Flip Saunders Once Again T-Wolves Head Coach

I think Flip Saunders should lace up his old Converse shoes and play backup point guard for the Wolves this year. What, with being President of Basketball Operations, part owner and head coach (again), being a player is the only element missing from making Saunders the ultimate basketball auteur. He’d be the director, writer, cinematographer and actor in the soon to be released 2014 film, “Without Love: A Rebuilding Story.”

Jokes aside, while it’s obvious Saunders will not be putting on a T-Wolves uniform anytime soon, it isn’t so obvious whether the decision to make Saunders the new head coach was a good one. In fact, from the sounds of it, some of the more vocal T-Wolves writers and fans online are none to pleased with the announcement.

And, well, I get that. I also understand the reservations one should have with Flip trying to balance both jobs as President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach -because given the duties each job entails (as POB his job is to build a team for the future, while as head coach his job is to do all he can to win in the present) it’s fairly likely that a conflict of interest will arise.

I even happen to agree with many of the points made by Britt Robson, Zach Harper, and Canis Hoopus writer Eric in Madison. That said, I don’t think the decision to make Flip head coach is bad as it seems.

Here’s why: He can act as a placeholder providing the franchise with time to rebuild and time to eventually go about properly finding a new head coach (something, as we have seen this summer, appears to be a challenge for the organization).

I would have loved Dave Blatt as much as the next person. But I’m with reporter Jon Krawcynski on this one: he needs experience coaching in the NBA first as an assistant - because unlike other NBA head coaches who have gone straight into the gig without assistant coaching experience (see Mark Jackson, Jason Kidd and Steve Kerr) they at least had been in an NBA huddle or interacted with NBA personnel. Blatt, as great as he is, has done neither.

In summary, I’m not thrilled about the decision to make Flip coach. That said, I also don’t think it’s as bad as some are making it out to be. So in conclusion, I present the following Seinfeld gif to sum up my feelings surrounding the situation:

Joerger Bomb: T-Wolves Lose Top Head Coaching Candidate (Fans Try Not Drowning Their Sorrows With Jägerbombs)

With Joerger gone, the dream scenario is now George Karl. 

Welp. According to reports Dave Joerger is returning to the Grizzles after having a one on one conversation with man-child owner Robert Pera. This now leaves Sam Mitchell as the new number one head coaching candidate according to reports. 

Having already expressed my concern about hiring Sam Mitchell, I wish not to think about him standing on the sidelines. Instead, I will think of other happier things. Such as, potential dream head coaches that on paper could actually happen, but in reality are as likely to happen as Robert Pera playing Tony Allen in a game of one on one.  

1. George Karl

Ricky Rubio in a George Karl offense would bring great joy to the world. And considering I more than likely won’t be able to get a playoff birth out of the Wolves next year, the very least I and all fans could get is some joy.    

2. Lionel Hollins

Despite being a fan of basketball analytics, I understand they are not the end all be all. You don’t have to use them to be successful – case in point Lionel Hollins. An old school defensive minded coach who could unleash a defensive minded T-Wolves team for the first time since the KG days -- I would love to see what he would do with Rubio on the perimeter and Gorgui Dieng down low on the defensive end.

3. ANY ASSISTANT FROM THE SPURS

Anyone, I don’t care if it’s the video coordinator. Look at Atlanta with Mike Budenholzer and Philly with Brett Brown last year. Those two franchises now have two promising head coaches with them for a long time. Heck, Atlanta nearly knocked off the top seeded Pacers in the first round thanks to Budenholzer’s offensive strategy that gave the Pacers fits. The NBA isn’t as difficult as it seems. You do what Philly, Orlando and Atlanta has done – you hire people from the best and most progressive thinking front offices (i.e. Spurs, Thunder, Houston) to run your team. It’s not rocket science.

Joerger Bomb: T-Wolves Have A Legitimately Good Head Coaching Candidate (Fans Get Drunk With Excitement)

Despite the not so lovely situation involving Kevin Love this week, there actually has been some good news regarding a T-Wolves rumor (shocking I know). Namely, the possibility of a homecoming for Memphis Grizzles head coach Dave Joerger.

Given the recent reports on how Grizzles owner Robert Para has been essentially acting like an irrational toddler on a power trip (trust me, they are THE worst) it makes sense that Joerger would want to leave his current situation. And in even better news, following a radio interview Grizzles General Manager Chris Wallace did yesterday, it sounds like according to reporter Jon Krawcynski that if the Wolves want Joerger, “he’s theirs.”

And me oh my how I would love for Joerger to be the new T-Wolves head coach. My initial top candidate was Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg simply because his team’s shot chart is downright BEAUTIFUL. Seriously, for basketball stat heads like myself it’s like a Playboy centerfold. You look it and you’re like, “Is this real?” And, thankfully, unlike the assets on the majority of Playboy centerfolds, IT IS REAL!

LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL SHOT CHART.  LOOK AT IT, IT'S SOOOO EFFICIENT 

But Joerger would be a great get as well because unlike Hoiberg, he actually has experience coaching in the NBA. Also, considering the fact Joerger was named head coach of the Grizzles by a management team including John Hollinger tells me that were he to become the next Timberwolves head coach, the T-Wolves would (finally) have a coach that takes advanced stats into account when making decisions. (Which is something I like, and is also something that cannot be said about Sam Mitchell - another head coach candidate, which, were he to get the job, would cause me to sigh in exasperation)

According to Krawcynski, the Wolves are likely to meet with Joerger today, so if any further news develops, check back here for more analysis.

Minnesota Timberwolves Coaching Update

Guess what? There is nothing to update! The Minnesota Timberwolves haven't done anything with their head coaching search lately and I don't get it. Why aren't they doing anything? Seriously Kahn what are you doing? There is honestly nothing else for you to do. No free agents to sign, no rookies to sign, no nothing except find this coach. I know there is no rush to get this done but come on already. Get Rick Adelman to sign along the dotted line and lets get these fans excited.

Rick Adelman Wants Timberwolves Head Coaching Position?

I'm still trying to figure out why Rick Adelman flew in from Portland to interview with the Timberwolves. He really shouldn't be interested in this job, but it seems like he is. At least he might be interested at the money the Wolves would throw at him. For a rebuilding job like this, I'm assuming the Timberwolves would have to offer him somewhere around 5 million dollars a year. Probably more than that. I just can't see him wanting this job. The roster doesn't fit at all and management has a history of treating coaches poorly after the whole Kurt Rambis fiasco. Only time will tell, but I really hope the Timberwolves are able to get Rick Adelman to coach this team. Plus he totally looks like Count Dooku from Star Wars.

The Next Head Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves Will Be...

I have absolutely no idea who will be the next head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves because none of the candidates who have been interviewed make any sense. The big reason for this is that David Kahn goes only for the big names and clearly doesn't care if his hiring makes any basketball sense what so ever. I'll go through each candidate and tell you why they make no sense to me.

Don Nelson - All time winningest coach and plays up tempo style that Kahn craves. Too bad the guy is 71 years old and will be able to coach this team for a year or two. He also has a history of being terrible with young players. Thankfully this team is littered with them.

Bernie Bickerstaff - Proven to be a terrible coach. Has been a head coach for 13 seasons and has been mediocre in each. He is also very old, 71 to be exact. Maybe Rubio can wheel him along the sidelines while he yells at Beasley during games.

Larry Brown - Has been a terrible coach in his last two stops. Also extremely old at age 70. Has been terrible with young point guards. Good thing we don't have one coming next year... Hasn't been a good coach since 2004 when he was with the Pistons.

Terry Porter - Was fired in Phoenix because his team wasn't playing at a fast enough pace. Weird, I think Kahn wants the Wolves to play at a fast pace.

Sam Mitchell - Wasn't even on Kahn's original list. Clearly a courtesy throw in by Glen Taylor.

Mike Woodson - Defensive coach whose Hawk teams played at one of the slowest paces in the league. Probably won't be hired he is merely just a name.

Rick Adelman - Makes all the sense in the world. Proven winner whose ball movement would likely make sense for the Wolves and appease Kahn. He is not interested in this job and only interviewed for it by phone.

Pretty much I hate all of these candidates and wish Kahn would hire a young assistant and not a big name who will do terribly with this job.

Timberwolves Planning to Interview Larry Brown

After interviewing Don Nelson over the weekend and Rick Adelman over the phone, the Minnesota Timberwolves intend on interviewing Larry Brown sometime this week. Brown is 6th all time on the all time wins list with 1,098. Brown has coached for 9 different teams and won an NBA championship with the 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons.

Once again, this one just makes no sense. Is David Kahn just putting his hand into a hat and pulling out names here or is he really thinking about this? Not only is Brown extremely old, he is 70, he also has not coached a winning team since his days in Detroit. Not only that, he doesn't even run an up tempo offense that Kahn wants this team to play with.

This honestly would be hilarious if we hired him though. Imagine Larry Brown and David Kahn together. They would probably trade the entire team except for Derrick Williams. Larry Brown always trades all of his players and David Kahn loves to trade all of his players, so it's a perfect match.

Seriously I hope this doesn't happen though.

Bernie Bickerstaff is Latest to Interview for Head Coaching Job

Minnesota Timberwolve's owner Glen Taylor and president of basketball operations David Kahn will be interviewing Bernie Bickerstaff today. When it was first rumored that Kurt Rambis was going to be fired, Bernie Bickerstaff was the first person who was mentioned as a possible replacement for Rambis. In fact, it was rumored that Kahn even reached out to Bickerstaff in early June to join the Wolves. The idea here was that Bickerstaff would groom his son, J.B. Bickerstaff, while coaching the team for the next couple of years. Houston really shot this plan down when they hired J.B. Bickerstaff to become a part of their staff. Bickerstaff is still interviewing the job today, regardless of his son.

This would be an absolutely terrible hire for the Wolves. I don't ever even want J.B. Bickerstaff ever coaching this team. This guy has enough experience as a head coach that we just know that he is terrible. First of all, he is 67. He is 415-517 in 13 seasons. This isn't a small sample size of a guy who has had some unlucky breaks. There is very clear evidence that he is not a successful NBA coach. Thankfully, there is a report that former Sacramento Kings head coach Rick Adelman will interview with the team on Saturday. Adelman led the Sacramento Kings to the Western Conference Finals in 2002.

Mike Woodson and Terry Porter are First to Interview for Head Coaching Position

David Kahn and the basketball operations staff began interviewing candidates for the head coaching vacancy early this week. The first two candidates to come in were Mike Woodson and Terry Porter. Both of these choices really puzzled me, but I feel like Kahn is trying to get as many big names in as possible to interview, just to excite the fan base. I like the Woodson interview just because he has been through this before. He took a Hawks team that won 13 games in his first season to 3 consecutive playoff births after his 6th season. The puzzling part for me is that he is a defensive minded coach and his teams have played at the slowest paces while he was a coach for the Hawks.

The Terry Porter interview really doesn't make sense to me. The only thing that makes sense about it is that he was a successful NBA point guard who could mentor Ricky Rubio. Here's a guy who went to the Phoenix Suns and slowed down the fastest team in the NBA. Kahn, this is literally exactly the opposite of what you want. He has already slowed down one team, you probably don't share the same beliefs as him, so this would have a terrible ending. If you want up tempo, look at Don Nelson or Rick Adelman.

List of Possible New Coaches for the Timberwolves

Jerry Zgoda wrote a list today of all the possible candidates for the Minnesota Timberwolves head coaching position. Here's the list:

Rick Adelman - Has his teams play with the free moving ball movement that Kahn desires and is a proven winner. Kevin Love might even sign an extension if Adelman is hired as Love and Adelman's son played high school basketball together.

Don Nelson - Has his teams play the up tempo style that Kahn craves and has the most wins in NBA history. Is reportedly interested in the job and intrigued by Rubio and Love.

Dave Joerger - Coached Memphis's much improved defense last season and almost got the top assistant job for Kevin McHale.

Bryan Gates - Worked with Kahn in the D League and is an assistant for New Orleans

Sam Mitchell - Has ties to the franchise as a former player.

Larry Brown - Coached NBA championship team in 2003-2004 Pistons

Mike Fratello - Former Grizzlies coach and has connections with Kahn.

Lorenzo Romar - Known for his up tempo style of play at the University of Washington.

My suggestion? Lawrence Frank. He was an excellent coach at New Jersey until they depleted his roster. Also, he has been the defensive coordinator for the Boston Celtics defense which was one of the best defenses in the league even after trading center Kendrick Perkins. He also probably picked up a ton of experience last season while working under Doc Rivers.