Don Nelson in talks to become Timberwolves' new coach
Don Nelson is interested in coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves. From the sound of it, he's very interested.
Nelson, who holds the NBA record with 1,335 career coaching victories, planned to talk a second time to general manager David Kahn this weekend, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. The two spoke by telephone for about 40 minutes last week.
"I think it'd be a great fit," Nelson told the Star-Tribune on Friday. "I love Minnesota." The newspaper noted that Nelson's daughter and grandchildren live in Minnesota. Nelson lives in Hawaii.
While Nelson has family in the state, Minnesota also offers the opportunity to coach a roster filled with young, athletic players who are being asked to run and gun by their GM. Kahn wants the Wolves to play at a fast pace whenever the NBA returns from the lockout. That just happens to be Nelson's M.O.
"It's really tough playing against half-court defense all the time," Nelson told the Star-Tribune. "I think they've got a team that can really go and there's nobody better at that than me. I like to play fast."
Minnesota needs a replacement for Kurt Rambis, who officially was fired on Tuesday. He was informed of his dismissal weeks earlier. Nelson, 71, was out of coaching last season after being let go by the Golden State Warriors.
"I'm a lifer," Nelson told the Star-Tribune. "I love basketball. I don't know how else to put it."
He also sounded eager to take on the challenge of improving a franchise that has had six consecutive losing seasons, including last season’s 17-65 mark.
"Really, throughout my career, what I've done is taken teams with bad records and with every situation I've made them better," he told the Star-Tribune. "I like to be around young players. I've had great success with bad teams, getting them on the right track, getting them to max out. I have a great history there."
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