MINNEAPOLIS — NBA executives Larry Bird and Danny Ainge on Monday attended predraft workouts organized by the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
But former Celtics teammate Kevin McHale was missing.

The Wolves held the first of four consecutive days of workouts featuring draft prospects they’ll consider with the upcoming draft’s 18th and 28th overall selections as well as their two second-round picks, but noticeably absent was McHale, whose future with the organization remains in doubt.
McHale and new president of basketball operations David Kahn will follow last week’s first meeting about the team’s coaching job with another discussion sometime this week.
Until it’s determined whether McHale will coach next season, Kahn said the presence of the man who has led the Wolves for the past 15 years would be too awkward during these predraft workouts.
“We’re still very much in a process to determine if he — or whoever — will coach,” Kahn said. “Until that process plays itself out, I think it would put too much pressure on him, and it’d probably make it very uncomfortable with other people here. I think it’s not appropriate yet until we resolve it. It’d be more appropriate once we have it resolved.”
Kahn wouldn’t say when this week he and McHale would meet again, but he did divulge that it probably again would be for dinner. He reportedly had the pork chop, McHale the cod last week. “I like to eat,” Kahn said. “I need to eat. The days are long.”
If McHale doesn’t return, Kahn said he doesn’t necessarily feel the need to have a new coach by the time draft night arrives three weeks from now. Asked if he needs the coach’s input to help make draft decisions, Kahn said, “We have a lot of voices,” referring to General Manager Jim Stack, assistant general managers Fred Hoiberg and Rob Babcock, player personnel director Zarko Durisic and assistant coaches Jerry Sichting, Dean Cooper, J.B. Bickerstaff and Ed Pinckney.
Kahn and the team’s existing front-office staff conducted 30-minute interviews with 18 players at last week’s Chicago scouting combine — many of whom the Wolves will consider with the sixth overall pick, their first of three first-round picks.
Stack and Hoiberg leave Thursday for Treviso, Italy, and a three-day “Eurocamp” featuring many of Europe’s top prospects at a camp run by Wolves scout Pete Philo. Babcock and Durisic, meanwhile, will head to college campuses to continue background checks on players.
Top prospects the Wolves will consider selecting with the sixth overall pick will begin arriving for individual workouts next week. Hoiberg said he expected those workouts to be scheduled through June 19, the Friday before the draft.
The front-office staff and the coaches all are working without knowing if they will be retained when Kahn turns to deciding his new staff after preparations for the draft and free agency are over in July.
“It has been fine,” Hoiberg said. “David’s done a nice job of coming in and explaining his philosophies on things. The draft, that’s the most important thing on everybody’s minds. I think all of us were very professional through the whole thing (the search for a new boss) and stayed on task. This is a very important draft.”
Bird, Ainge, New Jersey president Rod Thorn, Milwaukee General Manager John Hammond, Washington head coach Flip Saunders and Wizards assistant coach Randy Wittman, Houston General Manager Daryl Morey and Rockets’ assistant coach Jack Sikma all attended Monday’s workouts.
Ohio State’s B.J. Mullens, UCLA’s Darren Collison, Gonzaga’s Austin Daye were among the 12 players who worked out Monday.
Two new groups of players will arrive today. Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks, Michigan State center Goran Suton and Gonzaga center Josh Heytvelt are part of the morning session. North Dakota State guard Ben Woodside, Wisconsin forward Joe Krabbenhoft and Missouri forward DeMarre Carroll are in the afternoon group.