The Minnesota Timberwolves have never been very good except maybe the year they went into the playoffs with Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell, and Sam Casell. How that team had enough basketballs to shoot is still a mystery to many fans, but they did go to the Western Conference finals to be eliminated by the Lakers after Casell went down with a back injury. The TWolves are banking on Kurt Rambis to bring a little of that Laker magic to Minnesota.

How about Kurt Rambis?

Rambis is doing a great job at Minnesota, but will it ever show up in the win loss column? Maybe not. He needs more experienced players that have been there. His best player is Al Jefferson, the infamous player traded from the Celtics for Kevin Garnett. Beyond that he has Jonny Flynn, Corey Brewer, Kevin Love, and Ryan Gomes. The rest of the team is just unknowns, except for recent NCAA champion Wayne Ellington who has failed to score in double figures all season.

Coach Kurt Rambis greets old pal Kobe Bryant

Still Kurt presses on coaching the Triangle offense he learned as a Laker.

Rambis, a former Lakers player who was a Jackson assistant the previous five seasons, received his 2008-09 championship ring before the game — but that’s where the Lakers’ hospitality ended.

The Lakers found themselves in a similar position as the Raptors early, clinging to a 56-54 lead at halftime. Rambis is a Jackson disciple who is trying to teach his team the triangle offense, which Jackson said has its advantages because it’s difficult to coach against. That might be true for other teams, but certainly not for Jackson, who has won 10 NBA championships utilizing the scheme.

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So how can a team be 3 – 20 and there is nothing but flattering things to say about the coach? That is not a complicated question really, because Kurt has built the TWolves in his image. They play hard, they don’t give up and they play the Triangle offense which gives teams fits if they don’t see it very often.

Kurt will most likely never be real successful at Minnesota due to the fact they have a history of not getting enough quality players, but he will be a successful coach somewhere before his basketball career is over.

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Kurt Rambis was originally drafted by the Knicks and ended up playing for several teams, but is best known for his stints with the Lakers in L.A.

Rambis is the man with the goggles. That is how we will always remember him. Kurt averaged around 5 points and 5 rebounds for his career, but that is not what his career was all about. Rambis epitomized hustle and would make himself a pest to the other team. He was like a mad dog that the Lakers kept penned up and released whenever they felt it would cause the other team problems.

NBA Kurt Rambis factoid: Kurt Rambis had his jersey retired by Santa Clara University for being the all time leading scorer with 1,736 points.

Kevin Love brings the emotion!

NBA Legendary Coaches

Kurt had the opportunity to play for legendary Coach Pat Riley and Super Star Coach Phil Jackson. Today with the Timberwolves Kurt attempts to apply the triangle offense in the T’wolves offensive sets. It worked a whole lot better before Kevin Love was injured.

It is all new and all youth with Rambis and the T’wolves. Even his coaches are learning.

“There are no holdover players from my system,” Rambis says. “They’re all learning. Even my assistant coaches are learning,” including former head coaches Bill Laimbeer (the WNBA’s Detroit Shock), Reggie Theus (Sacramento Kings) and Dave Wohl (New Jersey Nets).

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Besides Kevin Love, the Timberwolves have speedy Jonny Flynn and big Al Jefferson. All young and all learning and as much as Rambis would want to take them to the playoffs, it won’t be this year. In the meantime Kurt is making his mark as a teacher and patient coach. Maybe he needs to find someone wearing goggles to really start winning!

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No, this is not the time to start singing some song about Bill and Kurt sitting on a tree or something like that. It was just a surprise that Bill Laimbeer liked anyone in the whole world, let alone a former Los Angeles Laker and former agitator like Kurt Rambis, but he does and he admits it freely.

Kahn interviewed Laimbeer for the head coaching position that eventually went to Rambis. In a surprising move, Laimbeer decided to take a job working under Rambis after losing out on the position he really wanted.

“I like the guy,” Laimbeer said. “He’s well-prepared and is a lot like me, which surprised me. He’s a Laker. I’m a Piston.

“He speaks his mind, honest, blunt, sarcastic. Ditto. I thought it was a good fit, and we’re going to zing each other, but it’ll be fun. The bottom line is that he’s very competitive and wants to win, and that’s my nature.”
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Bill Laimbeer has been successful everywhere from starting at Notre Dame to leading the Pistons to two NBA titles, to leading the Detroit Shock to 3 WNBA titles. Laimbeer is driven to success and is one of the most competitive individuals you will ever meet.

Bill Laimbeer knows winning

Bill has never been afraid to do whatever is necessary to win and that might also be the motto for Kurt Rambis on the Lakers, where his main job was to do the dirty work.

So why did Kurt Rambis hire Bill Laimbeer? He wanted someone that would tell it like he saw it and not try to please the boss. Besides Bill has an excellent record as coach of the Detroit Shock and while no one would say that equates to coaching in the NBA, at least it is winning and that is all Bill knows is winning.

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Ricky Rubio is lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves and won’t be coming to the NBA anytime soon. GM Kahn did not deliver Rubio and you have to wonder how that affects his job status.

Ricky Rubio agreed to a 6 year deal with Regal FC Barcelona and there is no NBA out clause until 2011. The TWolves can kiss him goodbye at least for now. Not sure the exact rules, but it appears Rubio will someday be a TWolve.

Rubio, 18, apparently won’t play for the T’wolves until the 2011-12 season, and that’s devastating for the franchise’s new regime, which hoped to tout Rubio as one of its fresh-faced stars. Minnesota was able to legally pay only $500,000 toward the buyout, and the relative constraints of the Twin Cities’ market made the accumulation of endorsement deals difficult to close the gap on the buyout figure. Rubio would’ve made nearly $3.3 million in the NBA this season as the fifth pick in the draft.

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The new Timberwolve boss David Kahn had predicted he would sign Rubio, but now after 67 days and no Ricky Rubio, it finally looks like he is not going to be in the NBA this year. This is tough for Kahn, because Ricky was going to be the face of the new Timberwolves and lead the team down a rebuilding path.

Rubio signs to play in Europe

Jonny Flynn from Syracuse, also a rookie, will now be the new point guard of the future for Minnesota. This has to be tough to handle, not because Jonny is not very good, he is good, but Rubio had that flair that puts butts in the seats.

Rubio is one of the most celebrated young prospects to ever come out of Europe, a cult figure who has played pro ball since his 15th birthday. Kahn, the NBA Developmental League owner who was the surprise choice of Minnesota’s ownership to replace former GM Kevin McHale, has banked a lot of his early credibility on how he’s handled Rubio’s buyout negotiations.

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Bill Laimbeer came out of the California high school system as a center and played at Notre Dame. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. After playing in Italy for a season, Bill returned to Cleveland and played two years before being traded to the Isiah Thomas led Detroit Pistons.

While playing for the Pistons, Laimbeer teamed up with Rick Mahorn to win a NBA title and develop a reputation for meanness on the court. One of his favorite moves on post defense was to swipe his hand down to rake your arm as you tried to turn to shoot. He did it in a way that was mostly hidden from the referees. It drove players crazy.

Bill Laimbeer NBA factoid: Bill Laimbeer and his Detroit teammates are the only players to have a playoff winning record against NBA legends Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. source

Still Bill was more than that or he would not have lasted or played on the Pistons as they won a second title without Rick Mahorn. The Pistons became known as the Bad Boys because of their aggressive defense that was played in a very physical style. After the two titles the NBA changed several of their rules to tone down the defense.

There is Bill Laimbeer, but can he guard Barack Obama?

Bill was amazingly competitive and a top notch darts player. One year he announced he would win the rebounding title and then went out and did it. He was a 4 time All Star.

After the NBA there were no takers for Bill’s coaching services. It was often stated they only remembered him by reputation and did not want him around. Bill began coaching in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock and won 3 titles in 6 years. Again no NBA coaching offers came to him. Finally he quit the Shock with the stated intention to become an NBA coach.

Now along comes Kurt Rambis from the Los Angeles Lakers and hires Bill Laimbeer to be his assistant on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

New Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis will add former Detroit Pistons bad-boy center Bill Laimbeer and former Sacramento Kings coach Reggie Theus to his staff, according to a league source.
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Now if you live in Minnesota and you have now gotten past the will Brett Favre play for my Vikings or not and you are long past the Do we really want an ex-Packer as our quarterback and now you are ready for the Ricky Rubio escapade.

You see, Ricky has some splainin to do. All you young non-Lucy fans will have to excuse the old time reference, maybe go ask your Mom what that means. Just why did he enter the draft if he did not want to play in the National Basketball Association? Don’t tell me playing for the Timberwolves is turning him off, because with the Timberwolves he is almost guaranteed to start and be a star.

Timberwolves need the face of Ricky Rubio

Minnesota needs Rubio, because even after all of the deals they made, including GM and Coach, they still need a face to put on the franchise. Besides, Ricky can make all kinds of bucks by playing for the TWolves.

He can make far more money in endorsements as an internationally marketed NBA player than he can playing in Barcelona or Madrid.

And if he delays a year or two and stays in Europe, he’s now six or seven years from that big max contract he and his representatives are eyeing as the payoff for the money the Joventut buyout will cost him out of his pocket.

If Rubio stays in Europe for two years, Jonny Flynn will be three years away from cashing in with that big second contract and Rubio will still be five years away.

Plus, even the rookie pay scale in the NBA this season will pay him far more than he’ll get paid in Europe.
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Kurt Rambis would love to coach Ricky Rubio and he understands the value of a solid point guard even if he is a rookie. Hey, nobody is kidding anyone and thinking the TWolves will begin to dominate. They are still a pretty bad team, but you have to give your fans a player to hang their hat on, someone that makes them believe they have a chance. Ricky gives them that chance.

Now does anyone have 8 million to loan to Ricky Rubio?

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Ok, no surprise here in the NBA.com Power Rankings.
Yes, it is the Los Angeles Lakers number 1 as they should be, but maybe you should take a look, because they added Ron Artest. If handled correctly he can be a force. And Lamar Odom? They resigned him and he is a difference maker.

There was little doubt that fans in Cleveland, Boston, Orlando, San Antonio and other cities were holding out hope that Lamar Odom(notes) would just sign with Miami instead of returning to the Lakers.

As it turned out, Odom never really intended to leave the Lakers—and he wound up taking less money than Lakers owner Jerry Buss initially offered him upon the opening of free agency to return. Odom signed a four-year deal worth $33 million—if the Lakers pick up a fourth-year team option.

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Scanning further down the list to the seventh spot you find the Denver Nuggets. Hey, didn’t they kind of pass all of the West teams except for the Lakers? And all they get are a seventh place ranking? Whoa, that is tough! That may cause Chauncey Billups to shrug his shoulders and say something strong like “We’ll see.”

Chauncey Billups may shrug

Wait a minute; Portland and Washington are rated 8th and 9th? When did this happen? Agent Zero returns and the Wizards and going to play great ball? Andre Miller moves to Portland and they are going to play great ball? Why don’t you ask Utah, Atlanta, and Philly about that?

Oh wow, Phoenix Suns in 15th and belonging there. That is hard to believe with a healthy Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash, but it is probably right.

Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks after about 425 player deals sit 27th and 28th. Ouch!

Rounding out the 30th spot are the Sacramento Kings and your intrepid author defies you to name one single King player. They earned that spot.

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The Timberwolves have made a number of player moves this off season and will be a completely different team and hope to soon add a new coach. It will be a National Basketball Association team makeover and it won’t come without some hard feelings.

It seems that there was good reason for Kevin McHale, the old GM and Coach, to hit the road or none of this makeover would have happened.

Taylor told The Associated Press on Sunday that the financially motivated trades Kahn has made this summer that have jettisoned veterans Mike Miller, Randy Foye, Mark Madsen, Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair probably would not have sat well with former coach Kevin McHale, who brought all those players to Minnesota when he was the boss.

Kahn told McHale in June that he would not return to coach next season, but he refused to divulge his reasons for making the decision in a news conference after it was announced.

“It’s probably a little bit more obvious why he would have had trouble with Coach McHale,” Taylor said Sunday after a visit to Vikings training camp in his hometown of Mankato. “Some of those guys were really his favorite guys.
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Rubbing Kevin McHale the wrong way is not the only remaining issue for the Minnesota Timberwolves and GM Taylor. Not only do the Timberwolves need a coach, now that McHale is gone, but they also have the Ricky Rubio situation to deal with.

Kevin McHale is gone and the Timberwolves move on

Ricky Rubio wants to play for Minnesota and who knows why, but he does, but he is still under contract to his team in Europe. NBA rules prevent Minnesota from being able to pay enough money to get Rubio out of his contract.

Maybe this year we find out if this is a different Timberwolves team in the post McHale era.

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Won’t anybody just keep this guy? What is he a travelling salesman or something? Quentin Richardson was traded again and again. Quentin Richardson has been traded 3 times in just recent history. First on draft night from New York to Memphis, then from Memphis to the Clippers, and now from the Clippers to the Timberwolves.

Quentin Richardson 3 jerseys ago

Hey, is it possible to belong to all the crummy teams in one year? It is amazing when you think about it.

The Clippers added 3 nobodies in Telfair, Craig Smith, and Mark Madsen and the TWolves get Richardson.

“We are really excited to add these three players to our team,” said Clippers general manager and head coach Mike Dunleavy. “This move really gives some much needed depth.”
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What he is really saying is they stink and with this trade they stink even more.

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Ok, forget the five players involved in the trade. Randy Foye, so what. Mike Miller, likes to shoot. Etan Thomas, can rebound a little. Think more on the picks. Minnesota now has both the 5th and 6th pick in the upcoming NBA draft 2009. Think about the possibilities.

For the Timberwolves, they now own both the fifth and sixth picks in Thursday’s draft. With Foye now on his way to D.C., it’s safe to assume Minnesota will likely draft a point guard with at least one of those two selections.

Multiple sources have indicated that Wolves are very high on combo guard Tyreke Evans. However, there have been questions as to whether or not Evans will be a true point guard in the NBA. With the fifth pick now in their back pocket, the Wolves could now potentially draft Evans along with another “true” point guard should they so desire. The Wolves could also package the fifth and sixth picks in an attempt to try and move up in the draft, possibly as high as #2 if the Grizzlies are willing to pull the trigger.
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Will Ricky Rubio be a Timberwolf?

Timberwolf fans have to be loving the new GM David Kahn. He has put the team in position to land two great rookies or even trade up and get a possible franchise player like Rubio or Thabeet. This was an excellent trade.
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