Minneapolis, MN (My Sportsbook) - The Minnesota Timberwolves have fired head coach Randy Wittman and replaced him with vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale.

Wittman becomes the fourth NBA coach to be relieved of his duties this season, following Oklahoma City's P.J. Carlesimo, Washington's Eddie Jordan and Toronto's Sam Mitchell.

The Wolves are a dismal 4-15 this season and their .211 winning percentage entering Monday's action is better than only those of the LA Clippers (.200), Washington (.167) and Oklahoma City (.095).

"There were certain goals and expectations that we had for this team at the start of the season, and we have not lived up to them," said Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor. "I am disappointed in our record and believe that we have more talent than our record indicates. A change had to be made and with three-fourths of the season remaining, there is still time to make substantial progress this year. I want to thank Randy for all of his contributions to the Timberwolves through the years as both a head coach and an assistant coach, and wish him the best in the future."

Wittman had been the Wolves' coach since January 23, 2007 when he took over on an interim basis from Dwane Casey. He posted a record of just 38-105 with Minnesota. Coupled with his 62-101 mark as coach with Cleveland from 1999-2001, Wittman has a career record of just 100-206.

McHale will take over on the Minnesota bench for the second time. He guided the Wolves to a record of 19-12 as interim head coach for the final 31 games of the 2004-05 campaign.

"Kevin has assembled the players on this team, and believes in their talent and skill level," Taylor added. "It is my expectation that Kevin will be able to get the most out of our team and our players in his new role as head coach. He has been involved in the NBA game for almost 30 years, is a tremendous teacher and has a wealth of basketball knowledge. I am confident that our players will respond to the new voice and perspective that Kevin will provide."

McHale has been with the Minnesota organization since the 1993-94 season. He first served as a special assistant before moving into the assistant general manager's role the following year, and has held the VP of basketball operations post since May 11, 1995. He will leave that role to concentrate on his coaching duties.

"I truly believe that we have a talented group of players in our locker room who have a great amount of potential," said McHale. "I'm confident that we can get this turned around and get back to playing a brand of basketball that our fans can be proud of."

A native of Minnesota, McHale played collegiately at the University of Minnesota and spent 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning three NBA championships in the 1980s.