Worn-out Hollins gets work in

Timberwolves center Ryan Hollins practiced Saturday for the first time after missing six games -- including a just-concluded four-game trip -- because he had strep throat.

His return to the lineup remains in doubt.

"He looked very tired and very weak," Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said after Hollins participated in the "majority" of a brisk 75-minute practice Saturday. "He's lost some weight. He doesn't look great. He doesn't feel great."

Hollins, a 7-foot reserve center, didn't have any weight to spare on his long, lanky body to begin with anyway.

"We'll just see how he is tomorrow," Rambis said. "He's getting his energy level back up, getting his weight back up. We're getting him eating on a more regular basis. He needs to get back working at full strength, full time. With his metabolism, he needs to eat all the time. He needs a snack for a snack before his meal, and then have a snack."

The Wolves play Philadelphia in a Monday afternoon Martin Luther King Day game at Target Center.

Upon further review

Rambis' nightly postgame media address lasted 8 seconds and 21 words after Friday's 135-110 loss at Memphis.

He was asked how the game -- the Grizzlies outscored the Wolves 40-22 in the third quarter alone -- in Saturday's bright light of day.

"Not much better," he said. "I think our guys found it too easy to score. They thought that was the direction they were going to go to win the ballgame. That hasn't been the case in the past for us and probably won't be the case for us for a while.

"We just weren't going to outscore that team. We just weren't playing defense the right way. By the time the third quarter ended, they had, what, 106 points? Yeah, that lets you know your defense isn't too good."

Making adjustments

Rambis has scheduled an unusually early 10 a.m. practice today so his players can attend or watch the Vikings' noon playoff game against Dallas.

He said he will watch the game on television, but said he has some friends coming to town for the game.

Asked if they were Cowboys or Vikings fans, he said, "Ya, you betcha."

Next thing you know, he'll use "uff-da" in a conversation. "What's that mean?" he asked.