Dear xxxxx,
As a valued member of the Timberwolves family, I’m pleased to share with you that we’ve hired Kurt Rambis to be our new head coach. The search was extensive and thorough, and I’m completely confident that Kurt is the right man to help us develop into a championship-caliber team.
Kurt played for Pat Riley and coached alongside Phil Jackson, arguably two of the three greatest coaches in NBA history. He is ready for this.
During my search for our next head coach, I identified three threshold issues that became the criteria I measured the candidates against. These are some cornerstone philosophies that will guide us the next few years and I wanted a coach that could aggressively execute against all three.
(1) I want our franchise to become the league leader in player development, and player development starts with the head coach.
(2) We will be a running, up-tempo team. Yes, there will be many instances when we will need to rely upon Al Jefferson and a halfcourt offense, but our identity will be fastbreak basketball.
(3) The minutes distributed to our young nucleus in the next two years must be done with an eye toward the big picture and not the short term.
With his vast experience in the NBA as a championship player and coach, Kurt has the ability to help lay the foundation for what we aim to be — NBA champions. He is, by all accounts, hard-working and a hands-on teacher. I know he will shape and mold our players to bring out the best in them.
As always, thank you for your support and passion. I’m looking forward to seeing you at Target Center this fall.
David Kahn
President, Basketball Operations