Rick Adelman's Return Hinges On Wife's Health

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's the first question that needs to be answered in the Timberwolves' offseason -- will Rick Adelman return as head coach?

His wife's health is a major factor.

But Mike Max says you can also sense that the coach feels there is some unfinished business.

Maybe by design, Adelman makes it difficult to read him. To the public he is all about basketball. And he's a player's coach to be sure.

"He's a great guy and person," Dante Cunningham said. "With all the injuries, he's always kept an even keel -- always pushing us forward."

He's not always easy. For example, Derrick Williams has had to find a common ground.

"I think we're on the same page," Williams said. "And I think we're both trying to communicate a bit more ... with my game and his coaching style."

Much of his future is dictated by his wife's health as they try to get a grasp on her seizures.

"We're seeing what the doctors think and the possibilities that are there," Adelman said. "That'll weigh heavily on what I'm going to do."

You can feel that he feels there is a transformation in place, and that the culture is changing.

Last year was a difficult season to get through, and this would have been, too, if it weren't for the players on this team.

If there is a clean bill of health for his wife, expect him back. And he hopes to have enough information to make a decision by early May.