Apr 13, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor presents head coach Rick Adelman with a signed plaque honoring Adelman

So what is good enough for an NBA coach anymore? In the never ending coaching carousel that has become the 2013 NBA off season, a question has come to mind. If Rick Adelman chose not to come back in 2013-2014, who would be the best fit to fill what would be a tough coach to replace?

George Karl is out there, so is Lionel Hollins. Alvin Gentry or maybe even Vinny Del Negro. Those are just some of the coaches with experience. There is even Byron Scott, who somehow keeps getting mentioned for head coaching positions.

That’s if you feel like the best coach is an established one. There is really 2 ways that this could go, hire the proven coach that has been in the seat before, or go a new direction and pick the coach that has yet to get his chance.

Jacque Vaugh has been solid in Orlando, Mike Budenholzer will get his chance starting next season, after sitting next to Gregg Popovich. Tom Thibodeau just needed a chance in Chicago, and that has turned out pretty good. Scotty Brooks has proven to be a great choice in Oklahoma.

The Wolves have tried their fair share of coaches with no experience, Sidney Lowe, Bill Blair only had 6 games experience before the Wolves gave him the head coaching duties. Dwane Casey got his first head coaching job in Minneapolis. Kurt Rambis only had 37 games under his belt before being given the reigns. Kurt wasn’t the only player turned coach to get their first gig, Kevin McHale also called the plays for almost 1 full season over 2 years. The most famous of the no previous experience coaches for the Wolves is Flip Saunders. He had no NBA head coaching experience before the Wolves gave him a chance, and now he is still the all-time winningest coach in the team’s history.

Rick Adelman has more experience than any other Wolves coach had. The team was drastically different this past season when he was on the sideline, and when he wasn’t. That is experience, knowing when substitutions need to be made and being able to read matchups. Adelman hasn’t had the best 2 seasons as the Wolves skipper. The first season was in the lock out shorten year, and, well last season the team was devastated with injury. This season will be a telling year, the majority of the Wolves roster will be back, and this is going to be the 3^rd year of the same coach and the same offense in place.

The problem with Timberwolves coaching situation is that Rick was iffy about coming back this season. After 22 seasons and over 1800 career games coached, the end of what has been an incredible coaching career is close to being done. So Wolves fans, when Rick decides to call it quits, who is the coach you would like to see take this roster with immense potential over? Do you want to stay with a proven commodity, or go with the unknown, and try to land the next big thing?

Nov 2, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves director of basketball operations David Kahn against the Sacramento Kings at the Target Center. The Timberwolves defeated the Kings 92-80. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

In regarding David Kahn’s reign you need to consider the beginning and the mess the Wolves had before he even arrived and did his Flynn number on the ’09 draft.

It’s hard to think back to the final days of Kevin McHale’s run with the Wolves. Towards the end of the Kevin Garnett era, the mediocre corner the Wolves had painted themselves into was so painfully drawn out that by the time KG had been moved, it wasn’t so much about the haul the Wolves thought they had received in the trade, but the new direction it would point them in.

Al Jefferson’s Timberwolves were intriguing because McHale was excited about a real throwback, back to the basket big man like the one he couldn’t turn KG into.

Soon it was obvious to McHale’s followers. No more would they have a defensive smart bomb tattooed in their starting lineup at power forward. The unselfish passing out of the post would no longer exist at Target Center. Kevin Love was still a puppy who wanted to play. Glen Taylor could even read the writing on the wall and the David Kahn era was officially on its tragicomic way.

Henry Abbott over at True Hoop wrote some words about Kahn’s exit. The intro painted a sunny picture I would like to bask in on this Mother’s Day.

David Kahn’s contract has not been renewed.

The most common reaction is, what took owner Glen Taylor so long? (Be warned: that link’s to Twitter, and this is Kahn. The language can get salty.) There’s nothing everyone in the NBA agrees on, except perhaps that David Kahn was horrible at his job.

His mistakes were many and public. Jonny Flynn — last seen playing out his prime basketball years in Australia — ought not to have been a lottery pick. Ditto Wesley Johnson. It’s awesome to have a player like Kevin Love and unforgivable to have jerked him around when it was time for a contract. These mistakes and others are all real.

But ask yourself this, or other GMs who love to feed the fires of Kahn mock: If Kahn’s such an idiot, how come the Timberwolves roster is in better shape than your team, with affordable young talent, payroll flexibility and real upside?

Nikola Pekovic is among the NBA’s most effective centers, and while he was drafted by Kahn’s predecessor, Kahn got him to come to the U.S. and play for the bargain price of $4.8 million. Everyone mocked Kahn for committing close to $20 million over two years to Andrei Kirilenko, who had been out of the league, but how many playoff teams would kill for an elite defender and long, efficient offensive player at that price right now? (My guess: All of them.) Dante Cunningham is making $2 million and is no stiff. Ricky Rubio at $3.7 million and Alexey Shved at $2.9 million are problems every owner would like to have.

The Timberwolves have middling salaries now, and among the league’s lowest payroll moving forward. They were 12-9 to start this season without the injured Love, and a happy story, before injuries savaged the Twin Cities, claiming Love (again), Brandon Roy and almost every other key player for long stretches.

No, the roster’s not dreamy. But with a decently healthy season, they’d be telling a whole ‘nother story about this team.

There are far worse-off teams than the Timberwolves, and by extension, far better candidates for “worst GM in the NBA” than Kahn.