[August 05, 2011] Minnesota Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis about to be fired, report says Tweet Jun 23, 2011 (Pioneer Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Kurt Rambis will not get a chance to be a part of the Ricky Rubio Era with the Timberwolves. Rambis, 52, will be fired shortly after tonight's NBA draft, according to a Yahoo! Sports report Wednesday night. Though the report said Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn has decided to dismiss Rambis, the club declined to comment and a representative of Rambis said, as of late Wednesday, that they "had not been contacted." Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told the Pioneer Press recently that the team intends to honor its commitment by paying Rambis the remaining $4 million on the final two years of his contract. Wednesday night's developments came a day after one of the more significant moments in the 23-year history of the Wolves' franchise, when the club introduced Rubio as an official member of the team after a two-year pursuit of the Spanish point guard. After Tuesday's news conference, Kahn said of recent talks with Rambis that the two "had an understanding of where we are in the process." It now appears it was an ominous sign for Rambis that he was not at the Rubio news conference and that he also would not be involved in the Wolves' draft process tonight. Kahn mentioned Tuesday that Rambis would not be present for the draft. Rambis, at home in Los Angeles, was unavailable for comment. Rambis has been in a tenuous situation with the Wolves since the end of the 2010-11 regular season when Kahn refused to say whether Rambis would return for a third season. Rambis, who has a 32-132 record with the Wolves, finished the 2010-11 season with the NBA's worst record and a 15-game losing streak. Minnesota finished 15-67 in Rambis' first season of 2009-10. Before the Wolves' final game against Houston on April 13, Kahn said "this can't happen again" but chose to let emotions cool between himself and Rambis before starting the evaluation process. Kahn told reporters at the news conference he wanted to wait "a few weeks" to allow himself and Wolves owner Glen Taylor time to talk with Rambis and the players. Part of the decision-making process was Kahn's request of Rambis in mid-May to file an extensive report on Wolves players and list specifics on what will be "different" if he were retained. Kahn said he received Rambis' report about a week ago and had planned to talk further with Taylor this week. It is uncertain what impact Rambis' report had on the apparent decision to fire him. Kahn and Taylor did not return phone messages Wednesday night. Kahn and Rambis met Thursday and Friday for what Kahn said was a "total of six hours" in an attempt to resolve issues and concerns about the team's direction. Near the top of the list was Rambis' insistence on using the triangle offense and his communication style. Rambis was scrutinized for not being more emphatic in his approach, but the larger issue appeared to be his preference for an offense that flourished with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, his former team, but was hard to grasp for a team filled with young players. Near the end of the season, the Wolves scaled back facets of the triangle offense, popularized by former Lakers and Bulls coach Phil Jackson, but the adjustment was too late to save the season. Staff columnist Charley Walters contributed to this story. To see more of the Pioneer Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.twincities.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]