After years spent playing under Pat Riley and coaching under Phil Jackson, Kurt Rambis is finally getting a chance to run a team.

Rambis has been hired as coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves in hopes of transforming a struggling franchise into a contender. Terms were not disclosed, but the team said Monday that they an agreement in principle. Rambis will be introduced today.

The 51-year-old Rambis has been an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers for most of the last seven seasons. He won four titles as a player with the Lakers in the 1980s and two more as an assistant coach, including last season when he served as the team’s defensive coordinator.

“This arguably is the most important decision I will make, and thus it required a lot of time,” said David Kahn, who was hired in May to run the team’s basketball operations. “His reputation around the league is that he is a wonderful teacher who is hands-on on the court and one who understands that part of our business and will really energize it.”

In other pro basketball news:

Glen “Big Baby” Davis can put the suitcases away, because the Boston Celtics finally rescued him from restricted free agency with a two-year deal worth about $6 million that keeps him on the team that he helped win an NBA championship in his rookie season, two years ago.

The Denver Nuggets have lost another player who helped them reach the Western Conference finals. Forward Linas Kleiza, who played four years in Denver, will play for Olympiakos, agreeing to a two-year deal worth more than $12 million.