Rick Adelman

The Minnesota Timberwolves have announced that they are hiring Rick Adelman as their next coach.

News of Adelman’s deal first came out Monday, and the Timberwolves made the official announcement Tuesday morning. An introductory news conference will be held once the contract is signed.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Minnesota’s other two primary candidates were Don Nelson and Sam Mitchell.

ESPN.com

Larry Brown

After interviewing Rick Adelman and Don Nelson over the weekend, Minnesota intend to interview Larry Brown and possibly one or two others in this first phase to replace fired coach Kurt Rambis.

When the Timberwolves will interview Brown, who has coached teams to both NBA and NCAA titles, is uncertain because of a recent death in his family.

If they do, they will have interviewed two coaches among the top six all time in NBA career victories. Nelson is No. 1 with 1,335. Brown is No. 6 with 1,098.

The Wolves so far have interviewed Bernie Bickerstaff, Terry Porter, Mike Woodson, Adelman and Nelson.

Inside Hoops

Kevin McHale

Kevin McHale is a Hall of Fame player who won three NBA championships with Boston, a longtime former executive for Minnesota and twice a fill-in coach for the Timberwolves.

Now he will take on a new challenge: coaching the Houston Rockets full time. McHale was hired to lead the Rockets on Wednesday, where he will begin a season as an NBA coach for the first time.

After several days of speculation and reports that he was taking the job, the Rockets made it official that McHale will take over for Rick Adelman, who left the team days after his fourth season in Houston.

ESPN.com

Rick Adelman

Among a cast of options in L.A., though seemingly not as long as the parade in Houston, is the Rockets’ former coach Rick Adelman.

Adelman was just fired by the Houston Rockets. Adelman, who will be 65 in June, has loads of experience. He has also been the coach with the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.

He runs an offensive system called “corner,” similar to the triangle, with more spontaneous pick-and-roll plays.

Adelman took the Trail Blazers to the NBA finals twice, losing in 1990 to the Detroit Pistons and 1992 to Jackson’s Chicago Bulls. Adelman is considered particularly good at working with big men and commands the respect of his players. Also, he has coached Ron Artest twice, in Sacramento and Houston.

FanNation

The Rockets had decided they would choose Rick Adelman’s successor even before the team and the coach had agreed to part ways.

Houston Rockets

Adelman could have remained the Rockets’ head coach, but was told that the Rockets had decided to hire his successor and put him on Adelman’s coaching staff if he remained, according to two individuals with knowledge of the talks.

Though Adelman and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey came together on several issues, Morey wanted Adelman to mentor a successor that Morey and Rockets owner Leslie Alexander would have chosen and put on Adelman’s staff. Adelman was unwilling to make the changes necessary to his staff, arguing in favor of assistants.

Chron.com

Rick Adelman

Rick Adelman will not return as head coach of the Houston Rockets. Adelman and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey failed to reach agreement on how they would continue to work together.

In four seasons with the Rockets, Adelman had a 193-135 record, the best winning percentage (.588) in franchise history. He moved to eighth in NBA history in career coaching wins with 945.

Adelman, 64, had expressed ambivalence about remaining in coaching, but said last week that he has not lost his desire to coach. He had been openly frustrated with decision-making during last season that led to a trio of trades over his objections that seemed designed to aid future seasons.

Real GM

Yao Ming is looking at a return early next week, but head coach Rick Adelman said Thursday he would like to see Yao after a full workout before making a determination.

Yao Ming

Yao, who has been sidelined more than three weeks with a sprained and bruised left ankle, went through a light workout Thursday at Toyota Center.

Before Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Yao told reporters he is targeting Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons for his return. Adelman said he has not discussed specifics on a return date with Yao. “Yao said that, but no one else told me that,” Adelman said. “He didn’t tell me.”

FanNation

Kevin Love

Kevin Love has been walking a fine line between publicly grumbling and saying the right things of late, and other teams have taken note.

One team that would be an ideal fit for Love, Houston, has explored the possibility to the point of presenting trade scenarios to the Wolves. Those overtures, sources say, have been met with an icy response.

Another team to keep an eye on with regard to Love is the Trail Blazers. No stranger to frontcourt injuries, Portland does not want to get caught shorthanded again, and coach Rick Adelman lives in Love’s hometown, Lake Oswego, Ore.

FanNation

Adelman, Miller

Veteran center Brad Miller has agreed to a three-year contract worth $15 million with the Houston Rockets.

Miller attracted interest from numerous other teams but was strongly lobbied to move to Houston by Rockets coach Rick Adelman, who coached him in Sacramento, and guard Kevin Martin, who was Miller’s teammate on the Kings.

Miller said the opportunity was “too good of a deal to pass up,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

ESPN.com

Brad Miller

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey met with free agent center Brad Miller on Thursday. Miller could be a potential backup to Yao Ming in Houston.

The center had dinner with Rockets coach Rick Adelman, who he played under in Sacramento.

“We’ve talked conceptually,” said Mark Bartlestein, Miller’s agent.

Real GM