Timberwolves fire coach Rambis after finishing last

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The Minnesota Timberwolves  fired head coach Kurt Rambis after a last-place overall finish  that stretched the struggling team’s playoff drought to seven  seasons, the National Basketball Association team said yesterday.

Rambis, who had two years left on his contract, posted a  32-132 record over two seasons with the Timberwolves, including  a league-worst 17-65 mark last season.

“It is always hard to make these decisions. It is  especially hard when it involves somebody of Kurt’s  reputation,” David Kahn, Timberwolves president of basketball  operations, said in a statement.

“Even so, this is the right time for us to make a head  coaching change now that we’ve identified our roster and its  specific needs.”

Rambis became the ninth coach of the Timberwolves in August  2009 after having been an assistant coach with the Los Angeles  Lakers for seven seasons.