By Wednesday, Rambis will begin meeting with the team’s current four assistant coaches to decide who he wants to keep on his coaching staff. Kahn said the team will add one or two new coaches. Boston assistant general manager Dave Wohl has been mentioned in media reports as a likely No. 1 assistant, although Kahn said “nobody has been interviewed or considered at this point.”
Rambis’ staff will have a couple of young coaches he expects to be on call “24/7” so there would be a coach available if, say, Flynn wants to shoot at 10 p.m. in the team’s practice facility. Current assistants already have traveled to work with Flynn in New York state, Ellington in Philadelphia and Love in Las Vegas this summer.
Kahn said he evaluated every coaching candidate he interviewed based on three issues: player development; the desire to be a running, up-tempo team; and a willingness to play young players for the first year or two, even at the possible expense of some wins.
“I think Kurt will excel at all three of the issues,” Kahn said. “His reputation around the league is he is a wonderful teacher who is hands-on on the court and understands that part of our business and will really energize it.”
Rubio has two years remaining on his contract with DKV Joventut Badalona, his professional team in Spain, and has yet to be able to negotiate down a buyout number that is at least $6.6 million.
“I believe his representatives are working diligently to get a solution. I have no idea at this point whether a solution can be reached. But I believe we kind of know what the parameters are and I think that we have a chance,” Kahn said Monday after announcing that Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis will be the team’s next head coach. “But I wouldn’t even begin to state the percentage toward that chance of this being accomplished this season versus next season or even two seasons. It’s still very problematic.”
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