Hoiberg, Babcock hired as assistant GMs for T-Wolves

MINNEAPOLIS -- Former Timberwolves player Fred Hoiberg and former Toronto general manager Rob Babcock were hired as assistant GMs for Minnesota on Thursday.

A heart ailment forced Hoiberg to retire in April after 10 years in the NBA, including his last two in Minnesota. He had surgery in 2005 to correct an enlarged aortic root and briefly contemplated a comeback last season before calling it quits and joining the team's front office.

Babcock spent the last two years as general manager of the Raptors. He was fired in January and replaced by Bryan Colangelo after a series of highly criticized trades and draft picks. This will be Babcock's second stint with the Timberwolves. He spent 12 seasons from 1992-2004 rising up the ranks from scout to vice president of player personnel.

"For Fred, he is doing a tremendous job in transitioning from being a player to a front office executive. Hopefully, he will continue to grow and learn in this new role," vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said in a statement. "Rob is someone who is very knowledgeable about the NBA, and has been here before so he knows what we do. Both of them were a great help in our preparations for this year's draft."

Hoiberg and Babcock will assist general manager Jim Stack and McHale with the draft and scouting.

The Timberwolves also hired well-regarded veteran assistant Bob Ociepka to join coach Dwane Casey's staff and appointed Dave Vitel the new strength and conditioning coach.