Rosas using Houston lessons in Minnesota

Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas made his return to Houston on Saturday.

“It’s a lot of memories, a lot of close friends, a lot of family here in town,” he said.

Rosas spent 16 seasons with the Rockets, working under general manager Daryl Morey and contributing to a front office that turned the franchise into a perennial contender.

Rosas took over a team in Minnesota that expected to be in a rebuilding mode. The Timberwolves (15-22) entered Saturday one game out of the eighth seed in the West. Star center KarlAnthony Towns is having the best season of his career, but has missed the last 12 games because of a left knee sprain. During his absence, the Timberwolves have gone 5-7.

“A lot of work to do in Minnesota,” Rosas said.

Rosas alluded to the ways in which he is applying the good habits he picked up in Houston to a talented but underachieving roster in Minnesota.

“Our focus has been on character and identity,” he said. “It takes time, especially when you’re doing it with younger players. We’ve changed the style of play. We’ve got them honoring both ends of the floor there. Our young guys are playing great. (Towns is) banged up, but he’s having the best year of his career. Andrew Wiggins’ career has been revitalized. We’re building the foundation for something great. Everybody wants more wins, but the reality is we have to do the little things right.

“A lot of times when you have more losses than wins, you lose focus on the bigger picture.

We’re building habits. We’re building identity. That has to be done day in and day out.”

He credited Dennis Lindsey, the executive vice president of basketball operations for the

Utah Jazz and former Rockets’ assistant general manager, for mentoring him. He gleaned advice from Lindsey on the lifechanging transition from a secure job in Houston to an uphill challenge in another organization.

“He’s been through it,” Rosas said. “He left home.”

With only about 24 hours to catch up in Houston, Rosas did not have much time to reminisce.

“You want to see everybody and catch up with everybody, but it’s the NBA life,” he said.

“We gotta keep going.”

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni echoed the sentiment. He did not get to pal around with Rosas on Saturday.

“Nah, I work for a living,” D’Antoni joked. “I’m pretty respectful on game days. We wouldn’t do that. But he’ll do a good job.”

City earlier in the week. Sitting him Saturday will give him four days of rest until Tuesday’s matchup against the Grizzlies in Memphis, which coach Mike D’Antoni does not expect Capela to miss.

“We have a couple days off afterwards,” D’Antoni said. “Hopefully we can get it well in the next four days.”

D’Antoni washopeful the nagging injury to the team’s vital center would subside easily.

“It’s a bruise, and once he warms it up, it’s OK,” D’Antoni said. “Back-to-backs are tough on him because he gets really sore. He improved a lot from the backto-back to today, but if we take three or four days, he might get over it completely. We’d like for him to play pain free.”

Prior to his back-to-back games, Capela had been given a four-day layoff in the new year to address his heel injury.