New Timberwolves boss David Kahn has received permission from the Trail Blazers to talk to Portland assistant coach Monty Williams about his team's coaching vacancy, according to the Portland Oregonian.

Williams, 37, has been an assistant coach with Portland for the past four years.

"I'm flattered," Williams told the Oregonian on Wednesday. "I'm someone who wants to be a part of a rebuilding process. But at the same time, I'm still a Blazer. So, there's initial excitement, but in reality, nothing has changed. I'm looking forward to the process."

He might be the top candidate; Kahn is from Portland and used to cover the team for the Oregonian back when he worked in newspapers.

Kahn has made it clear that he will not have any comment on the coaching situation until he selects the man for the job. However, he has told people that former Wolves player and Toronto coach Sam Mitchell was not a candidate for the job. The name of Mark Jackson has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but the ESPN analyst and former NBA point guard doesn't have any coaching experience.

Williams, according to the newspaper, is being credited for the development of two of the Trail Blazers' young forwards: Travis Outlaw, 24, and Nicolas Batum, 20.

"I'd love to run my own program," Williams said. "Having [Portland coach] Nate [McMillan] pour all this information into me, I'd like to test out all I have learned and see if I'm ready.

"... I'm ready for what I'm not ready for. No one goes into a job ready for it. At this point in my career, I'm ready for what I don't know."

Williams is a devout Christian; he told the fan website Blazer's Edge that his faith helped him through a heart condition that forced him to sit out a couple of seasons in college at Notre Dame. "God didn't give me a disease but he allowed it and it was the best thing that happened to me and it helped me reevaluate what I was doing in my life," he said last year. He overcame that heart condition to become the No. 24 overall pick in the 1994 draft by New York. A 6-8 guard/forward, he ended up playing nine seasons with five teams.

Jottings Kahn on how he thinks Randy Foye will play with Washington, after being dealt from the Wolves: "I mean this sincerely, I think both these guys [guards Foye and Mike Miller] will do very well and help that team a lot. They're good players, that's why Washington wanted them. That's why Washington did this. They're going for it and they found on our roster two players, in two different positions, who will help them. I'm excited for both those players. Unless something disastrous happens, it looks to me on paper that Washington will be formidable next year. And I imagine [Foye and Miller] will really be meaningful parts to what they are doing."

Rich Weinberg, who has been the faculty representative for Gophers men's athletics for nine years and has done a great job, is retiring from the university. "Mark Yudof [former university president] appointed me after the U's basketball academic fraud," said Weinberg, a professor of child psychology. "I had no idea what a rewarding and exciting experience it would be. It has been my pleasure to work with athletic director Joel Maturi and president Bob Bruininks." Weinberg's replacement is Prof. Perry Leo, who teaches in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Linda Brady will continue as the women's faculty representative.

The Twins are one of the few major league teams showing an increase in attendance. Look for them to draw some really good crowds in their nine-game homestand that starts today and leads up to the All-Star break, with the Yankees coming to town as well as the Tigers and White Sox, their two top rivals in the American League Central. ... For the fourth consecutive series, the Twins will avoid the ace of the opposing pitching staff. The Twins aren't scheduled to face Detroit's Justin Verlander this weekend. That comes after they avoided Yovani Gallardo in Milwaukee, Chris Carpenter in St. Louis and Zack Greinke in Kansas City. The last No. 1 pitcher the Twins faced was Houston's Roy Oswalt on June 19; they won that game.

Dominique Byrd, the former Breck and Southern California tight end, is now a member of the NFC champion Arizona Cardinals after spending last year out of the NFL. Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt told the Cardinals' website that Byrd has shown he can catch a pass, but it will be his blocking that will determine if he makes the team. Byrd was a third-round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2006 but was released in February 2008.

The Chicago Cubs promoted former Gophers lefthander John Gaub to Class AAA Iowa. Gaub was 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA and four saves in 26 games at Class AA Tennessee and has a 3.38 ERA in three appearances with Iowa. Gophers pitching coach Todd Oakes believes Gaub, who was traded from Cleveland in the offseason trade that sent Mark DeRosa to the Indians, has the stuff that will help him get to the big leagues in due time. ... Gophers righthander Tyler Oakes, the son of Todd Oakes, has signed a free-agent contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. The AL champions assigned Oakes to Princeton (W.Va.) of the Appalachian League, and he had a 3.18 ERA over his first three appearances, all in relief. "I knew one of the Tampa scouts who I worked with when I was with the Giants," Todd Oakes said. "He had some interest in my son." ... Dan Olinger, a lefthanded-hitting infielder from Great Falls, Mont., has signed a letter of intent to play baseball for the Gophers. Olinger, who originally is from Moorhead, Minn., is hitting .413 for the Great Falls American Legion team.

Nine Gophers baseball players are playing in the Northwoods League this summer: pitcher Cullen Sexton at Wisconsin; outfielders Justin Gominsky and Mike Kvasnicka at Brainerd; catcher Kyle Knudson and second baseman AJ Pettersen at Mankato; catcher Kurt Schlangen at St. Cloud; pitcher Scott Fern and first baseman Nick O'Shea at Green Bay; and pitcher Tim Ryan at Waterloo. ... Among Gophers in other summer leagues, pitcher Seth Rosin is playing for Hyannis (Mass.) of the Cape Cod League, shortstop Troy Larson is playing for Dodge City (Kan.) of the Jayhawk League and outfielder Ethan Liederman is playing for North Fork (N.Y.) in the Hamptons Collegiate League.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on his Podcast once a week at www.startribune.com/sidcast. shartman@startribune.com