Timberwolves PR‏@Twolves_PR
#Twolves will be w/out @jjbareapr tonight due to back spasms.

And then there were 8 1/2 men.

And one important guy missing from the coaches' bench, too.

The Wolves will play on tonight at New Orleans -- the second game in this four-game Southern trip -- without reserve guard J.J. Barea and coach Rick Adelman once again.

Top assistant Terry Porter will coach the team for the third consecutive game while Adelman remains in Minneapolis beside his wife Mary Kay, who has been hospitalized there.

It's not known whether Adelman or Barea will be back for Sunday's game at San Antonio.

Barea went to Dallas before Wednesday's game at Oklahoma City to seek treatment for his back.

When asked why Barea didn't stay with the team for treatment, Porter shrugged and said Barea wanted to see a doctor he knows in Dallas, where he played five seasons with the Mavs.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Timberwolves aren't sure if backup guard J.J. Barea, out with back spasms, will join the team for their game Sunday night, Jan. 13, at San Antonio.

Barea has been in Dallas since Wednesday having his back examined by a specialist.

Wolves assistant Terry Porter, filling in for head coach Rick Adelman, said before Friday's game at New Orleans that Barea might be able to rejoin the team for Monday night's game in Dallas. The Wolves have played the past two games with only three healthy guards -- Luke Ridnour, Alexey Shved and Ricky Rubio.

Barea was averaging 23.4 minutes, 10.7 points and 4.4 assists before injuring his back.

SAN ANTONIO -- Timberwolves acting head coach Terry Porter said guard J.J. Barea, who has missed the two games with back spasms, might join the team for the Wolves' game, Sunday, Jan. 13, against San Antonio at AT&T Center.

Porter was hoping to get another update on Barea's status late Saturday afternoon. Barea has been in Dallas since Wednesday going through treatment and examinations with a back specialist he consulted when he played for the Dallas Mavericks.

"If he joins us tomorrow (Sunday), I'm not sure he's going to play," Porter said.

Barea's absence has left the Wolves with only three healthy guards the past two games -- Luke Ridnour, Alexey Shved and Ricky Rubio. Barea is averaging 10.7 points, 4.4 assists and 23.2 minutes.

TWolves Army‏@TWolvesArmy
@jjbareapr is not ruled out for tonight's game....it will be a Gametime decision for #coqui
Retweeted by José Juan Barea

El puertorriqueño Carlos Arroyo logró el sábado nueve puntos, tres rebotes y dos asistencias para aportar en la victoria de Galatasaray, 76-70, sobre Turk Telekom en la jornada 15 de la liga de Turquía.

En 17 minutos, y viniendo del banco, Arroyo lanzó de 2-5 del área de tres puntos y de 3-5 del tiro libre.

Arroyo suma dos triunfos, sin derrotas en la liga turca con nuevo equipo.

Galatasaray fue liderado por Boniface Ndong con 18 tantos y nueve rebotes para poner su marca en 12-3.

El próximo compromiso de Arroyo con el Galatasaray será el próximo miércoles 16 de enero contra Zveda Telekom Belgrade en la segunda jornada de la segunda ronda de la Eurocopa.

Mark Remme‏@MarkRemme

Barea said he will play tonight after getting injection in back. Huge boost to have him against #Spurs tonight.

Retweeted by MN Timberwolves

J.J. Barea has re-joined the Wolves and will play tonight in San Antonio.

At least he will try to.

He says he feels much better than he did Wednesday in Oklahoma City, when he said he woke up after playing against Atlanta in Minneapolis the night before and could barely move.

"A lot better now," he said. "Feels great. Now I'm almost back to normal."

Barea said the "good news" is he only has a slightly herniated L5 back disk.

"It was better than what I thought it was going to be," he said.

He says he's feeling better after getting an epidural steroid injection and rehab that includes an exercise program he says he'll have to do 30 minutes a day, one he hopes to alleviate the issue.

He said he went to Dallas on Wednesday to see a renown Puerto Rican doctor there that his family knows, but one he had never visited for treatment before.

"We took care of it pretty quick," he said. "I think it was the right thing to do."

Barea's presence, if he can play meaningful minutes, gives acting head coach Terry Porter four guards again, or 3.5 if you count Ricky Rubio with limited minutes as less than a full player.

SAN ANTONIO -- Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea rejoined the team for its game Sunday night, Jan. 13, in San Antonio.

Barea said an L5 herniated disc was the source of the back problem that forced him to seek treatment for three days in Dallas.

"It feels a lot better now," he said before the game. "They gave me an injection I needed and did a lot of exercises. I'm going to have to work harder on my back muscles so it won't happen again."

Barea experienced pain in his back Wednesday morning in Oklahoma City and said he "wasn't able to move." Barea said his back had been bothering him for two weeks.

The Wolves agreed to let Barea travel to Dallas to get treatment from a neurosurgeon he knew from his five-year career with the Mavericks. Barea said the doctor is a family friend.

Barea started the second quarter Sunday night, appearing in his first game since Tuesday win over Atlanta at Target Center. He worked out Saturday night in San Antonio and before Sunday's game and experienced no discomfort in his back.

Barea said he never had back concerns before and feared a more serious diagnosis when he got to Dallas.

"Things turned out better than I thought it would," he said. "The way I was feeling, I thought it would be a lot worse."

Barea is the third Wolves player this season to experience a back problem. Back spasms sidelined Andrei Kirilenko and Ricky Rubio.

SAN ANTONIO - Timberwolves reserve guard J.J. Barea rejoined the team for Sunday's game at San Antonio and played 19 minutes in a 106-88 loss to the Spurs after he received an injection and treatment on his bad back from a Dallas doctor last week.

"A lot better now than I was," he said Sunday.

Barea said his back had bothered him for two weeks before he woke up in Oklahoma City on Wednesday morning after a home game against Atlanta the night before and could barely move.

He traveled to Dallas that day and sought treatment from a renowned Puerto Rican neurosurgeon with whom he and his family became friendly during his five seasons playing for the Mavericks.

Barea said he was diagnosed with a slightly herniated disk in his lower back and received an epidural steroid injection that provided almost immediate relief.

"They took care of it pretty quick," he said. "I think it was the right thing to do. It was nothing bad. It was better than what I thought it'd be."

He was given a 30-minute workout routine to strengthen his back and core muscles that he said he'll have to do daily "so it will never happen again." He said he does not expect to need regular injections.

Barea made four of 11 shots, scored 15 points and had six assists in those 19 minutes.

"I got a little tired there the second half, but it felt good," Barea said. "I was going to play normal. I told them if I got tired, I'd ask for a sub. And I got tired, so I asked for a sub."

Speaking of bench play, the X-factor tonight will certainly be JJ Barea, who returns to play in Dallas for the first time since leaving via free agency to Minnesota. He may not be 100% still, coming off a spasming back that forced him to miss the first two games of the road trip, but he’s without a doubt the most consistent backcourt scoring option the Wolves have right now. The ravaging injuries have forced some Wolves out of their elements; Alexey Shved is being asked to do too much and his shooting percentage has suffered; Ricky Rubio still isn’t healthy and is having trouble finding chemistry on the offensive end; Luke Ridnour is playing well but doesn’t have the ability to score at a high clip night-in and night-out. It really comes down to how well Barea can take care of the ball and attack the Mavs’ interior defense. It also won’t hurt if he can connect from deep three of four times either.

Mark Remme‏@MarkRemme

Lots of admiration for Barea here in Dallas. The pregame in-game host just publicly welcomed Barea back to Dallas for tonight's game.


Retweeted by MN Timberwolves

MN Timberwolves‏@MNTimberwolves

Pregame: on.nba.com/Um1LED #Twolves @jjbareapr excited to make his return to Dallas, which has a "special place in my heart."