Rambis fired by Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS, July 12 (UPI) -- Kurt Rambis was fired Tuesday as coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who finished last season with the worst record in the NBA.

Rambis coached the Timberwolves for two seasons, building a 32-132 record. Minnesota was 17-65 in 2010-11.

"It is always hard to make these decisions," said David Kahn, Timberwolves president of basketball operations. "It is especially hard when it involves somebody of Kurt's reputation.

"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 was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers for 10 seasons before taking the head coaching position in Minnesota. He played in the NBA for 14 years, nine of which were with the Lakers. He won four NBA titles as a player in Los Angeles and the team won the NBA championship twice while he was an assistant coach.