphere in and around the team.But Muhammad is getting focused attention."He did take me under his wing, and I really appreciate it," Muhammad said. "This is a great organization, and just the owner being around, you don't see that with most organizations. Obviously, he's been talking to me a lot."Saunders said he appreciated the letter from Muhammad and that he doesn't see the kinds of potential problems some might project for a guy who screwed up before ever dribbling a basketball for his pro team."Personally, I've found that he's a lot different than people think he is," Saunders said. "At this point, he's doing the right things."But three days of training camp doesn't paint a complete picture."We'll wait and see how it plays out," Saunders said. "He plays as hard or harder than anyone we have; that's how he's played in these three days. He's always there, shooting extra -- he came to the gym two nights ago with one of the other players to get the extra shooting after a four-hour practice. He wants to be good."So if you've got a guy who's willing to work hard and plays hard and wants to be good, that's half the battle in our league."The rookie camp incident might not have been as big a deal had Muhammad not already come with baggage.In March, the Los Angeles Times reported that Muhammad and his father, Ron Holmes, had been misrepresenting his age as a year younger than he really is, which meant Muhammad competed against smaller, younger players in important youth tournaments.At UCLA, Muhammad was sidelined for the beginning of his only college season because of eligibility issues and reinstated after an appeal, then developed a reputation for being a selfish player who was disconnected from teammates. In an NCAA tournament loss to Minnesota in March, he scored most of his 20 points well after the game had been decided.Muhammad will have to attend the transition program again next summer and said the incident forced him to rethink his priorities."I've been focusing a lot more since that happened," he said. "My focus is tuned in to basketball and this organization. Wrimini storageing that letter set it off."A left-handed shooter who finds himself a reserve for the first time since he was in ninth grade, Muhammad came to training camp hoping to make Saunders and coach Rick Adelman forget about his August indiscretion.Off the basketball court, he has assumed the rookie role of shutting up and listening."Very respectful," forward Kevin Love said. "He goes through the whole rookie process and just works hard."On the court, it's a different story.Even at 6 feet 6 inches Muhammad already has demonstrated an ability to crash the offensive boards."He is just relentless, and I told him to keep that up," Love said. "If you want to work your way into some significant minutes, just keep doing that and you'll be OK. He's a bull in there. He likes to throw himself around and doesn't care what people say."Adelman missed Thursday's practice to attend a funeral, but through the first 48 hours of camp, the coach liked the way Muhammad stuck his nose into the battle for loose balls."He's come in and competed," Adelman said. "One thing he's done consistently is go to the offensive boards. He really pounds people in there. He's very aggressive, and it doesn't matter who he's playing against; they've got to box him out because he's going to go to the boards every time."Muhammad knows Love and center Nikola Pekovic have reputations as outstanding offensive rebounders, and he wants to join the club."Just trying to fit in there with them and get the open, loose balls," he said.Chalk up wing Kevin Martin as another impressed by Muhammad's effort under the basket."Yesterday, he got about eight or nine offensive boards, so you know he's a gifted player," Martin said. "If he just stays on track, he'll be all right."Ah, yes, staying on track.Martin felt obliged to text and later phone Muhammad after the incident in August."I just told him, 'It's time to focus on basketball,' " Martin said. "He's been such a polarized athlete since earlier years, so a lot of people take digs on you. I told him, 'A lot of things happen in life, and you're going to learn from it. It's not the worst thing you've done and it's not the worst thing you're ever going to do.' It was a conversation."Martin says that after eight seasons in the NBA, it's time for him to repay some of the helpful tips he got from veterans when he was starting out. He knows that big money and media attention can confuse a young athlete."I'm at the point in my career where I feel comfortable doing things like that because I know it's only going to help the player and he's going to look back in his career, and hopefully he says, 'Kevin Martin sent me a text and changed my career.' "Muhammad says he appreciates the advice."I mean, you always have to carry yourself as a professional, and the stuff you do always comes out," he said, "so just learn to be smarter and, like I said, just learn from the guys who have been there before."Leave it to Love to offer a compliment and take a shot at the rookie all at the same time."He listens," Love said, adding with a smile, "He's got that good, one-year UCLA education. He's been a quick learner, and we're happy to have him."Follow Bruce Brothers at twitter.com/BBfromPiPress.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) Visit the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) at .twincities.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage