The Wolves will activate newcomer Nathan Jawai for tonight’s game against LeBron, Shaq and the Cavs at Target Center and will make veteran guard Jason Hart, who didn’t play Wednesday and won’t as long as Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions stay healthy, inactive.

UPDATE

A couple other things about tonight:

* Al Jefferson now, at least for these couple hours when he faces Shaquille O’Neal, wish he were his old self.

“I wish I could borrow them 30 pounds back, just for tonight,” he said of the weight he lost since he injured his knee last season.”

* LeBron James on Ricky Rubio, who started against James and the U.S. team in the Beijing Olympics title game in 2008: “He’s going to be really good and they should look forward to it. He was very under control. You can tell he’s been doing it (playing professionally) for a while. It helps when every summer you get a chance to play with Rudy (Fernandez) and Pau (Gasol) and Jose (Calderon) and the rest of those guys. So that definitely helps his maturity.”

* A reporter asked Kurt Rambis if any of his Lakers team had gone through “anything like this” horrid start?: 0-2? If I was them, I wouldn’t be worried at all. I just think by the end of the season I fully expect them to be right there in the playoff hunt for a ring. No one will look back at the start of the season and remember when. It’s just a product of starting the season, learning how to play together,  working out the kinks. There’s so much talent there, so much willingness to sacrifice, they’ll turn it around.”

Who would have figured this?

You’ve got the undefeated Timberwolves (OK, they’re only 1-0 and how they are that, who really knows?) and the winless Cleveland Cavs set for tomorrow night at Target Center.

The Wolves practiced for more two hours this afternoon to get ready for LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and the Cavs, who lost at home to Boston on opening night and then lost at Toronto Wednesday night.

“He probably won’t be too happy,” Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said of James. “He has also been around long enough and been the leader of a team long enough and in the playoffs long enough to know it’s a long season. The reality is most people won’t even remember how you start off a season.”

Rambis suggested you could see the first appearance of Nathan Jawai, the 6-10, 300-poundish forward acquired from Dallas last week, tomorrow night for a big-body presence to defend O’Neal.

Just don’t mention anything to Jawai about Shaq vs. Baby Shaq or the Australian Shaq, two nicknames the big fella has been given either in his native Australia or here in the U.S.

“Don’t call me that name again,” Jawai said of Baby Shaq after practice Thursday. “I hate that name. That’s not my name. That guy is a future Hall of Famer, so why compare me to him?”

If you’re curious how Wolves prospects Ricky Rubio and Nikolia Pekovic are faring in Europe — and judging from yesterday’s live chat, plenty of folks are — their games this afternoon are scheduled to be streamed live on the Web, if a bit overlapped.

Pekovic’s Greece team plays starting at 2:15 p.m., Rubio’s Regal Barcelona team plays at 2:45. (Nick Calathes, the former Florida guard who the Wolves drafted in the second round last summer and then traded to Dallas also plays on Pekovic’s team).

I don’t think I’ve ever watched games on this site, so I’m not sure of the quality or reliability, but they should be carried live at www.atdhe.net

Disregard that the screen says Saturday, Oct. 31. Both those games — Panathinaikos vs. BC Khimki and Regal FC Barcelona vs. KK Cibona Zagreb — are this afternoon (or evening in Europe).

UPDATE: Some readers have pointed out the above site illegally streams games, which I did not know. You can watch select Euroleague games — Rubio’s game this afternoon is on the schedule — on ESPN360 broadband with access through your individual Internet provider.

Some thoughts and things about the Wolves’ season-0pening victory tonight over New Jersey on Damien Wilkins’ buzzer- beating bank shot, a victory that for the game’s first 41 minutes they had no business winning.

Yes, it’s just one game and yes, when asked on this afternoon’s live chat I estimated Ricky Rubio’s chance at ever wearing a Wolves uniform at something like 35.6897 percent, but…

After watching Jonny Flynn lead the Wolves back with a closing 24-6 flourish, I’m thinking Rubio will never play a game with the Wolves.

David Kahn all along has suggested Flynn’s going to make this his town with his game, his smile and his charisma and if tonight is a sign of things to come, he just might be right.

By the time Rubio’s buyout becomes reasonable in two years, this is long going to be Flynn’s team.

And, no matter what Kahn has said about the two of them playing together, there’s no way those two guys are going to play together 30-some minutes a game. As the season goes on, the bet here is it’ll become more and more obvious that Rubio’s rights will be a chip Kahn cashes at some point.

Other stuff:

- Yes, Corey Brewer’s offensive play (1 for 11 on his first 12 shots, 3 for 14 overall) was enough to make anyone in the Target Center audience convulse, but… the guy made enough plays and had enough defensive presence down the stretch that the Wolves probably don’t win without him on the floor (he had 3 steals, Wilkins 4). He also made a fluid jumper when you least expected it, with the game on the line with 93 seconds left. Afterward, Kurt Rambis said his team tried too hard and had way too many nerves and Brewer was the most obvious example.

- Ryan Hollins is a lot more intriguing prospect than I thought when Kahn signed him. Rambis turned to him when Al Jefferson picked up two quick fouls  and when it became obvious the Wolves need more size and athleticism to counter Brook Lopez than Jefferson can provide. He’s got hops and he’s got a jumper and he’s probably only scratched at the player he might be able to become.

– Jefferson called his offensive night (9 points, 4 rebounds) awful in his first regular season game back from knee surgery, but he provided a crucial blocked shot on Lopez in the final 30 seconds that helped set up Wilkins’ winning shot.

Lopez, the guy the Wolves passed on in the 2008 NBA draft because they felt his low-post game duplicated Jefferson’s game, scored 27 points, all of them in the first three quarters.

– Rookie Wayne Ellington, who like Flynn shook two days of flu to play, was on the floor down the stretch with Flynn, Jefferson and Brewer. He played 23 minutes, had eight points, six rebounds and led all Wolves with a plus-13 rating. Somebody asked on today’s chat if Ellington might start before the season’s over and I flatly said no, but Rambis has praised his professionalism (he’s a rookie, remember) and perhaps I was way too hasty.

– The two teams combined to shoot 1-for-15 on threes (0 for 8 for the Nets, 1 for 7 for the Wolves). The night’s first three was made by a fan in a halftime contest.

– Wilkins probably never would have been on the floor for the winning shot if Brian Cardinal hadn’t had to come out of the game late with his finger grotesquely dislocated.

– It’s just one night certainly, but Oleksiy Pecherov’s mere 5:24 played doesn’t bode well for the Wolves picking up his 2010-11 contract option by Saturday’s deadline.

– The Wolves get a bigger test Friday night against LeBron and the Cavs at Target Center.  Whoever would have thought the Wolves would be undefeated and the Cavs winless? They’re 0-2 after Tuesday’s home loss to Boston and tonight’s loss at Toronto.

Jonny Flynn was back in the black starter’s jersey at this morning’s shootaround.

Wayne Ellington looked and sounded much better than he says he was feeling yesterday or the day before, too.

Al Jefferson also said he’s 100 percent good to go.

Expect a starting lineup of Gomes at power forward, Al at center, Damien Wilkins at small forward, Corey Brewer at shooting guard and Flynn at the point. They’re doing that instead of Pecherov in the lineup because Kurt Rambis wants Gomes to defend 7-footer Yi Jianlian out on the perimeter at power forward.

Join me for a Wolves/NBA chat today at 1. A home-page module will take you to the chat, so just stop off at startribune.com at 1 and join the conversation.

Here’s a good long look at your new Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis, as part of our season advance coverage for tomorrow’s paper:

 http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/66737827.html

Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington both missed practice today for the second straight day because they’re still ill.

Kurt Rambis said both players were feeling better today than yesterday and said if they’re feeling well enough to attend tomorrow morning’s shootaround, “there’s no reason they shouldn’t play” against New Jersey.

If Flynn isn’t well enough to start and play major minutes, Ramon Sessions, of course, will start at point guard, with Jason Hart backing him up.

Al Jefferson said he felt  good again today and is steaming ahead toward tomorrow, although Rambis said he would check with him at shootaround to be sure that Achilles isn’t flaring up again.

The Wolves say they have about 2,000 tickets remaining for the opener.

Al Jefferson returned to practice today and scrimmaged regularly on the Target Center main floor, but teammates Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington were missing because they went to the doctor with flu-like symptoms.

Jefferson vowed he’d play in Wednesday’s season opener against New Jersey and said he’d probably have to monitor his Achilles tendon for most of the season to make sure it doesn’t get inflamed like it did in the last week.

Flynn and Ellington will be evaluated daily. Their availability for the opener remains uncertain.

The Wolves reach today’s 5 p.m. roster deadline with their 15-man roster set with no changes.

That means Jason Hart is on the team — at least for now — and so is Mark Blount, but that’s in name only.

Blount never came to training camp and won’t show up now. He’ll stay home in Miami but keep getting paid to allow the Wolves what David Kahn calls roster “flexibility” in case his $7.9 million salary slot can be involved in a trade between now and the trading deadline.

He didn’t end up waived like Antonio Daniels was last week because Daniels was willing to give back some money in a buyout of his $6.6 million contract so he can sign with another team (Cleveland?) once he clears waivers.

There’s not another job out there at the moment for Blount, so he’s not willing to give back any of that nearly $8 million salary.

So he’ll stay on the roster, but remain far, far away.

Kahn also sounded like he might wait right up until Saturday’s deadline before deciding in one swoop on players with contract options.

Kevin Love’s extension for the 2010-11 season is what Kahn called a “no brainer.” Corey Brewer’s option almost certainly will be picked up as well.

The question is Oleksiy Pecherov, at nearly $2.4 million. Kahn said he still must consult with the coaches.

Last week, Kurt Rambis called Pecherov a “unique” player because of his size and his skils and he moved him into the starting lineup with Jefferson,   but whether he’s $2.4 million unique is another question entirely.

One other little interesting tidbit: Kahn is having breakfast and lunch catered for players when they’re home for practices and games to ensure they eat nutritionally and perhaps a bit to build camaraderie.

“We want them to be here early and stay late, ” Kahn said.

Btw, I will be doing a live chat to preview the opener and the approaching season on Wednesday at 1 p.m. Stay tuned for more details.

Al Jefferson, feeling better after last week’s flu knocked him down, participated in some of today’s practice at Target Center, but he remains bothered by that sore Achilles tendon.

He rode the exercise bike for the final portion of practice and did not scrimmage with his teammates.
“I have no idea,” Kurt Rambis said when asked if Jefferson will play in Wednesday’s season opener.”His illness is a non issue. His Achilles is what we’re addressing now and we’re helping him work through that.
“We’ll see how he is tomorrow. That’s how we’ll keep going. We’ll keep evaluating him the following day, keep increasing his activity and see how he handles it.”

Jefferson wasn’t in much of a mood to talk to reporters today, so he didn’t.

Kevin Love, back from his hand surgery in New York City last week, did. He had that left hand protected in a split that he says he has to wear only for practice, where he watched and rode the exercise bike and ran a little today.

“Originally, they were saying six to eight weeks, but hopefully I can get back sooner than that,” Love said. “They didn’t make any promises.”

He said he will have an x-ray taken again in 3 1/2 to 4 weeks and have that sent to the New York City doctor to see if he gets the OK to return.

He called the insertion of three screws into his hand “standard procedure” for his injury, a fracture of the fourth metacarpal bone.

“It was pretty straight forward,” he said of the surgery. “I’m happy with how everything went.”

Assistant coach Reggie Theus looked over at Jefferson and Love both riding exercise bikes in the corner during practice and figured there were at least 35 points and a couple dozen rebounds sitting there watching.