Kahn’s letter to season ticket holders

College Wolf  received this email to season ticket holders this afternoon:

Dear College Wolf,

As you may have already heard, today we will announce that Kevin McHale will not return to coach our team next season. Consequently, we will commence a search for our new head coach immediately after the draft with the hopes of having a selection made by mid-summer.

I have the deepest respect for Kevin McHale and his many accomplishments as a player, basketball executive and basketball coach – especially those that have occurred in the State of Minnesota. Under Kevin’s leadership, the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals once and were a perennial playoff team for a number of years.

I did not know Kevin McHale until I took this job and can tell you that he is an even better person than most understand. He is warm, bright, upbeat and relentlessly optimistic. He cares about making players the best they can be. Because of those qualities, I thought long and hard with him about whether we could create an environment where he and the team could succeed next season with him as head coach.

We will have a team in transition for the next few years as we build through the draft, trades and free agency. Because of the changes that have already occurred and are likely forthcoming, I believed it would have been difficult for everybody involved to put Kevin in this position.

I hope people will join me in recognizing the many successes Kevin had in building the Timberwolves.

I continue to be excited by the opportunities that likely will present themselves during the next 16 months. With multiple picks in this year’s and next year’s drafts, salary cap flexibility, and with several expiring contracts, we will have the ability to accumulate talent and begin our climb to the top.

When I arrived in Minnesota, I pledged that no other team would outwork or outthink the Timberwolves basketball staff during our quest to win a championship for this community. As draft day approaches, I assure you we are working relentlessly in preparation for this draft. I want to thank you for all the support you have shown me in my first three weeks on the job and I look forward to working tirelessly to make you proud of your team.

Regards,

David Kahn
President, Basketball Operations