The pieces appear to be falling into place as new Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas comes closer to naming a head coach.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, candidates include Miami assistant Juwan Howard, Portland assistant David Vanterpool and Ryan Saunders, who took over as interim head coach after Tom Thibodeau was fired in January.
Wojnarowski writes:
“Interim coach Ryan Saunders will remain a prominent candidate in Minnesota’s coaching search, but Rosas plans to engage in a process with outside candidates before formalizing a decision on a new head coach, league sources said.”
Howard has been an assistant coach under Eric Spoelstra in Miami since the 2013-14 season. According to the Miami Sun Sentinel, Howard interviewed for head coaching positions with the Pistons, Knicks and Hornets last year, and this year interviewed for jobs with the Cavaliers and Lakers.
Vanterpool has been on head coach Terry Stotts’ staff in Portland since 2012-13, and is still coaching this season with the Blazers reaching the Western Conference Finals.
Bleacher Report notes that Vanterpool, who has no head-coaching experience, was tied for the third-most votes for best assistant coach in NBA.com’s 2017-18 General Manager poll.
A name that has not surfaced in connection to Minnesota since Rosas was hired is Dave Joerger, the former Grizzlies and Kings head coach who grew up in Staples, Minnesota, and has a reputation as a winning coach in the NBA.
Minnesota’s head-coaching job could become a very attractive position if they get lucky and rise in Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery. There’s a 13.4% chance the Wolves rise into the top four from their pre-lottery position of 10th, and a 3% chance they land the No. 1 overall pick.
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