Sprewell adjusts to aging body
BY MIKE WELLS, Pioneer Press

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The chest thumping and strong playoff performance last season were reminiscent of his days with Golden State. The spots of gray in his goatee and inability to dunk over opponents like he used to, however, remind you that Latrell Sprewell is 34 years old.

"I think I have my days," he said. "Some days you get up and feel good. Some days you feel 34. It just depends. I can't jump like I used to, but I just go out there.

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"It's a thing where you're reacting. You're not thinking; you just play. Your body is only going to allow you to do so much anyway. You're still going hard, thinking you're attacking the basket the same way, you're not up as high, so you just finish however you can."

No, Sprewell isn't the same player he once was, but he's not considered over the hill. He still will go out and score 30 points or make things difficult on an opponent defensively. credits his ability to still play at a high level to good genetics, healthy eating habits and a strong workout routine.

For more than 10 years, Sprewell has followed a strict weightlifting routine he learned while at the University of Alabama. While most players work on their game during the offseason, Sprewell stays away from the basketball court. He isolates himself in his hometown of Milwaukee or at his other house New York, where he works out three or four times a week for about three hours a day.

"In the offseason I rest and get away from the basketball part of it," he said. "This summer I didn't do much because we went long and I was kind of banged up."

Don't expect to walk into a restaurant and see Sprewell eating filet mignon or a thick pork chop. He hasn't eaten beef or pork for about eight years. Instead, he eats pastas, salads, fruits and vitamins.

"I read some stuff on pork, high blood pressure, and beef is hard to digest and it sits in your body," Sprewell said.

Sprewell, who was traded to the Wolves from New York in the summer of 2003, played in every game last season for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, and he teamed with Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell to form the Wolves' Big Three. Still, Sprewell, had nights in which he looked tired and couldn't hit a basket. He made up for his uneven play near the end of the regular season by being the Wolves' second best player and increasing his scoring average (16.8) to 19.8 in the playoffs. The Wolves were 18-3 when Sprewell scored at least 24 points.

"Even though he had unbelievable energy in the playoffs, which was amazing, I think during the season the amount of minutes he played hurt him a little bit," coach Flip Saunders said. "He'd have a stinker game every now and then."

On nights in which the rim was unkind to him, Sprewell wouldn't continue looking for his shot. He would change his focus by looking to get others the ball, by rebounding or playing defense.

"I know when I'm not shooting the ball particularly well," he said. "There are times still when you're open and you have to take shots. The thing you can't do is get down on yourself and try to find a way to do other things. That's the biggest thing. If you're going to be one dimensional, that's all you're going to be able to give a team. It doesn't say much about your all-around game."

Despite Sprewell's desire for lots of playing time, Saunders said he wants to cut his minutes this season. Sprewell was second on the Wolves behind Garnett in minutes a game (37.8) last season. Saunders shouldn't have a problem limiting his minutes with a healthy roster, which includes Wally Szczerbiak pushing for a lot of minutes.

"If we can limit his minutes and count on him to play in the fourth quarter for us, with limited minutes early, he'll be more productive for us," Saunders said.

Mike Wells covers the Timberwolves and the NBA. He can be reached at [email protected].