Kevin Love getting input on Wolves next coach

(Editor’s note: Yes, that is Kevin Love in the photo to the right, he tweeted a pick of himself with his new haircut, and as it is a lockout we want you to know what is up with Love’s locks. You can thank us later.)

Kevin Love is getting more respect from his organization than Kobe Bryant got from his.

While Kobe was not consulted or told about the Lakers plans to hire Mike Brown (he learned the same way you did and Jim Buss later said he made a mistake not talking to the face of the franchise), the Minnesota Timberwolves and GM David Kahn are talking with Love. That’s what Love told The Big Lead.

I have definitely been asked by David Kahn what I thought about the situation, and I gave my two cents. I told them I think we need a coach to help us grow and win in tough situations and learn how to win. A guy who is going to be able to work with young guys and go through the growing pains to help us become a better team. There were a few names thrown out to me prior to the interview process, and they’ve all interviewed so far.

That’s one thing Kahn has gotten right in the hiring process. One. He has generally not handled this well, leaving Kurt Rambis twisting in the wind for months after the season, now interviewing everyone — Don Nelson, Mike Woodson, Rick Adelman, Terry Porter, Bernie Bickerstaff, next up is Larry Brown and more are expected — some of whom are questionable fits. At best.

Kahn is not following his own “we’re going to find a guy with up-tempo DNA” script he laid out to find a coach.

Scott Schroeder laid out the concerns well over at SB Nation.

Instead, it seems as though Kahn is simply interviewing whichever name-brand coaches will give him the time of day -- regardless of previous coaching philosophies...

To wit, Woodson and Porter both lost their last jobs -- at least in part -- because they didn’t play fast enough on the offensive end during their tenures with the Atlanta Hawks and Suns respectively. Brown’s last full season with the Charlotte Bobcats ended with his team finishing nearly dead last in pace, Bickerstaff’s Bobcats finished with an extremely inefficient offensive rating despite pushing the ball at a decent pace leaving only Adelman and Nellie as coaches that meet the specifications on the wishlist Kahn previously set out.

But at least Kevin Love is getting a say.

This is not to say that the Wolves will not end up with a good fit at coach. The approach just seems haphazard. Which is what the Wolves have felt like for a while. But in the end, all that will matter is the hire if he makes a good one. There is still time to make this work.