The Wolves' coaching search has a late entry, and probably a frontrunner at that:

The Wolves have been given permission to talk to Memphis coach Dave Joerger and are expected to meet with him by the end of the week, according to a league source.

That interview could come Thursday.

Joerger grew up in Staples, Minn., and goes way back with Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders.

Joerger as a young coach attended Flip's Wolves practices and took notes during training camp at St. John's, and particuarlyl remembers watching Saunders install his offense the fall Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell joined the team.

Joerger's Grizzlies team won 50 games last season but he's currently in the middle of a mess in Memphis, where ownership suddenly fired much of its front office earlier this week

Bottom line, according to the source: Joerger wants out and Grizzlies ownership wants him out, but Joerger doesn't want to leave the rest of his multi-year contract on the table and the team doesn't want to pay him off.

The Grizzlies on Monday fired CEO Jason Levien and assistant general manager Stu Lash, but kept general manager Chris Wallace, VP of basketball operations John Hollinger and, at least for the time being, Joerger.

Levien promoted Joerger -- who won titles everywhere he went in the sport's minor leagues before taking an assistant's job in Memphis in 2007 -- last summer after the team couldn't reach contract terms with head coach Lionel Hollins and the two sides parted ways.

The Grizzlies might seek compensation from the Wolves if they want to hire Joerger, but their demands are not expected to be a deal breaker, the source said. The Wolves do have three second-round picks in this draft, if it does get down to compensation.

Last summer, the Los Angeles Clippers agreed to send a future first-round pick to Boston so the Celtics would allow Doc Rivers out of his coaching contract there.