Report: Timberwolves may try to lure Hoiberg

The Minnesota Timberwolves are at a crossroads, The team will miss the playoffs again. Head coach Rick Adelman might step down and star forward Kevin Love might be traded,  force his way out of town or play out his contract, which is up after next season and leave in free agency.

The offseason focus will undoubtedly be on what happens with Love, but the coaching situation bears watching. With Adelman possibly stepping down it would be natural that team president Flip Saunders would come down from his executive suite and coach the team. But Saunders may have had enough of the sidelines and might opt to stay behind the scenes. One name that has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Adelman is Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg.

ESPN's Marc Stein mentioned that Hoiberg, who is a former Timberwolves executive, could be in the mix for the job if Adelman chooses to leave.

Widely regarded as the most NBA-ready college coach in the game, Hoiberg was a Wolves executive for four years before leaving the pros to coach the Cyclones. It should be noted that Saunders is close with Michigan State's Tom Izzo, as well, but the rumbles out of Sota are getting louder that the Wolves are going to court Hoiberg hard if they, as expected, have an opening. 

As much as the Wolves may like Hoiberg, I don't think Hoiberg likes Minnesota all that much. Hoiberg has put Iowa State basketball back on the map and he is beloved in Ames. They don't call him "The Mayor" for nothing. If Hoiberg ever gets the itch to coach in the NBA it'll be in a better situation than the possible mess he might inherit in Minnesota.  
    

Ricky Rubio says he's not having fun

Entering this season this NBA season the Minnesota Timberwolves were thought of to be a playoff contender. Even though T-Wolves finished last season out of the playoffs with a 31-51 record, the building blocks looked to be in place for the team to make a run at one of the lower seeds in the tough Western Conference.

With All-Star Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio the team has a young core to put other pieces around them. The T-Wolves drafted Shabazz Muhammad out of UCLA and signed gunner Kevin Martin in free agency. Things looked somewhat promising as the team looked competitive. But the team has stumbled to three straight losses and coach Rick Adelman blasting the team for poor play it looks like the season might be slipping away.      

Add in the fact that Ricky Rubio says basketball isn't fun for him anymore, the Timberwolves could be headed back to lotteryland instead of the playoffs.

Rubio is struggling with his shot and turnovers so it could be the feeling that his game is falling apart as the losses mount. It could be Rubio speaking from emotion. I have a feeling that it's a combination and he's feeling a little frustrated right now.

''I'm going to be honest. I'm not feeling comfortable out there,'' Rubio told The Associated Press after a light practice on Thursday. ''I'm not being myself and the team is noticing. I just have to be back where I was, be myself. I'm working on that. It's something that's missing. It's tough for me, too.''

''It's basketball. I love it,'' Rubio said. ''But I'm just not having as much fun as it used to be. I know it has to be professional. But I just want to have fun. It's hard to find it right now.''

Rubio is shooting 34.6 percent and averaging 8.6 points. Both are career lows for the free wheeling Spaniard. Rubio was never a great shooter to begin with and his game is more Jason Williams than Stephen Curry.

Adelman feels Rubio gets down on himself too much when he has a bad game or after losses.

''He gets really down on himself too much,'' Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. ''I think he's just got to play and make the real easy play. It doesn't have to be a great play. When something doesn't happen for him, he tries so hard that he just kind of compounds it.

''So I think he's going to be fine. He's going to come out of it. He didn't play well last night, but he's not the Lone Ranger in that regard.''

If the Timberwolves are to make a run at a playoff spot they need Rubio to be at his best and start having fun again, because Love can't carry this team by himself.

Adelman Out In Houston, Wonders What Might Have Been

Rick Adelman reportedly will be shown the door in Houston. After years of mediocrity in a tough Western Conference, the Rockets and Adelman will part ways. As reported by the Houston Chronicle and KRIV-TV, the team won't renew his contract.

Even though I said that the Rockets were mediocre, Adelman wasn't a bad coach. He was just dealt a bad hand. I actually like the Rockets and am disappointed that they weren't able to move on to greater heights. At one point they had Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Ron Artest. A formidable big three if anyone besides Artest was healthy. I like Adelman as a coach. He has just had some bad timing except when he coached at Golden State and no one hasn't put it together there. When he was in Portland there was Michael Jordan's Bulls. In Sacramento the Lakers stood in their way. In Houston there were too many ahead of them in a loaded Western Conference.

Adelman can only wonder what might have been. He inherited a team with Yao and McGrady, but they never seemed to stay healthy.

“I look at the team today,” Adelman said in late February. “In 3 1/2 years since I came here, we have only two guys left, Luis and Chuck. That’s not a lot of stability. I came to coach Yao and Tracy and ended up with Luis and Chuck.


I know Adelman meant no disrespect to Chuck Hayes and Luis Scola, but if McGrady and Yao stay healthy and they surround them with players like Hayes and Scola and add a Kevin Martin maybe they become long term contenders.

Adelman doesn't look at his time in Houston with regret and there are no ill feelings toward the Rockets. He also has the desire to coach again. I don't doubt he'll land another job.

“I don’t think I’ve lost the desire to coach; I think I still can do it,” Adelman said. “This team has been a lot of fun. It’s been tough during the season. I tell people that, when you go through it, it’s not so easy. But when you work with a group of guys who just won’t quit, and play above and beyond what people expect them to do, that’s a lot of fun when you look back on it.”