New Timberwolves coach says winning will take time

The Minnesota Timberwolves' new coach said he's looking forward to working with the team's young players.

Rick Adelman will be the 10th head coach in the basketball franchise's history. His predecessor, Kurt Rambis, was fired in July. The team organization introduced their new coach Wednesday afternoon at a news conference.

Adelman, 65, ranks eighth in NBA coaching wins in 20 seasons as a head coach. Adelman said he sees Minnesota as a place where he can use his coaching skills to help players grow.

"I really enjoyed the last two years in Houston," Adelman said. "I kept looking at this group and I thought this could be a really great situation with the youth they have, the talent they have. You never know what you can do and I felt it was a great challenge.

Adelman said the Timberwolves' players need to be pushed out of their comfort zone in order to start winning games, and he can't predict how long it'll take to improve the team game. However, the new coach can't work with his players yet — they remain off the job while the NBA lock-out continues.

"What happened before, I don't care about right now. I only care about what happens from this day forward," Adelman said.

The Timberwolves did not disclose the terms of Adelman's contract.