"If Randy Foye toted a conductor's baton and wore a tuxedo to work rather than a mesh singlet, you'd swear he knows every note and instrument in the orchestra.

You might wonder, however, if he can truly feel the music.

These Timberwolves, who open their 20th season Wednesday, without question are Al Jefferson's team, but the franchise has entrusted the directing to Foye, an explosive scorer who must show in his third season he can master the tone, nuance and shadings required from winning NBA point guards.

"I never knew who said I didn't," Foye said when asked about his progress learning the position. "I call the majority of our plays."

Randy Wittman has allowed him the freedom to do so in many instances, and he calls Foye's transition from prolific collegiate scorer to a pro point guard a process that is ever "evolving."

"That's when your team gets good," Wittman said. "When you have a quarterback out on the floor who knows what you want, so I don't have to stand up and call every play. He's still got a ways to go. He still has to work at it, but he is working at it."

His first two NBA seasons proved inconclusive. Thrilled to play alongside Kevin Garnett his rookie season, Foye demonstrated he doesn't fear failure by scoring nearly half of all his points in fourth quarters and overtimes.

Stunned and discouraged when Garnett was traded the following summer, he limped through his second NBA season physically and emotionally, missing the first three months because of a troublesome injury and adapting to a completely deconstructed team that won three times in the season's first seven weeks without him.

While Foye waited for a developing crack in his kneecap to heal, Portland's Brandon Roy --for whom Foye was traded on draft night in 2006 -- played his way to the cusp of stardom.

"I was just free my rookie year," Foye said. "Coming into my second year, I felt a lot of pressure because I knew I was one of the key guys after [Garnett] was gone. When I got injured, I took it tough. The team was struggling so bad, I wanted to play so bad, a lot of times I was in tears when I went home at night time."

Playing the part

He missed last season's first 43 games. In retrospect, he now considers his return too soon because he didn't approach his rookie season form until nearly April. His best play coincided with the Wolves' best during a season when he was out until late January and the other point guard, Sebastian Telfair, missed the final six weeks because of an injured ankle.

Telfair is 23 and Foye turned 25 last month, so the Wolves kept veteran free-agent point guard Kevin Ollie when they cut their roster to the maximum 15 players Thursday. Ollie's experience was valued both because he can mentor two young teammates at his position and because Telfair is suspended for the season's first three games.

Ollie has offered both players defensive pointers and he has shared with Foye h