So he took four of them, and traded one potentially for a mid-first-round pick next summer in what is projected as a fruitful draft.
Unconcerned with next season’s roster balance and victory total, focused on the team’s accumulated assets by 2012, the man with a three-year contract shopped for value and players he believes have the best chance for “greatness.”
“We need a coach,” he said. “And I can say that today for the first time. We need a coach.”
Kahn said he plans to start interviewing candidates next week and hopes to hire someone by the end of July.
“But if it’s Aug. 1, I hope that people aren’t terribly disturbed,” he said. “I think that the critical issue is getting it right.”
Kahn wouldn’t discuss any candidates, but ESPN/ABC analyst Mark Jackson is expected to be a leading contender.
Asked if it was a coincidence that Jackson seemed to like every pick the Wolves made in Thursday night’s draft, Kahn laughed and said: “It is just coincidence. It is. Like I said, (the) list isn’t even done.”
Kahn said he will postpone any decisions about his new permanent front office until a coach is named. It is believed that the contracts of General Manager Jim Stack and assistant GM Fred Hoiberg expire Wednesday, but Kahn said the staff he inherited will keep working through July. “Everybody was magnificent,” Kahn said. “I was really pleased with how hard everybody worked, how prepared they were, how professional they were.”
Kahn said he did not push Ricky Rubio to attend Friday’s Target Center news conference that introduced new players Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington. “It’s been a very hard period for him and his family because of the contract buyout situation,” he said. “We won’t be pounding our fists on the table.”
What really sold the Wolves, though, was Flynn’s defense, which he showcased during a predraft workout against Memphis’ 6-foot-6 Tyreke Evans.
“I truly believe Jonny Flynn will be defensively, and I mean this sincerely,” Kahn said, “one of the great on-the-ball defenders in our league in due time.”
It looks like Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris might be reunited again. We caught up with Harris working out at him and Jonny’s alma mater in Niagara Falls on Friday.
After going undrafted Thursday night, Harris says he’s talking with both Cleveland and the Minnesota Timberwolves in hopes of signing as a free agent.
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