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McHale, Adelman Face Familiar Opponents Tonight At Target Center

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McHale, Adelman Face Familiar Foes Tonight At Target Center

Kevin Love and former Wolves general manager Kevin McHale will always be connected if not for one reason: McHale helped bring the All-Star forward to Minnesota thanks to an eight-player 2008 Draft Night trade that, among others, sent OJ Mayo’s rights to Memphis.
But with Love learning the NBA game early in his career and McHale spending 63 games coaching the Wolves in 2008-09, the two had a chance to build a relationship on and off the court—a relationship that Love said helped mould him as a player early in his career.
“He’s the reason I’m here now,” Love said. “I’m thankful for what he did for me, bringing me here and also working with me in my rookie year and giving me an opportunity to succeed and take my game to the next level. He’s somebody that I really respect on and off the court.”
Tonight at Target Center is a unique reunion for both coaches involved. When the Wolves and Rockets meet at Target Center, not only will McHale be returning to his home state where he spent 15 years as part of the Timberwolves organization. It will also be the first time Wolves coach Rick Adelman faces his former team that he led to a 193-135 record and two playoff appearances over the past four years.
Both coaches took different paths to their current jobs. Adelman seamlessly moved from Houston to Minnesota, taking no time away from the bench in the process. McHale, who last coached in 2009, spent time as an NBA analyst on TNT before returning to the court.