Help on way for Rubio? Wolves hire Penberthy as shooting coach
MINNEAPOLIS -- As promised, the Timberwolves have their shooting coach.
Deciphering the resume of Mike Penberthy -- announced Thursday as the team's new shooting coach -- requires some digging into the annals of college and professional basketball. But when it comes to shooting, the 39-year-old California native is qualified.
Especially after working with point guard Ricky Rubio, forward Chase Budinger and others in California this offseason.
Before winning an NBA championship ring with the Lakers, Penberthy became the all-time leading scorer at The Master's College in Santa Clarita, Calif., where played from 1993-97. Until 2005, the two-time all-American held the NAIA record for consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer made (111).
Standing just 6-foot-3, Penberthy wasn't drafted out of college. But after bouncing around between the Continental Basketball Association, Venezuela and Germany for four years, he landed a free-agent deal with the Lakers.
During their 2000-01 NBA Finals run, he averaged five points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and shot 39.6 percent (55-for-139) from 3-point range in 53 appearances. Penberthy was waived early the following season and until 2008 played either overseas or in the American Basketball Association.
Shortly after announcing himself as the franchise's next head coach, Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said he'd bring in a shooting instructor to work with Rubio, one of the NBA's worst shooting point guards, and the rest of the club. He didn't end up looking far, hiring the same shooting coach Rubio, Budinger and other players spent time with this summer.
Rubio's career 36.8 field-goal percentage ranks worst all-time among NBA point guard with 500 or more attempts. As a team, Minnesota has been a bottom-third NBA shooting club every year since 2008-09.
Since 2005, the Wolves rank 26th in field-goal percentage (44.6) and second-to-last in 3-point percentage (34.3).
But they're hoping Penberthy can help alter that trend. In addition to continuing his work with Rubio, he'll have rookies Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine to help mold.
Other NBA teams, including the Spurs with Chip Engelland, have successfully enhanced their shooting prowess by hiring a coach whose sole purpose is to work with players on rhythm, mechanics and repetition. Engelland is responsible for helping Tony Parker, Patty Mills, Kawhi Leonard and a host of other San Antonio players improve their shot during the franchise's current dynastic run.
Minnesota also announced Thursday the hiring of Jason Hervey as an NBA and college scout and promoted Derek Pierce to an advance scout. Hervey spent the past two years as Detroit's director of basketball operations.
He has a history with Saunders, having served as his advance scout and video coordinator in Washington from 2009-12 and his video coordinator in Detroit starting in 2005.
Pierce will move from NBA and college scouting, which he did for the past five years, to putting together reports on upcoming opponents. Before joining the Timberwolves, Pierce spent three seasons as an advance scout with the Wizards and two seasons as an advance scout with the Golden State Warriors. Pierce got his NBA start as video coordinator for the Pacers, with whom he served five years.
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