MINNEAPOLIS -- When Adreian Payne didn't respond suitably to Flip Saunders' sideline instructions early in the third quarter of last Wednesday's game at Phoenix, the Timberwolves coach quickly yanked his power forward of the future from the lineup and made him sit and think about it for 7 minutes of court time.
Then, just as quickly, Saunders forgot about it.
"I coach players in the game, and if we have -- whether it's a disagreement or whatever -- we deal with it, we move on," Saunders said. "I'm not going to hold over from one day to the other. If I did that, I might not ever be able to play anybody."
Truth is, Minnesota (14-52 heading into Wednesday's game at Atlanta) could use a little fire on the floor. And Payne, despite his rawness and shortcomings, is providing some, Saunders says.
"He's been pretty active," Saunders said. "The problem is that we're asking him to do a lot. I think he's brought great energy. . . . I don't think you could ask for a guy playing 20-plus minutes or whatever to give us much more than that.
"You've got to realize the guy's only played 11 games in the NBA."
Sixteen, actually -- 13 since the Wolves traded a lottery-protected first-round pick to Atlanta for the 6-foot-10, 245-pound Michigan State product. In them, Payne's averaged 7.5 points on 38.6 percent shooting and 5.8 rebounds in 24 minutes per contest.
That span includes three starts -- the same number of appearances Payne made with the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks, who drafted him 15th overall but had no room for him in a frontcourt rotation that includes All-Stars Al Horford and Paul Millsap.
"Back in Atlanta, it was hard to get minutes because you had All-Stars ahead of you and we were winning," Payne said before Monday night's loss to Brooklyn. "So the opportunity came for me to come here and be able to play, and I'm just trying to take advantage of it."
In the locker room, Payne's a relatively quiet, humble 24-year-old. But his vigor comes out when he tears down rebounds, skies for blocks and attacks the rim on pick-and-rolls.
And yes, the occasional recalcitrance comes with it.
"He's playing with good energy," Saunders said. "He's made mistakes, but they've been more mistakes of aggression. You can't fault that."
Payne's best game came last week at Los Angeles to start a four-game road trip. He went right at the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan for 16 points and 15 rebounds, becoming the first NBA rookie this season to post a 15-point, 15-board night.
But there have been squalid nights, too, including a pair of six-point, 3-for-8 showings Friday at Oklahoma City and Monday against the Nets. Sometimes, Payne fails to make the proper defensive rotations, too.
"I thought I play with a lot of energy, like Flip said," said Payne, who spent four years in East Lansing under coach Tom Izzo, a close friend of Saunders. "I get some shots that end up going in, but for the most part, I think defensively I contribute. It's just a matter of just keep playing."
With fellow fours Anthony Bennett (sprained ankle) and Kevin Garnett (sore knee) both out with injuries, Payne has a chance to do that. Big-picture, Saunders and the front office believe Payne can be their cornerstone power forward for years to come.
It's why they nearly drafted him before taking guard Zach LaVine with the 13th overall pick.
"We looked at our evaluation of where we had him," Saunders said after trading for Payne Feb. 10. "We had him rated extremely high as a power forward, and if you look at us, we like our forwards."
The best to ever play the position here is constantly in Payne's ear, too. Garnett can be seen frequently instructing Payne in the ways of sound defense, positioning and demeanor.
"The coach is coaching, but he's played the same position as I play, done the things I'm trying to do, so he can relate to things that I can relate to," said Payne, who grew up idolizing Garnett after Payne's AAU coach told him he resembled KG in some respects.
Said Garnett: "Very promising, very high-IQ basketball.
"He's very pumped. He fits right in with this group."
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