Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio injuries shouldn't cripple Timberwolves

• Kevin Love broke his hand and will miss 6-8 weeks
• Ricky Rubio is still recovering from ACL injury
• Timberwolves still equipped to play well without stars

Kevin Love is the best player on the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's the face of the franchise, the top scorer, the top rebounder, the U.S. Olympian, the power forward, the All-Star and all that.

But his broken right hand, which he injured Wednesday in practice, won't leave the T'wolves punchless.

Minnesota restructured its roster this offseason, making the kinds of risks necessary to return a moribund franchise to the playoff land. The goal was to build around Love and point guard Ricky Rubio. Now it seems they'll both be out until December-ish, as Rubio is practicing but not fully recovered from his knee ligament tear last season.

Let's play it safe and say Love and Rubio will be back by Dec. 15, a home game against the Dallas Mavericks. Both could return two weeks earlier. But even that conservative return date would mean the Timberwolves only need to survive about 20 games without the faces of the franchise.

Minnesota can't afford to flop in those 20 games. But the team has the talent to avoid that. Here are some players capable of shouldering the burden, particularly of Love's 26.0-point, 13.3-rebound a game output from last season:

Derrick Williams

Picked second overall in the 2011 draft, the forward struggled in Love's shadow last season. He naturally plays power forward but has worked to prove he can hack it on the wing, next to Love. So far, he hasn't.

Williams is 0-for-11 in his past two preseason games. But those were played next to Love. He's most comfortable in the paint, showing off the athleticism and post skills that allowed him to dominate the college game. At Arizona, he looked like a super-charged Antawn Jamison, more explosive if less polished.

Jamison blossomed when he went to the Washington Wizards and was allowed to play power forward. Williams should hope to show that same comfort at his natural position. He lost a lot of weight in order to better fit on the wing, but it shouldn't be too difficult for him to return to the post.

Williams should be Love's natural replacement, but he can't be expected to improve upon his 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds a game enough to make up the difference entirely.

Luke Ridnour and Jose Juan Barea

These two filled in for Rubio last year, with mixed results. Neither brings the playmaking and court vision of Rubio, who turns 21 Sunday. But both are more experienced.

Ridnour, 31, has been a full-time starter for three franchises and six seasons. That's pretty much insane. He moved to shooting guard last year when Rubio claimed a starting role, which is even more insane. He doesn't have the skill for such large roles over full seasons, but coaches trust him. He makes few mistakes and can hit an open jumper, particularly off the dribble.

Barea received a somewhat oversized contract after his key role in the Mavericks' 2011 championship. But he improved last season, becoming more of a true point guard. His turnover rate rose with his assist rate, but that's not a bad thing. Someone will need to make plays in Rubio's absence. One aside about Barea: He's the best flopper in the NBA. The new rule prohibiting flops may take a huge toll on his already-shaky defense.

Andrei Kirilenko

He's back. The Russian defensive maestro used the lockout as an excuse for a year away from the NBA and the USA. He played for CSKA Moscow and was the MVP of the Russian Basketball Super League. That's the real name. He also led CSKA to the Euroleague final and was MVP of the tournament.

And he did that without breaking much of a sweat. Kirilenko has spoken all offseason about how rejuvenated he is, how ready to return. He says being back home and not playing night after night against elite players allowed him to recharge. And he looked the part in leading Russia to a bronzel medal in the London Olympics.

Kirilenko will be asked to play both forward positions. He's a defensive fiend, and even at 31, with his lone All-Star Game appearance eight years behind him, he will help organize the T'wolves on that end. Moreover, he rebounds and defends well at either forward spot, which should help Williams.

Brandon Roy and Alexey Shved

Speaking of former All-Stars who took last season off, Roy is back. Speaking of stars from the Russian national team, Shved is here. These two will give the T'wolves competent shooting guards for the first time since Latrell Sprewell retired. (If we're being harsh on Wally Szczerbiak and Ricky Davis, it's only because we love them. And they never played defense.)

Roy, 28, briefly retired and missed last season after a long string of knee problems. He's two years removed from being a top-five shooting guard, but he probably can't be counted on for too many minutes a game without risking another breakdown. Expect him to handle a nice chunk of the scoring in Love's absence.

Shved, 23, is a similarly versatile offensive player. He's struggled establishing himself in the preseason, but he has the talent to provide off-the-dribble playmaking with Rubio out. And he can hit down an open shot from any depth, which will help.

The T'wolves should be OK. If they're going to be good enough for a playoff berth with Love and Rubio, they should be good enough not to embarrass themselves without the duo. But those guys are good. And exciting. And they will be missed.