Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Cooler, where we take an extended visit with some old friends. Let’s get to it:
*Former Wolves coach Kurt Rambis, who was an almost impossible 100 games under .500 (32-132) in just two seasons here working alongside GM David Kahn, is reportedly exerting quite a bit of control over the Lakers coaching hire.
Los Angeles was closing in on a deal to have Tyronn Lue coach the team — Lue won a championship in Cleveland with LeBron James, making this a natural reunion — but things fell apart Wednesday. ESPN’s reporting suggests Rambis played a major role.