Pinckney joins T-Wolves staff

When Randy Wittman buzzed his buddy, Ed Pinckney, recently, Pinckney figured the Minnesota Timberwolves coach was finally going to come through with some notes from a basketball clinic Pinckney had been after.

"If I can't get to a clinic, I really like to get my hands on the notes," Pinckney said. "I knew Randy had been there, so I was relentless calling him to get them."

Wittman didn't have the notes.

He had a job offer.

After wavering and waffling, Pinckney on Friday finally said yes, agreeing to become an assistant coach on the T-Wolves bench. The former Villanova assistant said he struggled mightily with the decision, not just because he has to leave his alma mater, but because his ultimate goal is to be a college head coach.

"It was agony, let me tell you," said Pinckney, who played with Wittman in Sacramento. "I know I'll always be a part of the Villanova program, so that really helped. But I also worried that I may never have a chance to go back to the college game. I hope that won't be the case."

Pinckney had turned down other NBA jobs in recent years and also said no to an invite from Comcast SportsNet to be a 76ers TV analyst. He said yes to this one because Minnesota had something no one else did - Randy Foye on its roster.

"To be part of his life as a professional, that's what really pushed me over the edge," Pinckney said of the T-Wolves' top draft pick from a year ago. "I was with him a few days ago, talking about the culture out there and what he'd like to do. Randy is a big part of the plans for the Timberwolves. I had other offers but they didn't interest me as much. Because of Randy, this one was different."

Pinckney's decision, of course, leaves Jay Wright with a late spot to fill on his bench. Expect the coach to tab someone from his long list of former players.

Pinckney signed a 2-year deal with the T-wolves, but needs one more thing.

"I still don't have those notes," he said. *