SB Nation - Kurt Rambis

Former Timberwolves Assistant Jerry Sichting Returns To Coaching

Scott Schroeder — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:49:29 -0000

Jerry Sichting spent 12 years as part of the Minnesota Timberwolves, either in the front office or on the bench, but he moved to the Golden State Warriors when the Wolves hired Kurt Rambis to run the team. Following a coaching staff change with the Warriors over the summer, Sichting found himself out of a job this season.

It's not all bad for Sichting, however because the former NBA player might find himself as one of the lead players in a Disney movie. Okay, so it might not be quite that entertaining, but Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim wrote a pretty incredible profile on Sichting this week.

The day the story of Wolf's arrest broke, Sichting was at his home in Minneapolis suburbs. His phone blew up with texts and calls from former classmates. He got some of the details from one former teammate still living in Martinsville and now a school system administrator. "What are you gonna do about the team?" Sichting asked innocently. "Who's going to be on the bench now?"

"No idea," the friend replied. "You want to come down and coach these kids?"

Sichting, 55, had done plenty of coaching lately, but it was mostly in the NBA, never in high school. A year ago he was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, angling for a head coaching job. Now he was going to coach a bunch of kids barely out of puberty? On the other hand ... "I thought about Martinsville and the basketball program, but mostly I thought of those seven seniors who worked hard and shouldn't have to go out this way," says Sichting. Then he laughs. "Basically I didn't come up with an excuse to say 'no' fast enough."

The whole column is worth a read as Sichting comes off as a stand-up guy helping out his hometown. Hopefully there's another update to the story, either with Sichting's team continuing to find success or the coach finding a new home in the NBA.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

Kurt Rambis To Be Inducted Into 2012 WCC Hall Of Honor

Avinash Kunnath — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:17:21 -0000

Kurt Rambis is renowned for being a great Laker, having funky goggles, and clothes-lining Kevin McHale. But before that Rambis was a big-time Santa Clara Bronco, and he did some great things there. More on why Rambis is getting inducted after the jump courtesy of this press release.

During his career at Santa Clara, Rambis scored a school-record 1,736 points from 1976-80. He was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1980 after being named the WCC Freshman of the Year in 1977. Thirty-two years later he is still in the top 10 of the following individual career records at SCU: No. 1 in scoring (1,736 points), No. 2 in field goals made (686) No. 3 in personal fouls (366), rebounds (1,037) and games started (107); No. 4 in free throws attempted (545); No. 5 in field goals attempted (1,316); No. 6 with points per game (16.1) and ; No. 8 in minutes played (3,240); and No. 10 in field goal percentage (.521) and free throws made (364). He is tied with John Bryant (22, vs. LMU, 1-29-09) for the Leavey Center record with 22 rebounds vs. Saint Mary's in the Broncos' 90-73 win over the Gaels on Feb. 5, 1977.

The rest of this class includes BYU's Elaine Michaelis (Volleyball/Administration), Gonzaga University's Blake Stepp (Men's Basketball), Loyola Marymount University's Billy Bean (Baseball), Pepperdine University's Dana Jones (Men's Basketball), University of Portland's Kasey Keller (Men's Soccer), Saint Mary's College's Tom Candiotti (Baseball), University of San Diego's Thomas Burke (Administration) and University of San Francisco's K.C. Jones (Men's Basketball).

Rambis will be inducted on Saturday, March 3 at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.

ESPN To Air Magic Johnson Documentary 'The Announcement' March 11

Eric Stephen — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:15:48 -0000

We are more than 20 years removed from November 7, 1991, the day Magic Johnson shook the world and retired from the Los Angeles Lakers after learning he had contracted HIV. Bucking the odds and not only staying alive all these years but also remaining healthy and vibrant, Johnson remains an important part of our world even today. On March 11, ESPN will air The Announcement, a documentary about Magic, his retirement, and the 20 years that have passed since.

The documentary, produced by ESPN Films and NBA Entertainment, and directed by Nelson George, will contain interviews with Johnson's wife Cookie, Pat Riley, Larry Bird, James Worthy, Jerry West, Kurt Rambis, Karl Malone, David Stern, Arsenio Hall, Chris Rock, and others, along with Johnson himself.

Said Johnson of his November 7, 1991 retirement press conference: “Was I scared? No question about it I was scared. I wasn’t scared to announce it; I wasn’t scared of the media. What I was scared of is… would I see them again?”

The documentary will air on Sunday, March 11 on ESPN at 6 p.m. PST.

Magic famously returned to the NBA three months after his retirement to play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, where he scored 25 points and won game MVP honors. The 2012 NBA All-Star Game is back in Orlando, on February 26.

For more news and notes on Magic Johnson or the Lakers, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things XXXII

Tom Ziller — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:30:36 -0000

In 2009, the Minnesota Timberwolves signed coach Kurt Rambis to a four-year, $8 million deal.

Rambis was fired after two seasons, leaving the moribund Wolves to eat $4 million in salary. The Wolves are one of the least lucrative NBA franchises.

John-Blair Bickerstaff Leaves Timberwolves For Position With Kevin McHale And Houston Rockets

Scott Schroeder — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:44:43 -0000

The Timberwolves fired Kurt Rambis on Tuesday. Rambis isn't the only coach leaving Minnesota, however, as one of his top assistants will also be elsewhere when then 2011-12 NBA season begins.

John-Blair Bickerstaff accepted a position with former Timberwolves head coach Kevin McHale and the Houston Rockets, according to the Houston Chronicle, shortly before news broke that Rambis was officially out of his David Kahn-imposed purgatory.

Bickerstaff had been with the Wolves for the past four seasons as either an assistant coach or director of player development, and seemingly had a shot at eventually becoming the next head coach of the team as rumors swirled that his father Bernie might serve as a stopgap until the younger Bickerstaff was ready.

It could be interesting if the elder Bickerstaff ends up in Minnesota the same season as his son left the rather dysfunctional organization, but the fact that J.B. didn't stick around to see if that might happen probably says something.

Minnesota Timberwolves May Have Contacted Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:30:34 -0000

The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by mastermind president of basketball operations David Kahn, still have yet to decide if current head coach Kurt Rambis will be fired. That hasn't stopped a slew of names to pop up as possible replacements, however.

The biggest name to pop up over the weekend was Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Krzyzewski, who is also the head coach of the USA Basketball team, was contacted by Kahn to help Ricky Rubio transition to the NBA, according to the New York Daily News.

If readers are wondering how a New York newspaper would have knowledge of discussions between a coach based in North Carolina and a basketball team in Minnesota, it seems that the writer was either searching for page hits or given incorrect information.

A Duke spokesman told the Herald-Sun that he spoke with Krzyzewski Saturday night and the coach said "no one had contacted him and he hadn't contacted anyone" about the Minnesota job.

That was fun while it lasted, though, right?

David Kahn Wanted Mike Krzyzewski To Coach Timberwolves, Because Of Course He Did

Andy Hutchins — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:58:59 -0000

Nothing Minnesota Timberwolves David Kahn can do, either in reality or the fantasy world of allegations and rumors, can surprise me. I reached that conclusion when reading about Kahn reportedly wanting Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to come to Minnesota and replace fired Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis.

That's not the only insane thing about the New York Daily News report: Kahn, who turned the 2011 NBA Draft into a swap meet in part to raise money to pay off Rambis, also sniffed around Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni as a Rambis replacement. You know, Mike D'Antoni? Makes about $6 million per year? Has already done the coaching for a penny-pinching owner thing? Yeah, that was not happening, no matter how many times Kahn thought, "Hey, D'Antoni could be good for Ricky Rubio!"

But expecting Coach K to depart Durham for the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes and a team that won 17 games in 2011? Krzyzewski won nearly twice as many games (32) in the 2010-11 season at Duke. And while his Blue Devils were booted from the NCAA Tournament by new Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams and Arizona, he might have a better guard than any on Minnesota's roster in uber-recruit Austin Rivers. Expecting Coach K to hop from one of the elite programs in college basketball to the dregs of the NBA is absurdly optimistic, if not almost offensively illogical. (Krzyzewski turned down an NBA gold standard before, remember.)

Oh, and Krzyzewski's 100 wins away from 1,000 career victories as a college coach. If you think he's leaving the bench at Cameron Indoor Stadium before he gets there, you might be insane.

Actually, that might explain some things about David Kahn. It wouldn't surprise me, certainly.

Via SportsGrid.

Ricky Rubio's Timberwolves Arrival Means Team Could Play Faster, Says David Kahn

Evan Dunlap — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:17:43 -0000

The Minnesota Timberwolves have yet to make a formal decision regarding Kurt Rambis' future with the club--and you can stay tuned to this StoryStream for more updates on that story--but, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune, if he does return, he needs to adjust his gameplan. Zgoda reports GM David Kahn wants Rambis to encourage his squad to play at a faster pace in order to exploit the passing gifts of point guard Ricky Rubio.

This idea makes sense on the surface: Rubio, who's drawn comparisons to Pete Maravich in the past, is at his best when blazing full speed ahead.

Yet the Timberwolves already play at one of the league's fastest paces. Indeed, only the Golden State Warriors have averaged more possessions per game than the Timberwolves over the last two seasons, which coincides with Rambis' hire. Does Kahn want them to play at warp speed? Surely he recognizes the sheer impossibility of his suggestion.

But I gave Kahn the benefit of the doubt, so I looked at another way to evaluate speed, namely the percentage of a given team's offense that comes in transition situations. These data are available via the scouting service Synergy Sports Technology, and in the Wolves' case, they are illuminating. Last season, only 10.7 percent of Minnesota's possessions ended in a transition shot attempt, free-throw attempt, or turnover, ranking it 23rd in the league.

How is one to reconcile the difference between the Wolves' pace and their fast-break opportunities? SB Nation's Rohan Cruff has the answer. In a January post, Cruyff outlined a new way to measure speed, and found the Wolves' fast pace is due almost entirely to how early in the 24-second clock they tend to attempt a field goal.

Kahn isn't wrong, then, to want the Wolves to run more. They don't get many of the sorts of fast-break chances Rubio's best at exploiting, as their tendency to shoot early in the half-court is what skews their pace. A more patient halfcourt approach, coupled with more frequent transition opportunities, should yield the results Kahn wants to see. Whether Rambis will still be around to implement that plan is uncertain.

Lakers Hire Mike Brown, Leave Us Wondering About What's Next For Brian Shaw

Tom Ziller — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:43:12 -0000

As Brian Shaw grew into his role as an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Lakers' bench these last several years, there was real grooming being done. Between Shaw and Kurt Rambis, it was never clear who exactly the heir to Phil Jackson's seat really was. But, because Jackson was seen as a kingmaker and both were seen as lifelong Lakers, we assumed it was one of them.

Rambis fled in 2009 to take over the Minnesota Timberwolves, a disaster of a franchise. Shaw certainly got his name out there as well, not content to assume he'd be Jackson's successor. And in the end, he wasn't, as the Lakers have hired Mike Brown to be their next coach.

What does a dismissed heir do? What's next for Brian Shaw?

Well, he could very well end up as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors or Indiana Pacers. The Warriors are an intriguing match; Brown was considered the top candidate there before the Lakers Death Star beamed him down to Los Angeles. Lawrence Frank, Dwane Casey and Shaw would appear to be Golden State's frontrunners at this point. The Pacers are also sniffing around, as Frank Vogel hasn't had "interim" knocked off of his business card. Shaw could jump to the top of the list there.

If not? There can't possibly be a scenario in which Shaw remains with the Lakers, not after this wait and this snub by Jim Buss, who has apparently taken over franchise leadership in full. If Shaw doesn't become a head coach this offseason, he immediately becomes the most sought-after free agent assistant coach in the nation. Let's face it: assistant coaches don't earn nearly what head coaches do. Brown will make $18.25 million over four years. Shaw hasn't been drawing anything remotely close to that. He needs to work, not just to keep his pockets green but to keep his name and face in front of teams that will be looking for coaches in coming years.

And the teams? They'll line up to hire Shaw as a top assistant, just as they did for Tom Thibodeau after he left the Rockets when Jeff Van Gundy was fired in Houston. Thibodeau parlayed three seasons with the Boston Celtics into a full-time (and Coach of the Year-winning) job with the Chicago Bulls.

Frank is a candidate a year removed from watching the Nets implode under his watch. Where's he? Top assistant for the Celtics. Shaw couldn't replace Frank in Boston -- the optics are too weird -- but there are a number of teams that could use an offensive-minded assistant. The Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings all spring to mind. (Of course, whether the incumbent coaches at those teams would feel comfortable with such an arrangement is another thing entirely.) Should the Rockets hire Kevin McHale, as they are rumored to do, Shaw could be a great offensive coordinator there.

Whatever happens, know that Shaw will get his chance, just as Rambis and Thibodeau did, just as once, back in 2005, Mike Brown himself did. And for Shaw, I imagine there will be no greater joy than proving to himself, the Buss family and the world that he can be a success with the Lakers, just as the Lakers aim to be a success with Shaw.