"Do you believe everything he says? I think the lesson is nothing is ever out of the realm of possibility, or impossibility." -- Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, a friend since the two played together in Boston, when asked if he expected McHale to return to coaching after he had complained so much about its lifestyle.

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"I think he thought we were doing FBI, top-secret clearance on him. We're very thorough ... I guess your research is different than mine." -- Rockets GM Daryl Morey, whose staff surveyed Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes, among others, and decided McHale was the smart, hard-working guy he wanted. Wolves fans somehow concluded McHale was more interested in hunting, fishing and golfing.

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"You have to know, man. He's what, one of the top power forwards of all time? How can you not respect that? You have to respect that. If you don't, you're just ignorant and stupid." -- L.A. Clippers guard Randy Foye, the former Timberwolf, when asked if today's player knows and appreciates what kind of player McHale was.

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"Sometimes when you're away, you realize what you really love and you miss those things more than what you don't like about the job. Things can change. Like most coaches, give him a half a year and then see where he's at." -- Washington coach Flip Saunders, the former Timberwolves coach and McHale's teammate with the Gophers.

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"He's a hard miner-town kid from Minnesota and he goes to work every day with his hard hat on. He's definitely old-school: Hit 'em, be physical, get it done. He's a warrior and he's trying to make us into warriors just like he was." -- Rockets guard Kyle Lowry.