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Nuggets' Carter says McHale will be better

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 8, 2008 at 8:01 p.m.

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Nene is playing at an All-Star level, but he says his Valentine's Day wedding would take precedence over a trip to the All-Star Game.

Photo by Javier Manzano / The Rocky

Nene is playing at an All-Star level, but he says his Valentine's Day wedding would take precedence over a trip to the All-Star Game.

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Kevin McHale had a decent 19-12 record the last time he took over the Timberwolves. Perhaps he offered ample thanks to his assistants and players.

McHale stepped down Monday as Minnesota's vice president of basketball operations to take over as coach of the struggling Timberwolves when Randy Wittman was fired. Nuggets guard Anthony Carter, with Minnesota during McHale's previous coaching stint, figures McHale will "be a lot better" this time.

McHale took over on an interim basis in February 2005 when the Timberwolves were 25-26 and fired Flip Saunders. The Hall of Fame player never had coached.

"It was a learning experience," said Carter, who will see McHale and the Timberwolves on Wednesday at the Pepsi Center. "He didn't really know all the X's and O's, but he had a good assistant coaching staff that was helping him out with a lot of plays. He kind of let us run whatever we wanted.

"He was trying to draw plays, and it was like a little Etch and Sketch. Like a kid just messing around. . . . He just gave the clipboard to the assistant coaches sometimes."

McHale's assistants were Wittman, Sidney Lowe, Jerry Sichting and Don Zierden. Carter said they mostly ran practice.

"Practice, it was kind of funny," Carter said. "(McHale) didn't warm us up and just let us get to playing five-on-five. He'd just sit on the sideline . . . and the other coaches would be coaching."

Asked how the Timberwolves managed a decent record with a novice coach, Carter said, "All the guys just stuck together. We didn't want to get embarrassed."

With McHale coaching his second game Wednesday, Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups said the Timberwolves (4-15) will be "dangerous" because players will be trying to "impress a new coach." Billups played with Minnesota from 2000 to 2002, with Wittman an assistant his second season.

"(The firing was) an unfortunate situation, but in this game, you got to win," Billups said. "That's the nature of the beast. I'm sure (Wittman) will land on his feet somewhere. He's a good coach."