Mark Jackson is at the top (along with Mike Fratello and Sam Mitchell) of David Kahn’s interview list. The two enjoyed a solid relationship when the recently hired Timberwolves president was Pacers assistant GM under Donnie Walsh. Then again, I thought Kahn and I were boys when we worked at NBC and he still hasn’t told me he even applied for the Minnesota opening.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn has said he will wait until after Thursday’s NBA draft to begin a coaching search for Kevin McHale’s successor, but ESPN/ABC analyst Mark Jackson already has been branded as the early favorite.
Pro Basketball News, citing multiple unidentified sources, is reporting that Jackson is the leading candidate, with one source saying the team has already decided on him.

Mark Jackson is the top candidate for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ coaching job, with Bill Laimbeer as a likely member of his staff.

League executives say new GM David Kahn will hire a coach whom he can hold a hammer over, and certainly Jackson would owe him. Jackson has wanted to become a head coach since his retirement five years ago, but no one has shown an inclination to hire him right out of the television booth. Kahn’s ex-boss, New York Knicks GM Donnie Walsh, came the closest to taking that leap of faith until Mike D’Antoni became available.

Kahn was an executive in Indiana when Jackson played point guard for the Pacers.

Mike Fratello is eager for the job, too, but it’s unlikely he’ll be given the chance to coach a young team. Fratello pursued the Sacramento Kings’ job hard, but was rebuffed. Fratello and Kahn worked together at NBC Sports in the 1990s.

From Kelly Dwyer/Ball Don’t Lie:Cutting Kevin McHale some slack
Now, a lot of what I’m banging on about has already been discussed in this post, but it needs to be repeated, especially as McHale ambles off into the sunset. The guy made a hell of a deal with the Celtics, was lucky to get as much as he did in return for Garnett, and shaped Minnesota’s playing future in a good way (cap space, Al Jefferson) in one much-ridiculed move.
And we’re mocking him for this?
From Matt Watson/Fanhouse: Is Mark Jackson Headed to Minnesota?
From Ben Osborne/SLAM Online: Mark Jackson to Coach Minnesota?

Given the utmost confidence I have in Mark, arguably the biggest overachiever in NBA history, we may not be calling them the “L-Wolves” much longer.

On Friday morning, the Wolves are scheduled to workout Syracuse’s Johnny Flynn, North Carolina’s Ty Lawson, Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague, UCLA’s Jrue Holiday and Nando de Colo of France. The workout will also include Brandon Jennings, who bypassed college and played last season in Italy.
In the afternoon, the Wolves will hold a solo workout with Memphis guard Tyreke Evans.