Casey out, Wittman in with Wolves!
“We were at a point where was a team we were just treading water,” Wolves GM Kevin McHale told a hastily-assembled press conference Tuesday night, just hours before the President’s State of the Union speech. Call it McHale’s State of the Wolves address.
While President Bush is expected, among other things, to call for Americans to cut oil and gas consumption by 20 percent over the next decade, McHale’s message was simpler: he was cutting the Wolves’ coach halfway through Dwayne Casey’s second season with the team.
Now, without the Wolves to worry about, Coach Casey can look into some Outer Banks rentals as he awaits his next chance to coach in the NBA. Certainly, that would be easier than looking into ways to improve a team loaded down with bad contracts like those given to Eddie Griffin, Marko Jaric and Troy Hudson.
Stepping into his place is Randy Wittman, who seemed destined to become the next Wolves head coach since he was brought back to the team as a first assistant during the off-season. Wittman began his NBA career as a Wolves assistant under Flip Saunders and has coached the Cleveland Cavaliers a few years back.
The last 42 games and any possible post-season run will be Wittman’s job interview for a long-term contract. The job’s his to lose, and he will have every chance to do well.
But the biggest roadblock to Wittman’s success remains the same roadblock that Casey faced: ineffective general manager Kevin McHale.
