Perennial Kings coaching candidate Kurt Rambis, who finally received his second chance as an NBA coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, has assembled an impressive staff. All three of his assistants - Dave Wohl, Reggie Theus and Bill Laimbeer - have head coaching experience. Wohl was on Pat Riley's staff with the Showtime Lakers before taking over the New Jersey Nets. He has remained in the league as an assistant or front office staffer with several teams, most recently working for Danny Ainge in Boston. Theus coached the Kings for 1 1/2 seasons, of course, after two seasons at New Mexico State. And Laimbeer guided the Detroit Shock to three WNBA titles in his six seasons - and was regarded as an excellent tactician, teacher and motivator.
I spoke with Theus the other day, and while he wouldn't go on-record because nothing had been finalized, he was pretty excited about the possibility of getting another job. He had explored broadcasting opportunities, but really wanted to stay in coaching, preferably in the NBA. "I think of myself as coach," he did say, for the record. "I enjoy that more than anything I've done."
Rubio's decision no surprise to some
I don't know if he's prescient, or was just taking a stab in the dark, but Israeli national team and longtime EuroLeague coach Zvika Sherf told me in Tel Aviv three weeks ago that Ricky Rubio was signing with Regal Barcelona. End of conversation. Since then, Wolves president David Kahn traveled to Spain and reportedly reached a buyout agreement with Rubio's former team in Badalona, only to learn that the Spanish point guard was indeed signing with his hometown Barcelona club. Conspiracy theorists can have at it, but I continue to hear that, until the last minute, Rubio was urging the Wolves to trade his rights to another NBA club, preferably the Kings or the New York Knicks because he had no interest in joining a team that drafted another point guard (Jonny Flynn). The discussion will be ongoing ...
