Timberwolves push back — say Rambis is safe and Rubio is coming

We’ve passed along two recent reports about the Minnesota Timberwolves, neither of them particularly good for the franchise: One that coach Kurt Rambis may be let go at the end of the season, the other that Ricky Rubio seems to be leaning toward staying in Europe another season.

Wolves management is pushing back on those ideas.

Maybe the best was wrap up of that is from David Aldridge with NBA.com.

A team source insisted this weekend that it would take a major collapse down the stretch for management to even consider replacing Rambis, who got a four-year contract with the Wolves for that very reason -- to take a lot of losses while developing the team’s young talent, including still-in-Europe Ricky Rubio. (The Wolves can buy out Rubio’s contract in Spain next season for $500,000, with Rubio paying the remainder, and Minnesota still expects Rubio will come over next year, regardless of whether there’s a lockout.) The Wolves have already won more games this season than last, with a month left in the season. Love, who clashed with Rambis last season, has seen that playing on a really bad team won’t keep him from individual accolades like making the U.S. World Championship team last year and the All-Star team this year -- and as such, the source claims, Love isn’t going anywhere when and if he becomes a free agent.

Three thoughts. First, Rambis really should not be in trouble. He was not given the talent to win, he has done about what should be expected with teams he has. That said, it still feels like they are not really building a triangle team there (and that’s what Rambis was hired to run), especially when they get Rubio in the fold, so the question of style of play is out there. Rambis has certainly tweaked the offense and used it differently in some ways than Phil Jackson does, but more adjustments may be needed. Many more.

Second, discussing what Love may do before we see the new CBA is kind of moot. But, in the current system, most max players sign that first max deal with the hometown team (which was larger than what other teams could sign them too). Movement of guys tends to happen after that second deal, more like seven years in.

Finally, Rubio has to make a decision in May or June on his plans for next year. The new NBA CBA will not be in place by then. Maybe he decides to sign a deal under this CBA and risk a lockout. But his interview in Spain, and logic, suggests he may stay in Europe another season and let the NBA labor situation play its way out, then come over.