David Kahn finally fires Kurt Rambis

Posted on | Monday, July 18, 2011 | No Comments

We've explained at length just how badly David Kahn has screwed up the potential dismissal of coach Kurt Rambis. How he's turned Rambis, who clearly is overmatched at head coaching at the NBA level, into a sympathetic figure by dragging his dismissal out. How no coach with Rambis' level of professionalism, no matter how poor his record, should be forced to endure what Rambis has gone through since the season ended three months ago. And how Kahn has absolutely no excuses for treating Rambis in this manner -- again, regardless of Rambis' poor record and/or acumen.

Well, it appears to be official. Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted on Tuesday that Rambis has been officially let go. Here's his message:

And here's our message, once again, to Kahn -- you screwed this up.

Rambis deserved another chance after his time with an out-of-shape and overly dramatic Lakers outfit from 1999, though he wasn't up to the task back then, and he wasn't the best choice for a coach, as it turns out, this time around, either. But Minnesota's last game was on April 13, and Rambis should have been fired the day after -- if not after the end of the 2009-10 season.

Instead, David, you ignored him for a spell and eventually fired him (in your own head) in June. In order to get some return on your owner's investment, you tried to shove a meaningless front office gig his way earlier this month, and then he refused.

You then waited nearly another three weeks after the June 22 "firing" before officially letting him go on July 12. And this, I'm sorry, is classless. Rambis should have been let go. But no coach, unless they're an outright and absolute jerk behind the scenes, deserves to be let go like this.

There are some things about the way David Kahn puts together basketball teams that are admirable. There are a lot of things he does that are funny. Most things, actually.

This is neither. This is just needless and wrong.

Nate Archibald Paul Arizin Charles Barkley Rick Barry Elgin Baylor

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