30 Greatest Moments In Timberwolves History

Apr 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach

on the sideline against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

#29 – Hiring Rick Adelman as Head Coach

The Timberwolves had just endured two seasons with a combined record of 32-132 under Kurt Rambis when embattled president of basketball operations David Kahn managed to make his greatest acquisition to date.

Somehow, someway, Kahn channeled his inner salesman and managed to bring the great Rick Adelman and his 945 career coaching wins on-board to what had easily been the worst team in the NBA in recent seasons. Wolves fans were ready for a big name coach, and combined with the long-awaited arrival of 2008 sixth-overall draft pick Ricky Rubio, there was a significant amount of mostly unfounded optimism heading into the 2011-12 season.

Kevin Love had broken out the year prior with a 30-point, 30-rebound game that forced Rambis’ hand and allowed Love the opportunity to be named an injury replacement at the 2011 All-Star Game and gain national noteriety at the age of 22. He’d averaged 20.2 points and a league-leading 15.5 rebounds in 2010-11, and the expectations for the Adelman-led duo of Rubio and Love were certainly high.

Adelman was motivated, too. Chasing 1000 career wins and an elusive NBA title, he’d had parted ways with the Houston Rockets after putting together an impressive three-year record of 193-135 with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.

Of course, the NBA lockout messed with the Wolves’ plans, and the season ended up kicking off in December and was shortened to just 66 games. The Wolves were 26-40, but the team had a legitimate coach and seemed to be on the upswing despite a torn ACL from Rubio in March of that season.

Next: #28 - Kevin Love, Three-Point Marksman