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Your Timberwolves Talker has waited exactly a week to comment on the coaching change that will significantly alter the course of the Wolves franchise, and I have my verdict: Not impressed.

When Randy Wittman coached the Wolves, they played like a reasonably talented collection of NBA players for three quarters, then like a high-school team for the fourth. Enter Kevin McHale (the man who ran this team into the ground in the first place), and his promises of a more "attacking" style, and a mismatch-based offense. The result: Literally no change at all.

I sat in the second row, directly behind K-Mac, for the start of his second stint coaching the Wolves, against Utah. Some things I noticed: He's much, much more charismatic than Wittman is even on his good days. McHale high-fives every player who comes off the floor, he jokes with the players on the bench, and laughs with the referees, calling them their first name. This is in contrast to Wittman, who looked like he was watching his daughter star in a porno while he coached.

There's a significance to this contrast in coaching style: Witt was trying desperately to save his job. I think that, despite McHale saying he's in it for "the long term," K-Mac knew from the start that he's in his last days as a Timberwolves employee. Watching him coach up close, I could practically see his approach on his face: Screw it. We need a clutch basket and a defensive stop to win the game? Why don't I see what "Shaddy" (his ugly nickname for Rashad McCants) can do? What's Glen gonna do, fire me?

See, McHale knows this season is lost, and that when it's over, he doesn't even have to think about any of this NBA crap ever again! Here's Timberwolves Talk's completely unsupported, shot-in-the-dark take on what's going on right now: Glen Taylor knew Randy Wittman had to go. How did he know this? He's a human. Once that became apparent to him, it also occured that there were slim pickings among current potential replacements. Promoting an assistant as an interim coach is the common decision in situations like this. Quick, Glen. Name a Wolves assistant coach. Thought so. None of them have any kind of credentials to be running an NBA team. So Glen decides to hand the coaching reins over to the guy who put together this mismatched collection of players in the first place. It's a good business move: Holds McHale accountable (finally!) and also, he can say that McHale needs to step down from his personnel duties to "concentrate on coaching."

I gotta hand it to Taylor: That was a good idea. Now McHale is finally out as the Wolves decision-maker, and after the team in all likelihood limps to the finish line near the bottom of the league again, he can fire him as coach, too. And the sun will come out in Timberwolvesland, because Kevin McHale, after his approval rating dipped to.. let's see... Zero, will finally no longer be in any way associated with the franchise.

The Wolves can then think about hiring an experienced, proven coach (Flip Saunders, Sam Mitchell, and, to a lesser degree, Avery Johnson and Mo Cheeks come to mind...) and hand the GM duties to Fred Hoiberg, or someone who might actually use the Wolves bevy of future picks and cap space to improve the team, rather than try and teach a foreign-exchange student from Who-Knows-Where how to play basketball. The recent front-office developments have given Wolves fans reason to cautiously hope for the future. Unless, of course, Glen really is planning on keeping McHale on the bench. Would you put it past him?