While the Minnesota Timberwolves were in the process of destroying the Seattle SuperSonics by 25 points Tuesday night, third-year swingman Wally Szczerbiak was instructed to defend the Sonics' Gary Payton.

	Who's the best pro athlete in Minnesota? Szczerbiak says he's biased: It's him or Kevin Garnett.

Szczerbiak did as he was told and limited Payton to just 15 points, Payton's third-lowest total this season. Payton shot just 7-for-17.

After the game, Payton was asked about the improved defense of Szczerbiak.

"You think about it," Payton bristled. "You let Wally guard me one-on-one and we'll see what happens. You don't let nobody help him out, and you see what happens."

Man, the dude holds GP to 15 points, he, along with Kevin Garnett, has helped the Wolves off to an 11-5 start when many predicted they would fall off, he is seventh in the league in field goal percentage, fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage, oh yeah, and he led the U.S. to a gold medal in the Goodwill Games this summer, and he STILL can't get any love.

Been that way for a while now, to be honest.

Szczerbiak found out a few years ago what Golden State's Troy Murphy is finding out now. NBA players don't like to get schooled by doe-di-doe, ho-hum, Midwest, corn-picking, barn-dancing farm boys, especially as pretty as Szczerbiak.

To that end, they come at you. They come at you hard. Murphy already has thrown down with several players in games -- including Payton. And Szczerbiak underwent the same initiation a few years back, including an incident with Charlotte's Jamaal Magloire, who stalked Szczerbiak to the Wolves' locker room and was trying to get at him inside.

"I think they are going to test you and test your will and test your ability to stand up to guys who are trying to bully you," Szczerbiak said. "That is the nature of this league. It is a tough league. But I think I showed that I was not going to allow that to affect me, that I am going to battle night in and night out, and that is the main thing you have to do."

Szczerbiak even had to battle his own teammates, especially a rich fella named Garnett, who threw down with Szczerbiak at practice a few times. One has to wonder if that was why KG supposedly lobbied management to trade for Payton, a deal that would have sent Szczerbiak packing, along with Terrell Brandon and Radoslav Nesterovic.

But now that that trigger was stuck on safety, Szczerbiak says those misunderstandings between he and KG were a matter of circumstance, rather than a mutual dislike of one another.

	Garnett

	Smith

"I think it was frustration last year over the Joe Smith thing, and Malik (Sealy) passing away, us getting off to kind of a tough start, Kevin having two of his good friends taken from him, he was kind of a little down at the beginning of last year," Szczerbiak explained. "I was a little edgy coming off surgery on my knee and trying to work my way back into the lineup. Tempers just happened to flare up. But I put that behind me, and he put it behind him, and we are now moving forward.

"We just went through some rocky times. I think when you go through some tough times, it makes it better when you go through the good times. Me and Kevin get along great, we are fighting for a common goal, we talk all the time in the locker room. The team is really, really close knit."

Good thing, since they are not going to be adding anybody new any time soon. They got four first-round picks taken away for that Joe Smith fiasco to which Szczerbiak referred.

But the way the Wolves are going right now, adding another body to the mix might just mess up something pretty decent.

Getting Smith back this summer as a free agent allowed Garnett to slide to small forward, Szczerbiak to shooting guard and Smith to power forward. Szczerbiak is not going to be able to guard the likes of Kobe Bryant (who can?), but the zone defense that Flip Saunders has installed, which takes advantage of the length of the Wolves' post players, allows them to cover for Szczerbiak if he gets beat.

So technically, Payton was right. Szczerbiak did not shut him down, and GP probably could take him in a game of one-on-one, but somebody forgot to tell Payton the NBA is a team game, as the scoreboard after the game attested. And couldn't Payton at least give Szczerbiak his props for hitting six of his first seven shots and scoring 20 points?

After all, Sonics coach Nate McMillan said the team's entire game plan was to crowd Szczerbiak, make him put the ball on the floor. Instead, Szczerbiak cocked back and fired up shot after shot, something he has been doing all season.

	“	I'm just getting more opportunities. Last year, I shot 51 percent, was top five in field goal percentage, but I just wasn't getting the looks that I am now. They are running more plays for me and I am a more integral part of the offense. ”
		— Szczerbiak

"I'm still doing a lot of the same things," Szczerbiak said. "I'm just getting more opportunities. Last year, I shot 51 percent, was top five in field goal percentage, but I just wasn't getting the looks that I am now. They are running more plays for me and I am a more integral part of the offense."

Some observers say Szczerbiak is running more plays for himself -- as in, if a shot does not come his way a few times down the court, he fires one up as soon as he touches the ball.

But when you are shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, 53 percent from the field, and most of your shots are jumpers, who can argue with shot selection?

In a way, it's funny that Szczerbiak and Payton were caught playing one another, because it brings to mind Szczerbiak's future with the Wolves.

If the Sonics really wanted to deal Payton, they could have. In the end, they demanded, in addition to the players, a first-round draft pick -- the Wolves' only one upcoming -- and $3 million in cash, which was basically saying, no, we don't want to do a deal.

So you have to wonder what the means for Szczerbiak. It's a way off, to be sure, but never too far off to stir up speculation. He will play this year and the Wolves have already picked up the option for next year, but then they will have to pay him or lose him.

That, of course, is when Garnett will be paid $28 million (yikes!) and Terrell Brandon will get $11 million. With the league's television revenue coming down, and with attendance coming down, you have to think the luxury tax ceiling and the salary cap also will be coming down.

Which makes you wonder if the Wolves are going to be able to pay Szczerbiak the max, which surely he will be seeking.

"I have no idea," Szczerbiak said. "I can't control any of that stuff. I am very happy here. I am playing well. I am on a great team. I love my teammates, I love the fans, it is a great organization. But..."

You knew there was a 'but.'

"But at the same time, I am not tied down here by any means. That's how the NBA is. I will be willing to do whatever it takes to succeed and be successful in the league. I would love it if it was here. But if the Timberwolves can't fit me into their plans, then that is unfortunate. But I will have to try and play well elsewhere."

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