“Just in time,” Gomes said. “We’ve finally got a coach now.”
Nearly two months after Kahn dismissed the coach who Gomes and his teammates hoped would return next season, Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis today is expected to sign what is believed to be a four-year contract for more than $8 million and Tuesday will be introduced as the man who will replace Kevin McHale.
He also took over the top spot at times when Lakers coach Phil Jackson has had health problems.
Traded July 20 to the Los Angeles Clippers, the veteran forward played two of his three seasons with the Lakers while Rambis was an assistant coach there and said the Wolves are making a great hire.
“I think the Timberwolves and the state of Minnesota are very fortunate to have pried Kurt Rambis away from the Lakers,” Madsen said. “First and foremost, he’s a great basketball coach. The way he communicates and interacts with players, Kurt Rambis is the type of person that knows when to use the carrot and when to use the stick. He just understands how to motivate different types of players, different types of personalities.”
That sounds a little like Kevin McHale, the man Rambis will be succeeding as coach and an old rival who memorably clotheslined the former Lakers forward during the 1984 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
He interviewed more than a dozen candidates and cut the field to three two weeks ago. Rambis flew to the Twin Cities on Wednesday night to meet owner Glen Taylor.
Rambis, a Californian who spent most of his 14-year playing career with the Lakers, interviewed for jobs in Sacramento and Philadelphia this offseason. He couldn’t work out a deal with the Kings, and the 76ers went with Eddie Jordan.
Rambis should add some grit to the Wolves. That was his specialty as a player, when the bespectacled, wild-haired hustler would ignite fans at the old Forum by diving for loose balls, throwing an elbow or two to get position in the post and grabbing rebounds to start the famed Showtime fast break.
They’re also one with about $19.95 committed to the cap in the next few seasons, giving them flexibility and cash to spend. I tend to think cap space is incredibly overrated, especially for teams in less-than-high-profile markets, but at least the Wolves will have a clean shot to build a team. But for Rambis to be on a short term deal with pressure to win quickly would be totally unfair.
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