Down the stretch of the 2007-2008 season, the Wolves’ supporting cast took some of the burden off the shoulders of Al Jefferson.

As a result, double-double totals suffered.

Jefferson finished with 55 double-doubles, third best in the league after sitting in second for much of the season behind Dwight Howard’s regular-season 67. Jefferson averaged a double-double in every month except for January (.2 rebounds shy) and March (1.2 rebounds shy), but in both months averaged fewer minutes in comparison to the rest of the season.

Jefferson aside, other Wolves contributors took up a more pronounced role. Ryan Gomes scored 13.5 points per game and grabbed 6.3 boards in the second half of the year, compared to 11.6 and 5.3 in the season’s first three months.

It was evident that Gomes had accepted the fact that Jefferson is the cornerstone of the Wolves offense - yet this is exactly what makes him valuable. In March, for instance, Gomes averaged the quietest 15.9 points in the history of the game.

Randy Foye’s return from a knee injury provided 13.1 extra points of production in the season’s second half, including 18.4 in April. In the Wolves last five, in which they won three, Foye averaged 21.2 points on 43-of-86 shooting (50 percent).

The new addition of Kirk Snyder not only provided solid minutes, but Snyder was a contributor immediately. The boxscore shows his impact, but his energy and hustle on both ends was a constant boost as well. Snyder grabbed a career-high 11 boards at Memphis on April 12, and with that kind of aggressiveness on the boards, Jefferson could breathe a little easier.

Rashad McCants showed that he can score at will, and found a niche coming off the bench. In March and April, McCants scored in double figures all but three times (one of which he only received three minutes of playing time), including 15 15-plus outings. The guard showed terrific range from three, breaking the single-season team record for three-pointers made in a season previously held by J.R. Rider.

McCants, Gomes and Foye picked up much of the scoring slack that previously fell solely on the shoulders of Jefferson. Snyder and Gomes both showed that they could grab their share of rebounds.

In the Wolves’ 10 wins in March and April, Minnesota averaged five players in double figures in each of those victories.

As the supporting cast continues to demonstrate that they can relieve Big Al of the pressure to score and rebound at such a rapid pace, the wins will come - as they did in March and April - as will a rest for Jefferson.