MINNEAPOLIS -- With the Memphis Grizzlies front office in turmoil, the Minnesota Timberwolves are strongly considering hiring coach Dave Joerger away to take over the team in his home state. LaDainian Tomlinson Womens Jersey . The Timberwolves received permission from the Grizzlies to interview Joerger and will meet with him on Thursday, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The people requested anonymity because the Timberwolves are not commenting publicly on their coaching candidates, but all indications were that Joerger was in the drivers seat to replace the retired Rick Adelman. Joerger, who is from Staples, Minnesota, and went to college at Division-II Minnesota State, Moorhead, went 50-32 in his first season as Grizzlies coach. After a rough start while the team transitioned from coaching veteran Lionel Hollins to the first-timer Joerger, the Grizzlies pulled together, overcame several injuries to key players and surged to the seventh seed in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. But after pushing the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games before losing in the first round, owner Robert Pera made the surprising decision to overhaul the front office. He fired CEO Jason Levien and director of player personnel Stu Lash, two moves that immediately called into question Joergers job security. Joerger goes way back with Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders. As a young coach trying to make his way up the ladder, Joerger came to watch Saunders, who coached the Timberwolves from 1995-2005, run practices. The two formed a mutual respect which lasts to this day. "The Timberwolves are the only NBA team of the 30 in the league that are in his home state and after having a long and honest conversation with Dave, he felt he owed it to his family, which resides entirely in Minnesota ... and we felt we owed it to Dave to at least have a discussion in this regard," Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace told ESPN 92.9 FM in Memphis. Asked if that was best for the Grizzlies, Wallace said he didnt see anything wrong with granting Joerger the chance to talk. "Hes just been granted permission to talk and will do so soon," said Wallace, who has assumed interim watch over the basketball operations while Pera restructures the front office. Saunders, who coached in the CBA before breaking into the NBA, has long had an affinity for coaches who had to grind it out in the minor leagues, believing they learn not only how to coach, but to run an organization. Joerger won championships in the NBDL, the International Basketball Association and the CBA before joining the Grizzlies as an assistant to Hollins. Joergers experience as a head coach last year with the Grizzlies helps him fit the profile Saunders is looking for in a replacement for Adelman. Saunders has said he wants a proven coach who knows the demands of running an NBA team, including handling questions from the media. The latter qualification is of particular concern for the Wolves right now with star forward Kevin Love set to opt out of his contract after next season. The Wolves are considering all their options with Love, including potentially trading him this summer. If the Wolves do not trade Love, they will head into the season with one of the major story lines in the league, one sure to draw attention from media all across the country. Thats part of the reason Saunders is reluctant to turn over the keys to a first-time head coach. The Timberwolves opening has also been linked to Hollins and college coaching stars such as Michigan States Tom Izzo, Floridas Billy Donovan and Iowa States Fred Hoiberg. Saunders has yet to offer the job to anyone, but it is believed that the uncertainty surrounding Love has caused some of the more high profile names on Saunders list to give tepid responses to inquiries. The situation with Love in Minnesota pales in comparison to the upheaval in Memphis, and the opportunity to bring his family back to his home state could be enough to convince Joerger to make the move from a team that was in the Western Conference finals two years ago to a franchise that hasnt made the playoffs since 2004. Nick Folk Womens Jersey . - The Oakland Raiders have signed quarterback Trent Edwards and defensive tackles David Carter and Torell Troup to reserve/future contracts. LaDainian Tomlinson New York Jets Jersey . Blake Griffin had 27 points and eight rebounds, Chris Paul added 19 points -- including a go-ahead layup in the final minute -- and the Clippers beat the Hawks 109-108 on Saturday night for their season-high seventh straight win. "In the locker room, I almost felt like we lost the game, because we expect a lot from themselves," Paul said.PHOENIX -- Former NFL All-Pro safety Darren Sharper has been indicted in Arizona on charges of sexual assault and administering dangerous drugs, authorities said Wednesday, marking the latest development in investigations in five states involving the Super Bowl champion. A Maricopa County grand jury indicted Sharper in sexual assaults allegedly committed on Nov. 21 in Tempe. The four-page indictment dated Tuesday accuses the 38-year-old Sharper of two counts of sexual assault and three counts of administering dangerous drugs. Sharper knowingly administered the sedative zolpidem to three different victims and then had "sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact" with two of them without their consent, the document states. Sharper is currently in custody in Los Angeles, where he has pleaded not guilty to seven rape and drug counts in connection with two alleged attacks in Hollywood. He had been freed on $1 million bail before turning himself in when an arrest warrant was issued in New Orleans. In Arizona, police reports released earlier say two women in their early 20s had claimed Sharper drugged and sexually assaulted them at a Tempe apartment after a group including Sharper went drinking at bars in nearby Scottsdale. One of the women told police she hadnt had any alcohol that night until Sharper insisted she drink a shot. Another young woman said she had been drugged then went to bed, locked her door and wasnt attacked. The next day, one of the women confronted Sharper, who denied wrongdoing, according to the reports. The reports said Sharper was in Arizona to visit a woman who lived at the apartment. The two had met about a year earlier in Las Vegas. Skip Donau, a Tucson attorney who represents Sharper in the Arizona case, declined to discuss specifics. Nick Folk New York Jets Jersey. "We know that Darren will vigorously deny the allegations," Donau said. "We are hopeful of vindication." In Los Angeles, Superior Court Judge Renee Korn said last week that it was unfair to hold Sharper in jail there "into perpetuity" and gave prosecutors in Louisiana until Thursday to charge him or otherwise seek his return. Prosecutors in New Orleans said Wednesday that Sharper would not be indicted by that deadline and the investigation remained open. It could not be immediately determined if Arizona authorities would ask that Sharper be held longer in Los Angeles or would seek his extradition. Jerry Cobb, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorneys Office, declined to comment. Sharper is also under investigation in Florida and Nevada. In a bail motion filed last month, Los Angeles County Investigator John Maccharella described a pattern in which the former football star met women at clubs or parties and lured them to a hotel room, where they were allegedly drugged and raped. The New Orleans warrant says police learned from witnesses that Sharper and an associate had acknowledged having nonconsensual sex with two women. Sharpers attorneys say he never made such statements. The warrant does not elaborate on how the information was obtained or disclose the names of the witnesses. Sharper was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie and was part of a successful championship run while with the New Orleans Saints. He retired after the 2010 season and was working as an analyst for the NFL Network before being fired recently. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
