Wolves boss now shifts focus to coaching search

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: June 27, 2009 - 7:37 AM

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Timberwolves basketball boss David Kahn invited a reporter to search his suit coat pockets Friday for a list of coaching candidates, a collection that he continued to promise a day after the NBA draft still doesn't exist.

But it will soon. Kahn said he will begin interviewing candidates next week to replace Kevin McHale in a private process he hopes to conclude by the end of July.

Media reports have made former NBA point guard Mark Jackson, now an ESPN analyst who has never coached, the favorite.

"We need a coach, and I can say that today for the first time," Kahn said Friday. "Even though we didn't play it this way, it's going to be easier to go through that process because whoever we speak to can see we have some unusual, dynamic components."

Kahn said he doesn't possess a "must-have" set of criteria for his new coach. He has said he wants a coach with the same positive outlook McHale had with players.

"You'd love to find somebody who can cover as many bases as possible because this is a huge job, and it's getting bigger," Kahn said. "One big component will be player development because we have such a young team."

Waiting game

Kahn said he will postpone any decisions about his new permanent front office until a coach is named. It is believed that the contracts of General Manager Jim Stack and assistant GM Fred Hoiberg expire Wednesday, but Kahn said the staff he inherited will keep working through July. "Everybody was magnificent," Kahn said. "I was really pleased with how hard everybody worked, how prepared they were, how professional they were."

Gently

Kahn said he did not push Ricky Rubio to attend Friday's Target Center news conference that introduced new players Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington. "It's been a very hard period for him and his family because of the contract buyout situation," he said. "We won't be pounding our fists on the table."

He said it

Ellington when asked if he was surprised to drafted by the Wolves with the 28th pick and if he had expected them to take a fourth point guard: "There weren't many point guards left on the board."