Pfund has one year remaining on his Heat contract and was said to be looking for $3.5 million a year.
That is nearly six times more than the $600,000 average annual salary the Wolves reportedly were ready to offer Kahn and a lot more than they would have to pay Hoiberg, who could end up running the personnel side if Penn gets the top job.
Beyond that, there still are more questions than answers when it comes to the Wolves and their front-office search, but one thing seems clear.
With a coaching decision hanging in the balance and the draft clock ticking, it can’t go on much longer.
The Wolves likely would pair Penn — a salary-cap expert who has tutored under Jerry West, Kevin Pritchard and Chuck Daly in a 10-year NBA management career with Memphis and the Trail Blazers — with assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg as his top personnel evaluator.
ESPN.com, citing one unidentified league source Friday, said Penn is mulling an offer from the Wolves and is expected to accept.
Penn and former Indiana Pacers General Manager David Kahn are believed to be the only outside candidates both interviewed and still interested in the job.
For now, though, Love will settle for representing the Timberwolves at the draft lottery drawing in New Jersey on Tuesday night. General manager Jim Stack nominated the thin-bearded big man for the job after collecting endorsements from teammates Al Jefferson and Randy Foye.
Love is hoping his presence will bring some luck to a franchise that has been short in that department since entering the league 20 years ago.
Love is hoping his presence will bring some luck to a franchise that has been short in that department since entering the league 20 years ago.
“It’d be huge,” Love said, kidding that he wished he had the appropriate incentives in his contract, should this be the Wolves’ year to get the No. 1 pick.
From RandBall:
We hopped on a conference call earlier today featuring Kevin Love — who will be representing the Wolves at next Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery. We asked him, for fun, about Bill Simmons’ campaign to be the new Wolves GM. Love laughed and said “funny is not the word” for it and added it’s “interesting when his name is mentioned. He knows his stuff … [and] he writes a good column.”
Jonathan Givony/NBA.com on the team’s chances to get the top 3 picks.
The Timberwolves have no coach and no GM, but even their mascot could tell you that they desperately need a point guard, preferably Rubio. If they fail to move up, though, they should have their first choice of an intriguing crop of playmakers, including Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry or Tyreke Evans.
On-stage Representative: Kevin Love
Ian Thomsen/SI.com on five of the top picks and the franchise where each might have the biggest impact.
4. Hasheem Thabeet, 7-3 junior center, Connecticut.
“He makes some sense in Minnesota,” the scout said. “The Timberwolves are so small up front with Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. I know what they’re listed at, but that has to be on stilts — [Jefferson] is really 6-8 and Love is 6-8. They need length, and they don’t need to have a center who is good offensively. Thabeet will be OK on offense, not completely deficient; he shot 64 percent from the free throw line, so maybe they can get him up to 73-74 percent. He can be a double-double guy — by that I mean 10 and 10, not 18 and 10. And he’ll give you three blocks a game and a huge defensive presence.”
From the Associated Press:
A competency hearing for former NBA player Kirk Snyder has been delayed after the judge Ohio was told Snyder is being uncooperative.
A doctor assigned to evaluate Snyder told Warren County Common Pleas Judge Neal Bronson on Friday that Snyder isn’t cooperating. The doctor recommended that the 25-year-old be moved to a behavioral center for further evaluation.
Snyder has been charged with aggravated burglary, assault and felonious assault following a March break-in at a neighbor’s home.
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