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And there's that "great fit" that he mentioned with a young Wolves roster that includes seven players -- including three former No. 2 overall picks -- selected among the first six picks in their draft classes, but that largely has managed to win only 32 games the past two seasons. "Really, throughout my career, what I've done is taken teams with bad records and with every situation I've made them better," he said. "I like to be around young players. I've had great success with bad teams, getting them on the right track, getting them to max out. I have a great history there." Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Don Nelson 

He also carried a reputation throughout his career as a coach who is tough on rookies and young players. "Yeah, I don't like rookies that can't play," he said when asked about that impression. "Rookies that can play, I play 'em a lot. They're not rookies they have there. They're young players. You can bring those guys around and be competitive, be a real good young team. "There's talent there. Maybe they just need to change the tempo and play a little faster there. There's only one guy who had success with the triple-post offense and he just retired." Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Don Nelson 

Jerry Zgoda: There is #Timberwolves connection to Nellie: Don and Donnie N once gave asst GM Tony Ronzone his first NBA job in about a 12-min interview Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Don Nelson 

The Minnesota Timberwolves have begun drawing up a list of coaching candidates and Don Nelson is on it, according to NBA coaching sources. The Wolves plan to hold talks with Nelson to explore the feasibility of hiring the 71-year-old to replace Kurt Rambis, sources said. On Tuesday, sources said Nelson, who spent last year out of the game, is open to a return to coaching and intrigued by Minnesota's young roster. ESPN.com

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Don Nelson 

Marc Stein: Sources say Wolves plan to talk to both Nelson and Adelman to gauge their interest in replacing Rambis. Kahn, remember, wants up-tempo coach Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Don Nelson, Rick Adelman 

Fellow coaching veteran Bernie Bickerstaff, who worked as an assistant in Portland last season, is the only candidate that the Wolves have publicly acknowledged. But the Wolves' interest in Bickerstaff was largely tied to the prospect of Minnesota keeping hold of his son, J.B. Bickerstaff, to groom him for a possible promotion to coach, sources said. J.B. Bickerstaff since has committed to join Kevin McHale's new staff in Houston, along with another reported Wolves target, Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Kelvin Sampson. It remains to be seen how much the Wolves are willing to spend on a replacement after Rambis was fired with two years left on his contract. If money is not an obstacle -- as Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn insisted earlier this week -- Minnesota also is expected to gauge the interest of former Rockets coach Rick Adelman. ESPN.com

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Don Nelson, JB Bickerstaff 

Sources said Nelson is also known to be a long-time admirer of both Rubio and Love. And current Wolves forward Anthony Tolliver is another Nelson favorite, dating to their time together at Golden State. Nelson, however, had a strained relationship with Wolves forward Anthony Randolph in Golden State -- another concern he would have to allay. "[Nelson is] a great coach and he def[initely] would be able to use all of the firepower we have," Tolliver told the Star Tribune via text. "He def[initely] has my endorsement!" ESPN.com

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Don Nelson 

Marc Stein: Wolves are compiling list of coaching candidates and Don Nelson and Rick Adelman are indeed on it. Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Don Nelson, Rick Adelman 

Marc Stein: Name to watch in Wolves search: Don Nelson. ESPN.com sources say he's not only open to return to coaching but intrigued by 'Sota roster. Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Don Nelson 

During a lighter moment of the interview, Nowitzki reminisced about the time he walked in on former Mavericks coach Don Nelson sitting in a hot tub. “Oh God,” Nowitzki initially responded after being persuaded to tell the story. “He actually was in the hot tub with his dog. The dog wasn’t running around, the dog was in the hot tub with him. … I don’t know, but it was awful.” Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Don Nelson 

Nelson says he watched every Warriors game this season and has been in contact with Keith Smart. He says they've spoken about 10 times. As for coaching, "I've not missed it one bit." But in a recent TV interview, Nelson left open the door for a return to the NBA. "I just said that because every time I retired and said, 'That's it,' I'd come back and look silly. I'm not planning to come back. It's a perfect time to retire." San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Don Nelson 

Nelson says he's happy for Chris Mullin for his election to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Nelson says he's sorry he didn't make it, mainly because it would have been a morale boost for former Warriors owner Jim Fitzgerald, who is in poor health. The Hall of Fame for Nelson? "I don't know if it's important or not," he says, sipping a glass of wine. San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Chris Mullin, Don Nelson, Hall of Fame 

Looking back, Nelson scoffs at the speculation that he was pulling all the strings on personnel moves. Quite the contrary, Nelson says, he was deliberately kept out of the loop in the last years. Recalling Mullin's administrative tenure, which ended a season before his own, Nelson said, "I'd usually go in early, 5:30 in the morning. Mullie would be there, working out. Every time I started to talk about basketball, he would change the subject immediately, talk about golf or something. Every time." San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Chris Mullin, Don Nelson, Hall of Fame 

"I told (management), 'Look, I want (Anthony) Tolliver. I'm gonna need a power forward who can shoot.' They wouldn't give me Tolliver. He was pretty cheap (Tolliver signed with Minnesota for $2.2 million). I didn't ask for much. That's when I knew I was gone." San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Anthony Tolliver, Don Nelson 

Instead, Nelson is the winningest coach in NBA history, owner of half (give or take) of Maui, and, seemingly, a guy who knows he has been dealt a good hand. Nelson and his wife, Miss Joy, live in a newly built manse in a fenced-in seaside compound in downtown Paia (pie-E-uh), a little sailboarding and tourist town. The home is divided in half, so half can be rented out, though Nelson doesn't seem very aggressive about renting it. Mostly it's open for drop-in visitors, like Bill Walton. A big tourist activity is to coast on bicycles down the long road from the top of the giant Haleakala crater. "Walton rode up the mountain," Nelson says with a laugh. San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Don Nelson, Bill Walton 

Nelson, with his home 20 feet from the Pacific Ocean, doesn't swim, surf or float. "I'm not a water guy," he says. He still enjoys this relatively undeveloped side of the island by hiking into the rain forest and finding hidden waterfalls and pools. And he tends to his businesses. "I'm very busy," Nelson says. "I've got tons of stuff to do." San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Don Nelson 

In Nelson's estimation, point guard Stephen Curry has taken a step back from his rookie season, and guard Monta Ellis didn't want to accept the responsibilities of a point guard but is playing more like one than in his previous five seasons. "I'm not planning to (coach anymore)," said Nelson, 70. "I love Maui. ... I'm torn a little bit. I've had a couple of feelers already, just to check me out and see how I'm feeling. I don't think that I will (coach again), but you never say, 'never.' " San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Don Nelson 

In his most provocative comment, Nelson seemed to say he was fired primarily for asking center Andris Biedrins to shoot his free throws underhanded. Biedrins shot an NBA-worst 16 percent in 2009-10, Nelson's final season. "I got fired when I asked him to (shoot underhanded)," Nelson said, and there was no follow-up question. Nelson maintained that he had Rick Barry lined up to instruct Biedrins. San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Don Nelson 

"I begged the (ownership) to keep Chris Webber and let me go ... and I could have been in San Antonio and had Tim Duncan." San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Don Nelson, Chris Webber, Tim Duncan 

"I thought we should trade Patrick Ewing and whoever else it took to get Shaq (O'Neal, when Nelson was coach) in New York. The next day, someone told Patrick Ewing, and that was the end of my career there." San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Trade, Coaching, Patrick Ewing, Don Nelson