Initial reaction: bad hire. But that's because we're like Pavlov's dogs here in Minnesota.

We've been trained to respond to certain things in certain ways. If the Timberwolves hire someone, well, it's a bad hire. Why? Because the Timberwolves did it. And they do bad things. Dumb things. The kind of stuff that makes people grimace and curse.

So when word leaked on Monday that the Wolves had hired Rick Adelman as coach, I'm sure everybody rolled their eyes and said, "Oh no! Not him!" Then they grimaced and cursed. However, a little time has passed since the news became public. And perhaps some folks have looked a bit closer at David Kahn's latest move.

I've looked at it frontward, backward, side-to-side and from every other angle I could come up with. And the bottom line is that there is just no getting around it:

This was a very good hire.

Once that initial prejudice with regards to all things Timberwolves wears off, it's not hard to see why. Simply put, the Wolves hired the best available coach. Period. Adelman is a winner who is well known for his teaching skills. He runs a tight ship, maneuvers his players nicely during games and almost always has his team in the thick of things. He brings instant respect to the on-court product.

Now, Kahn could have hired a sack of cornmeal to coach the team and I'd still consider it an improvement over Kurt Rambis. But getting Adelman was a remarkable achievement. First, the guy was open about wanting to sit out a year to just sort of take a breather. There's no doubt he would have had several attractive offers when he eventually decided to return.

Kahn and Taylor must have sold Adelman on the Wolves' potential. That should energize the team's long-suffering fan base. After all, if Adelman thinks enough of the team to re-think his sabbatical, then maybe there really is something here with Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love, Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley, provided the latter isn't one toke over the line.

Adelman, 65, has nothing to prove. He has close to 950 NBA victories under his belt. But he is no retread. Adelman has been active, coaching solid teams and enjoying success. Among all the candidates, Adelman was positioned right in the Wolves' sweet spot. He is mature and experienced, but not, uh, moldy like a Larry Brown or Don Nelson. Plus he is a proven winner and therefore not a gamble like younger candidates such as Sam Mitchell and Terry Porter.

He also is expensive. He insisted on a four-year deal, and the Wolves eventually gave in. That means Taylor will be paying two coaches for a while as Rambis collects on the two years remaining on his contract. That's got to hurt. Perhaps it all will be worth it.

When Kahn and Taylor hired Rambis they thought they were getting an upbeat, enthusiastic, teaching type of coach. As it turned out, they ended up with something else altogether. With Adelman there will be no surprises. He's not going to morph into something else 12 months down the road. At this point in his career, he is what he is.

And what he is should be perfect for the Timberwolves.

Tom Powers can be reached at