"Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley sat out Wednesday's game at Orlando because of that hip he bruised the night before in Miami from a nasty fall he'd rather not ever see again.

"I couldn't really watch it," he said. "I tried, and I can stomach a lot, but the first time, it hurt me just watching it. Oh, it was bad. The whole crowd just shut up. When you hear that 'Ohhhhhhhh,' you know it's not real good."

Beasley said his hip didn't feel as bad when he awoke Wednesday morning as he thought it would. He said he would have played Wednesday if it were up to him, but admitted he'd probably hurt the team because he can't move laterally full speed and he said coach Kurt Rambis and the team's medical staff insisted he not rush back.

Beasley had scored 11 points in fewer than 11 minutes when he was injured in Tuesday's blowout loss.

"Honestly, yesterday was the first time I really felt at one with the offense," he said before Wednesday's game. "Everything was just flowing. The more you play in this offense, the more you learn, the more it becomes second nature. I wanted to play tonight just so I don't lose that rhythm."

Beasley said he hopes and expects to play Friday against Atlanta at Target Center. Rambis started rookie Wes Johnson for Beasley at small forward Wednesday and also replaced Wayne Ellington in the starting lineup with Corey Brewer because he said he wants more "energy" from his starting five.

Where is Darko?

The Wolves last summer guaranteed Darko Milicic $16 million for the next four seasons because they considered him a mobile 7-footer who could anchor the defense.

But he's got to make a shot sometime ... doesn't he?

Milicic has an 14.3 field-goal percentage (4-for-28) and didn't make a shot in games against Milwaukee, Miami or Orlando (0-for-6)."