Indications are that current Minnesota Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis is expected to be fired.
But when?
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the timetable of the firing is uncertain, but it seems as though players are becoming disgruntled with Rambis’ leadership.
Several league sources told Yahoo! Sports that Rambis is expected to be fired, but as it stands now the timetable is unkown on when an announcement will be made.
In Spears’ article, Full spin ahead for NBA coaching carousel, he states that “one Wolves player told Yahoo! Sports that Rambis’ game plans were often confusing and the coaching staff didn’t seem to be on the same page.”
If you followed this team all season, that statement makes complete sense.
Throughout the season the Wolves would go through stretches in games where Kevin Love’s groupies knew what was going on more than the players. Much of that can be attributed to Rambis’ shoddy gameplans.
In his second year as head coach, Rambis led the Wolves to a 17-65 record. But what was most frustrating as a fan was the 15-game losing streak that the Wolves ended the season on.
While the team showed improvements for much of the season, the team ended up gaining only two wins from the 2009-10 season in which they went 15-67.
Spears goes on to discuss what another league source had to say about Rambis’ chances of keeping his job for the 2011-12 season.
“Another league source described Rambis’ chances of keeping his job as “slim,” saying the only thing that could save him is if Wolves ownership doesn’t want to eat the remaining money on his contract and hire someone new with a possible lockout approaching.”
The prospects of a potential lockout could hinder the chances that Rambis gets fired.
With the uncertainty of a season for 2011-12, there is no real rush to fire a coach and eat two years of their salary. Instead owner Glen Taylor will likely wait to see if a new CBA is reached before moving forward with the alleged expected termination of Rambis’ job as coach of the Timberwolves.
One name that Spears throws out is ESPN NBA commentator Mark Jackson who was a front runner for the same position two years ago.
While Spears suggests that the Wolves may look for someone with more experience, the Wolves struggled mightily at the point guard position this past season, and Jackson could be what the doctor ordered.
Jackson or no Jackson this is great news for Timberwolves’ fans.
While the process may take much of the summer, it appears that Kurt Rambis will not be coaching the Timberwolves next season.
-Brett Cloutier
Click here to check out ‘What Went Wrong,’ Part 1 of Brett’s Season Review of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brett is a contributor to The Sports Bank as beat writer for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Gopher hockey. He is also the co-host of “The Backdoor Cut,” a Minneapolis based sports and pop culture radio show.
You can follow Brett on Twitter @brettcloutier