Short term, Hoiberg said he will make phone calls to teams about possible trades in McHale’s absence in addition to his primary duties of scouting college players for next year’s NBA draft.
Stack will become the full-time point man for any trade calls the Wolves receive, but he said the team will continue to make personnel decisions by committee, with Hoiberg, McHale and Taylor having input.
“Will I make strong recommendations knowing that I’m going to be fielding the calls? Absolutely,” Stack said. “And then we’ll talk among our group and see. We don’t always have a consensus when we talk things through. Will I be the guy to ultimately make that call? That will be up to Glen Taylor.”
Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site posts a scouting report on tonight’s game at Denver.
Don Seeholzer/Pioneer Press writes that Mike Miller is a game-time decision.
As Rashad McCants pivoted into a fadeaway from the right block six minutes into the Wolves second season opener, he was interrupted by a whistle. Referee Bill Spooner indicated that he’d shuffled his feet and called Shaddy for traveling. Kevin McHale immediately hopped from his seat and challenged the call only to be rebuffed by Spooner, to which McHale retorted “C’mon. When’s the last time you worked on that move?” It was a genuinely light hearted and comical moment that evoked laughter from the bench, the crowd and press row. It was a genuine indicator that while things may not be necessarily better in the Target Center for the rest of this season, they will be different.
Count Rashad McCants as one Timberwolf happy to see Kevin McHale on the bench as the team’s new head coach.
“I got some fresh minutes, got some good looks. Coach ran some plays for me, something that I really wasn’t used to,” said McCants, who got his first start of the season Tuesday. “I think this year coming in, my role, I guess, lessened. I didn’t play as much, I didn’t get as much touches, I didn’t get as many looks (under former coach Randy Wittman).
“I think now that (McHale), he realizes how good I am and what I can do on the floor, he’s going to put me in a position to succeed.”
McHale smiled more than Kevin Garnett on his way out of Minneapolis. He made it a point not to frown because that scares the players. Wittman almost always wore a scowl. Grrrrrrr. And the guys trembled.
McHale patted fannies and slapped palms when players came back to the bench, no matter how horrid their performance. For example, he greeted McCants lovingly, as if he hadn’t just played miserably. Wittman used to keep his hands in his pockets, as if he were afraid he might strangle somebody when they returned to the bench.