"Sidelined for the first 43 games by a knee injury, Randy Foye closed last season with a rush, and Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman sees his starting point guard getting nothing but better.

There's just one question.

"What I've got to see now is can he make the next step from a leadership standpoint?" Wittman said. "He's kind of a shy, quiet guy. He's got to be able to demand some things on the floor. I'm looking for somebody for that. You've got to have that leadership both on and off the floor, and I think he can bring that to us."

According to Foye, message received.

Healthy again, he has embraced his new role and knows he must make at least one change to make it work.

"The only thing I would say is be a little more vocal," he said. "I know I can do everything else. I know I can score, pass, dribble. When things break down and guys get tired, just let them know, 'We need to pick it up here.' Just talk. Talk on defense and offense, and make sure this team does the things we need to do to win."

Talking might not be Foye's game, but his late-season numbers speak for themselves.

In addition to averaging 13.1 points and 4.2 assists, he led the Wolves to a 14-25 record in their final 39 games, compared with an 8-35 mark without him.

It might be stating the obvious, but Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said they're a different team with a healthy Foye in the lineup.

"I would say the last 20 games of the season probably will be more what Randy is going to be able to do for us this year," McHale said. "The thing I've always loved about Randy is that he takes and makes big shots. When we started winning more games, there were a lot of games in the balance that we would have lost earlier in the year, and Randy made some big shots and made a big difference."

Foye's talents as a scorer make him more of a combination guard than a classic point man, but the assist opportunities figure to go up this season with the addition of rookie forward Kevin Love and sharpshooting guard/forward Mike Miller.

Besides, being an NBA point guard doesn't always mean pass first.

"I think it means attack," Foye said. "If they stop me, then make the right pass. That's what I think is being a leader. Getting certain guys shots where they like to shoot the ball."

Love and Miller both said they like what they've seen of Foye.

"Great guy," Love said. "He was one of the first people I met when I was in summer league. I like him, and I like his game, too. He's a natural point guard and a leader. Hopefully, he'll have a healthy season."

If so, Foye and the Wolves could finally silence the critics of the 2006 draft-day trade that brought him to Minnesota for Brandon Roy, who went on to win NBA rookie of the year honors for Portland. "