Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: Star Tribune
Author: Jerry Zgoda
Master architect: New Wolves boss Tom Thibodeau assesses job ahead
Eleven months after the President of the United States predicted it, Tom Thibodeau has found a new team as the Timberwolves’
new coach and president of basketball operations.
This time, Thibodeau’s return to Minnesota didn’t merit a tweet from Barack Obama, not like Thibodeau’s dismissal by the
Chicago Bulls — the leader of the free world’s beloved hometown team — did last May.
“We’re going to have to swing him over from Chicago to Minneapolis,” Thibodeau said about the tweet that lamented his
departure and forecast he’d be “snatched up soon” by another team.
And with that, Thibodeau laughed, as he did often during a 30-minute telephone conversation Thursday. That’s when a man
often depicted as dour and single-mindedly obsessed reminisced about his NBA start as a Wolves assistant coach long ago and
discussed a year’s sabbatical he used to “reflect and recharge.”
He also talked about his firing by the Bulls after five successful seasons there and coaching a young, gifted Wolves team
assembled by friend Flip Saunders that he is inheriting.
An assistant on the expansion Wolves’ first two teams, Thibodeau on Wednesday agreed to coach what he calls the league’s
“best young roster” and share management decisions with longtime friend and newly named GM Scott Layden, with whom he
once worked in New York. He terms it a “partnership” with a man he calls “one of my closest friends” rather than total control over
personnel decisions.
Fired by the Bulls in part because of conflicts with management, Thibodeau negotiated the president of basketball operations title
into his Wolves deal.
“It wasn’t an absolute must, but I’m glad it has worked out that way,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure I had a voice. The
person I’m with, I trust Scott. He has great integrity. He’s a great worker and he has great experience.”
He cited that partnership, the team’s young roster — “and where it can go” — and owner Glen Taylor’s “commitment to winning”
as the reasons he agreed to a reported five-year, $40 million contract only a week after the Wolves announced they’d search to
fill two jobs and ended up filling three.
“When you look at the young guys, when you look at the [salary] cap space, when you look at the draft pick that’s coming, there’s
great flexibility there,” Thibodeau said. “There are a lot of assets there. If you formulate a really good plan that studies and
organizes everything, I think this situation is positioned great to go forward.”
He calls himself well-suited to coach such a young team, noting Derrick Rose was 22 and Joakim Noah 25 when he accepted his
first NBA head coaching job in 2010. Often criticized for playing his starters too much, he answered Taylor’s inquiry on that matter
by telling him to speak with former players. On Thursday, he said his Bulls players’ minutes compared to others at their position in
the league.
“Some of it is more myth than fact,” Thibodeau said. “If you dig deeper, you will see that. A lot of other guys play a lot of minutes.”
Thibodeau’s objective with such a young team is what every coach seeks: maximize its strengths, minimize its weaknesses. He
said this team can score, will get to the free-throw line and is willing to share the ball.
“We have to get turnovers down a bit,” he said. “You eliminate all the ways you beat yourself first.”
Thibodeau visited 13 different NBA teams during his season off and found enlightenment in not one revelation but many little
things.
He also watched a lot of NBA games. Included were the Wolves under interim coach Sam Mitchell, who was not retained.
“I thought they improved, I thought they had some good, solid wins,” Thibodeau said. “You start looking at it and you’re just
impressed.”
Those favorable impressions begin with 20-year-old Karl-Anthony Towns, 21-year-olds Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine and
25-year-old point guard Ricky Rubio.
Thibodeau’s discussion about each player began with praise of their talents and ended with needed improvements, particularly
defensively.
• On Towns: “It’s pretty amazing for a first-year guy to come in and do the things he did. There’s obviously room for growth. But
his skill set is very unusual. He has the potential to be very good defensively, with his rebounding, his shot blocking. The way he
plays the game, the way he sees the game, he has the ability to make other players better. He had a very impressive first year,
but it’s just the beginning. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to move the group forward.”
• On Wiggins: “He impressed me the way he scored against us when I was still coaching. He made it look easy. I think the
challenge — not only him but for his teammates — is there’s going to have to be dramatic improvement defensively. You have to
make a commitment in that area. The players are too good in this league to guard individually. You need to have five-man
defense in all aspects. If one guy’s not doing his job, the group is going to look bad.”
• On Rubio: “All players have their strengths and weaknesses and Ricky has established himself as a very good player. So we’re
excited about that. The point guard position is such an important position in the way the team functions. You need to have a good
understanding where guys like to get the ball, who has a good matchup, what’s going on in the game and keep the team
organized and I think Ricky’s really strong in those areas.”
• On LaVine: “I thought he improved a lot. I’m excited at what he can do. He improved his shooting, his defense and his
rebounding as well.”
Thibodeau plans to arrive in Minneapolis early next week. He intends to meet or talk with as many players as possible and will
start assembling a coaching staff by first talking with the team’s current assistants.
“Great coaches, those are the tools of your success,” he said. “It’s not about me. No coach, no player can do this by himself.”
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: Star Tribune
Author: Sid Hartman
Thibodeau helped train future NBA coaches
After new Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeaulanded his first NBA assistant job with the Wolves for their 1989-90
expansion season, he ended up coaching several players who eventually became NBA head coaches — including the man he is
replacing, Sam Mitchell.
Also on that first Wolves team was Sidney Lowe — who was head coach of the Wolves from 1992-94 and Vancouver/Memphis
from 2000-2003, and who served as an assistant coach under Mitchell this season — and Tyrone Corbin, who was head coach
at Utah for three seasons (2011-2014) and served as interim coach at Sacramento during the 2014-2015 season.
During the 1990-91 and 1991-92 Wolves seasons, Thibodeau also coachedScott Brooks, the guard who eventually became
head coach at Oklahoma City from 2008-2015 and took them to the NBA Finals. Brooks was hired as head coach at Washington
on Thursday.
Thibodeau and Brooks were two coaches with great track records who were unjustly fired. Both were finalists for the Wolves job
that eventually went to Thibodeau on Wednesday.
Thibodeau talked in 2011 about his time in Minnesota and what a great group of people he worked with. Looking at the legacy of
that expansion team, and the number of quality players and coaches it produced, it’s hard to underestimate what a great
coach Bill Musselman was in cultivating talent.
“I’ve been fortunate to be with some really good teams and organizations over the years, but I look at Minnesota as a very
positive situation,” Thibodeau told the Chicago Tribune. “You measure coaching by how much you get out of your team. And I
thought we got the most out of that team.
“We played hard most every night. We played smart. We played together. Most nights, we had a chance to win. So to me, I view
that as being very successful.”
Thibodeau also talked about working with Musselman with the Albany Patroons in the CBA.
“That was my first experience of really seeing how pro ball worked,” he said. “I was fascinated with everything [Musselman] was
doing in practice. They weren’t long but very, very precise. We developed a friendship. He went on to win the CBA championship
that year, his fourth straight with four different teams.
“And the following year he got hired by Minnesota, but they didn’t have a team yet. So whenever he traveled through Boston,
we’d get together and talk basketball. The following year he had a number of free-agent camps and he invited me to work those
camps. From there, I was very fortunate to get an opportunity to get in the NBA. He was terrific to me.”
Praise from Breuer
Another player on that expansion Wolves squad under Musselman and Thibodeau was center Randy Breuer. The former
Gophers standout, who was traded to the Wolves from Milwaukee, played 51 games that season and started 47. Breuer
averaged 10.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocks with the Wolves that year.
Breuer said Thibodeau, who was 32 at the time, was a raw talent, but he also thought Thibodeau could develop into a great
coach.
“I thought he showed potential,” Breuer said. “There was a lot of stuff he had to learn, how to deal with players and work with
players, and he was eager to learn.
“Really, I thought he had the potential to be a great coach. He had to put the work in and put the time in to understand the NBA
game.”
Thibodeau has spent 27 years in the NBA — including five successful seasons as head coach of the Bulls with a 255-139 record
— and become one of the most respected coaches in the league, known for his ability to coach defense.
Breuer recalled Musselman being a stern coach who controlled every aspect of the team, an approach Thibodeau often
emulates.
“[Thibodeau] was eager to learn, he was decent,” Breuer said. “He was an assistant coach under Musselman and Musselman
ran the team with an iron fist. [Thibodeau] would put in his two cents whenever he could, and Musselman either takes your advice
or didn’t take your advice.”
Breuer still follows the Wolves and said Thibodeau’s defensive mind-set is just what the team needs.
“For this team to be successful, they have to bring somebody in who can coach defense,” he said. “From what I’ve watched over
the last 5-10 years, they just have not had a good defensive coach that teaches the players rotations.
“You go over everything you think you need to go over with a pick-and-roll defense, but when I see a team pick and roll against
our team, it just looks like they just either switch and it ends up being a dunk and the other three guys on the court aren’t paying
attention to the help-side defense. The five-man [defensive] rotation isn’t there.”
Jottings
• When I talked to Thibodeau on the phone Thursday, he verified that he didn’t talk to the search firm hired by Wolves owner Glen
Taylor until Wednesday. … He also said he was not going to hire any assistants until he visits with the current Wolves staff. All of
the assistant coaches under him in his last year coaching the Bulls got NBA jobs after Thibodeau was fired. His 2014-2015 staff
included Adrian Griffin (now with Orlando), Andy Greer(Toronto), Ed Pinckney (Denver) and Mike Wilhelm, the only
assistant Fred Hoiberg, Thibodeau’s successor, kept with the Bulls.
• Rest assured that Kevin Garnett, who played with the Celtics while Thibodeau was an assistant coach for three seasons
under Doc Rivers and won the NBA title in 2007-2008, recommended the new Wolves coach highly to Taylor. It wouldn’t be
surprising at all to see Garnett back to play next season.
• Hopkins standout Amir Coffey played in the Jordan Brand Classic last week for the West Team and finished with seven points
on 3-for-6 shooting to go along with two rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes.
• Former Twins center fielder Aaron Hicks was hitting only .050 for the Yankees through Wednesday, but he made one of the
great plays of the young season Wednesday when he threw out former Twins third basemanDanny Valencia, now with the
Oakland A’s, at home plate. That throw that was clocked by StatCast at 105.5 miles per hour, the fastest throw ever recorded by
an outfielder.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: Star Tribune
Author: Sid Hartman
Wolves lured Thibodeau with ideal NBA position
Contrary to other reports, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told me that it wasn’t until about 5:50 p.m. Wednesday when he
finally agreed to terms with new head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden, the
team’s incoming general manager, on their contracts. Thibodeau is reported to have signed for $40 million and Layden for $10
million on their five-year deals.
The reported $8 million per year will make Thibodeau the third-highest-paid coach in the NBA, trailing only Gregg Popovich of
San Antonio ($11 million) and Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers ($10 million), both of whom have dual duties as president
of basketball operations and head coach, like Thibodeau.
“I’m excited about it just because they’re very experienced guys,” Taylor said. “Both of them were my top candidates.”
Taylor said the Timberwolves will hold a news conference Saturday or Monday to introduce Thibodeau. Layden will remain with
the San Antonio Spurs as assistant general manager throughout their playoff run, with current Wolves GM Milt Newton serving in
that role until Layden joins the team.
“I don’t know that [Layden] can come until after [the Spurs] get out of the playoffs, so Milt has to keep running [the team], he has
to keep on working and doing the draft [preparation],” Taylor said. “When [Layden] is hired, then we’ll have the two of them meet.”
Taylor said while he was able to sign his ideal candidates for the two positions, he was still pleased with the job interim head
coach Sam Mitchelldid this past season.
“I hired the best guys I can get,” Taylor said. “I agree that Sam is a really good guy, and I really like him.”
Best job available
Thibodeau will have complete control of personnel decisions with the Wolves, a position he considered the most desirable of
those available in the NBA. He had a chance to interview for and get several other jobs this offseason, including potential
openings with the Lakers and Knicks.
But the one job he wanted was with the Wolves, for a lot of reasons. One of the biggest, of course, was because they have great,
young talent. Thibodeau believed he could win right away with the current personnel, plus a high lottery draft pick this year and
possibly signing a free agent or two.
Another reason he wanted the job had nothing to do with personnel. His first coaching job in the NBA, at age 32, was as an
assistant to Bill Musselman on the Wolves’ expansion team in 1989. Thibodeau is a disciple of Musselman, and that initial squad
won 22 games with limited talent.
How do I know? Thibodeau told me this in a phone call to my home Saturday, after I got his e-mail from Eric Musselman, Bill’s
son, who is a close friend of Thibodeau and now head coach at the University of Nevada. Thibodeau wanted this job in the worst
way, and naturally was looking for any help he could get to land the position.
The conversation with Thibodeau was off the record at the time, but he told me he was scheduled to meet with Jed Hughes,
whose search firm Taylor hired earlier this week to locate the best coaching candidate. Thibodeau already had plans to meet with
Taylor.
I know Hughes, too, because he was Vikings defensive backs coach for Bud Grant in 1982-83 before giving up coaching and
entering his current profession.
Bulls loss, Wolves gain
I’ve known Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls, for 25 years. I could never understand why he allowed Bulls GM Gar
Forman and executive vice president John Paxson to fire Thibodeau.
There’s no question he had a fantastic record with the Bulls (255-139), and he was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2011-12.
So firing him just so Forman and Paxson could hire former Wolves player/executive Fred Hoiberg as the new coach never made
a lot of sense to me. That’s no reflection on Hoiberg’s coaching ability, just Thibodeau’s talent.
The Bulls missed the playoffs this season for the first time in five years, after reaching the postseason in all five seasons under
Thibodeau. Yes, the Bulls probably could have won an NBA championship if it wasn’t for injuries to standout point guard Derrick
Rose, who played only 181 of a possible 394 games under Thibodeau. The incoming Wolves boss seemed to have worse luck
with injuries than any coach in the NBA.
After speaking with him, it’s my opinion he wanted this job as badly as the Wolves wanted him.
I might sound like a hypocrite because I was upset when Taylor decided not to retain Mitchell as head coach. But by hiring
Thibodeau, Taylor did a fantastic job. Thibodeau could have got almost any job available in the NBA, including for some marquee
franchises.
Defense will improve
One thing the Wolves lacked this past season was a consistently strong defense. They will play defense under Thibodeau or they
will warm the bench. With Thibodeau’s defensive coaching skills and the team’s offensive ability, look for the Wolves to be the
biggest surprise in the NBA next year.
In Thibodeau’s five seasons in Chicago, the Bulls finished second, first, third, first and ninth in the NBA in team defense. In those
same seasons, the Wolves finished 30th, 25th, 13th, 25th and 30th. This year under Mitchell, the Wolves were 23rd in team
defense.
Rest assured that Thibodeau will be running the draft, although Taylor said Newton will continue preparing for the draft until at
least June 30.
Taylor is also hiring Layden, who has been instrumental in the great drafts and personnel moves made by the Spurs in the past
four years.
Another plus for the Wolves is that Thibodeau has a great relationship withKevin Garnett, having coached him in Boston when
Thibodeau was associate head coach alongside Doc Rivers. The two won a championship together in 2008.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: ESPN.com
Author: ESPN Insiders
5-on-5: What changes will Thibodeau make with Wolves?
With Tom Thibodeau taking over the Timberwolves, what moves will Thibs make? Will the Wolves win right away?
Our 5-on-5 crew talks about what we should expect from this exciting young team going forward.
1. Three pros and cons of the Thibodeau hire?
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Pro: Thibs will help a defense that languished toward the bottom of the league in
efficiency. There's no reason why a team with the defensive acumen of Ricky Rubio, Karl-Anthony Towns, Gorgui
Dieng and Andrew Wiggins should be as terrible as Minnesota has been, and the expectation is this the biggest area for
immediate improvement.
Pro: Thibs will bring credibility through preparation. A tireless film study buff, Thibs' dedication to the nitty-gritty details of
the job will set the tone for the entire organization, trickling down to the roster, and set a culture for a franchise in
desperate need for it.
Con: I'm all about separation of church and state, and am always wary of the coach who is given final say. The nature of a
coach is to be in "win now" mode, while the nature of a front office guy is to see the big picture, and more often than not,
when push comes to shove, the coach-president will behave like a coach before a president.
Jeremias Engelmann, ESPN Insider: Con: Thibodeau's stubbornness when it comes to lowering the workload for
starters --something Gregg Popovich deservedly gets praise for -- earned him a lot of criticism in Chicago. And based on
what he has said, it doesn't seem like wants to deviate from his ways, which could be bad news for injury-prone players
on the Wolves roster.
Pro: Thibodeau ranks sixth of 130 coaches in my coach metric (coach RAPM).
Con: He also got the title of president of basketball operations. He should concentrate on coaching.
David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: He was not only the best and lowest-risk coach available, he's also one of the four or five
elite coaches in the league, period. They would have made the playoffs this past season with him, and seem certain to do
so next season.
My one concern is his role as team president -- I think that's a big mistake. Each position is a full-time job, and one can
enhance the success of the other. Not in this case.
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: The defense is going to get a whole lot better. Minnesota was 27th this season. Given
its athleticism and size, I'd be shocked if the Wolves don't get into the top 10 next season. (That would mean chopping
five points off their defensive efficiency, which is points allowed per 100 possessions.)
On the personnel front, I think Thibs is well situated after a year-long tour of studying the league, analytics, etc.
One con is that I worry about the minutes of Wiggins. Thibs has a hard time taking his best wing defender off the floor -just ask Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: Pros: (1) Massive defensive upgrade and (2) sneaky improvement offensively given
Thibodeau's track record of eschewing midrange jumpers in favor of higher-value 3-pointers.
Con: (3) Giving Thibodeau control of basketball operations, which generally isn't a good idea and doesn't fit his track
record managing short-term and long-term goals.
2. Fact or Fiction: The Timberwolves should spend their cap space this offseason.
Elhassan: Fact, but not all of it. Best way to move a culture forward is with vets who know exactly what the coach is trying
to instill and serve as leaders by both voice and example. That means not swinging for the fences in free agency, but a
more targeted approach.
Engelmann: Fact. The Wolves haven't reached the playoffs in over a decade. Given that there are already two very
young No. 1 picks on the roster, they don't need additional young players. Rather, they should enter win-now mode and
start to accumulate more good players, as their bench was one of the worst in the league last season. If they could
sign Nicolas Batum to a reasonable deal, that would be great for them.
Thorpe: "Should" is a strong word. I just think they should be open to it. Making the right moves to help them step up into
the West's top tier for the long run is wise. Also, not every guy in the league will want to play for Thibs, so finding an
improvement willing to come is important.
Doolittle: Faction. Thibodeau is in a great position. He can take a swing at a small group of ideal fits. If he misses, so
what? Minnesota can sign a lower-cost shooter, fill out the bench, create a stir next season and be in the catbird's seat in
2017.
But if the right guy is there, why wait? I would love to see Harrison Barnes on that roster, for example.
Pelton: Fiction. Minnesota will be better positioned to strike in free agency in 2017, when the team will likely be a better
draw for top free agents and will have more money available to spend.
3. Fact or Fiction: We have seen the Wolves' next playoff starting lineup.
Starting lineup at end of season: Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Elhassan: Fiction. I'm not saying that all those players won't still be on the roster, but there's got to be a couple of more
established players in there to help this team take the next step.
Engelmann: Fiction. LaVine may wow the crowds with his spectacular dunks, but he plays like JaVale McGee in a
guard's body -- with too many gambles that lead to easy baskets for opponents. He has a -3.6 RPM, and Wiggins is at 1.9. While Wiggins is likely to remain a starter for years to come, until they improve or there is a replacement for LaVine, it
will be hard for the Wolves to make the playoffs.
Thorpe: Probably not. I love Dieng but see him as a starting center elsewhere. LaVine has to get smarter to prosper
under Thibs as a starter. But the bigger point is, this team is loaded with talent and youth, giving President Thibs
enormous trade options.
Doolittle: Fiction. It's close but I think we'll see more of a veteran 3-and-D type in that mix, with LaVine as a Sixth Man
Award candidate. I know LaVine has developed as a shooter, but I think you get more utility from him if you're not trying to
blend his usage rate full time with that of Wiggins and Towns.
Pelton: Fiction. As well as that group did, I still think Dieng fits better as a third big man than a starter. And LaVine's role
on a contender might still be instant offense on the bench rather than starting shooting guard.
4. What intrigues you most about the Wolves going forward?
Elhassan: The combo of Wiggins and Towns. Given any player in the league to start a franchise, Towns might be the
best name. He's the prototypical big of the future who can score on the inside, can space the floor from the perimeter, can
defend the post and can defend out in space in pick-and-rolls, and is an excellent help defender. It doesn't hurt that he's
also a great character guy.
Engelmann: I think it will be most interesting to see whether Thibodeau can work the same magic he did in Chicago. The
Bulls jumped from 11th in defense to first. If he can get LaVine to play more solid D, get Towns to start boxing out and
generally instill some solid defensive principles, a significant improvement in defensive efficiency -- they were 27th last
season -- seems possible.
Thorpe: They have two Hall-of-Fame talents under the age of 22. Each can be the best player at his position in the world
inside of five years. If you think Butler and Joakim Noah got better under Thibs, just wait until you see what he can do with
these two future stars. That means a better motor for Wiggins and more assertiveness for KAT. And LaVine's best chance
for being a star is playing for a strong coach. So, boom.
Doolittle: The level and depth of athleticism on the roster with a coach who will put that to optimal use. The defense is
going to be fun to watch, not to mention the transition opportunities that spring from it. Thibs relies heavily on his point
guard on defense, so he'll love Rubio.
Pelton: That unlike other teams with a transcendent talent like Towns (sayAnthony Davis in New Orleans or LeBron
James in Cleveland), the Timberwolves have so many other talented young prospects already on hand. That's what
makes comparisons with the Thunder realistic, if still a bit hopeful.
5. How many games will Minnesota win next season?
Elhassan: 40. I think .500 is a bit too lofty a goal, but I can definitely see Minnesota being one of the most improved
teams next year.
Engelmann: The Wolves, these last few years, have often looked good on paper, but something always seems to go
awry, which makes me hesitant to give them a large bump in wins, even with an upgrade at coach and with players
expected to improve naturally due to experience. If they're not active in free agency, I would not expect more than 34 wins
next season.
Thorpe: As they stand today I would say 46-50, give or take a few. Yes, this team, with just another veteran player or two
mixed in, has an outside chance to win 55 games. Believe it, Wolves fans, great times are ahead. Thibs may ultimately
self-destruct -- we can't know yet. But we do know he is a brilliant coach at winning games, and this team is loaded to do
that.
Doolittle: I think they'll get into the upper 40s, maybe even low 50s, so I'll just go with 50 as a round number. They got a
lot better near the end of the season and with so many young players would have gotten better even without the coaching
change. Thibs wouldn't have gone there if he didn't think Minnesota was ready to win.
Pelton: I think a .500 record is a realistic baseline, though there's certainly the potential for a rapid improvement along the
lines of the one Oklahoma City made or the leap forward Chicago took during Thibodeau's first year at the helm. Those
teams both added more talent than the Timberwolves likely will this offseason, however.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: 1500 ESPN
Author: Steve Mcpherson
Feelings Aren’t Numbers: Get You A Man Who Can Do Both
With the news on Wednesday that the Timberwolves had agreed on a deal to make former Chicago Bulls coach Tom
Thibodeau their head coach and president of basketball operations (POBO, henceforth), it’s fair to say Wolves fans in
general entered into various states of optimism, a territory they’re a little uncomfortable in. From cautiously encouraged to
outright giddy, they could rest assured in the feeling that the team had finally gotten up the nerve to ask the prettiest guy
or girl in school to prom and they had said yes. THEY HAD SAID YES.
By way of contrast, news that Scott Brooks is in the lead for the Washington Wizards’ vacant coaching position was
greeted by Bullets Forever with a tweet that said, “Struggling to get excited about Scott Brooks? Here are 11 reasons why
he could be great.” It linked to a post that was just an acrostic spelling out KEVIN DURANT.
Among the crop of coaches available or expected to be available this offseason, Thibodeau was the very cream. He was
instrumental in the Boston Celtics’ defense that brought them a ring in 2008 and consistently led the Bulls — whether
banged up or humming on all cylinders — into the postseason and often to more success than was expected. The bottom
line is that he is simply going to take a Wolves team that ended the season on an upswing and make them better.
When he joined the Bulls in 2010, they jumped 21 wins the next season. This is generally attributed to Thibodeau’s
revolutionary approach to defense, which has continued to evolve, but has included aggressively icing pick and rolls to the
baseline and moving a defender from the weakside post to the strongside post to stop dribble penetration. It relies on
crisp closeouts and smart show and recover, and it’s a big bonus that Kevin Garnett, who excelled in Thibodeau’s
defensive scheme in Boston, will be around to make sure the young guys get it.
But Thibodeau’s contribution on the offensive end for Chicago might be underrated. As Kevin Pelton points out in this
ESPN Insider article, the Bulls improved their offensive rating relative to league average more than their defensive rating
in their first season under Thibodeau, and it was their offensive rating that fell off more this year under Fred Hoiberg than
their defensive rating.
This part may be of key interest to Wolves fans who have bemoaned their paucity of 3-point shooting:
Thibodeau did have an impact by emphasizing better shot selection. Under [Vinny] Del Negro, per data from
NBA.com/Stats, the Bulls had the league’s highest ratio of 2-point attempts outside the paint to 3-point attempts. By
increasing 3s and decreasing lower-value 2-point jumpers, Chicago improved its ratio to nearly league average the
following season.
So the expectation is that the defense should improve markedly next season under Thibodeau, and the offense, frankly,
was already pretty good by the end of the season; after the All-Star break, the Wolves’ starters played the most minutes of
any five-man lineup in the league and had the ninth best offensive rating of any five-man unit with more than 150 minutes
played. Ricky Rubio knows how to run an offense and after the carousel of systems he’s dealt with — from Kurt Rambis’
ersatz triangle to Rick Adelman’s motion offense with its emphasis on big men passing from the elbow to Flip Saunders’
and Sam Mitchell’s cramped midrange heavy game — all he might need Thibodeau to do is set him free a little bit to
orchestrate. In short, the big men will get schooled up on defense and the guards and wings just have to do their
thing: business in the frontcourt, party in the backcourt.
On the court, this is a clear win-win for the Wolves, where each win equals about 10 wins. What’s less clear is the other
job Thibodeau has been hired to do, run the front office. He’s a notorious student of game tape — no one watches more,
people say — but there’s simply no game tape on Thibodeau as an executive. Will Coach Thibodeau demand that POBO
Thibodeau get him some veterans who can help now, eventually hamstringing the Wolves’ ability to retain their young
players as new contracts come up? Will POBO Thibodeau take a genuinely critical look at Coach Thibodeau’s predilection
for working guys to the bone, both in terms of game minutes and in practice? With Coach Thibodeau consumed with the
on-court work, will POBO Thibodeau leave a lot of the day-to-day to Scott Layden? And who the hell is Scott Layden?
The answer to that last one is all over the map, and nothing like a consensus seems able to be reached. His most high
profile job was with the New York Knicks, and it was mostly judged a complete disaster. There are red flags, especially for
the Wolves, in assessments like Chris Broussard’s: “[H]e ran one of the most storied franchises in sports like a mom-andpop operation, one where the bottom line was loyalty rather than productivity.”
But he was also a prominent part of the Utah Jazz in the 1980s and is largely viewed as being responsible for selecting an
unheralded point guard from Gonzaga named John Stockton in 1984 and then using the 13th pick on Shape-Ups
enthusiast Karl Malone the next year. He’s also spent the last four years as an assistant general manager for the San
Antonio Spurs, who are widely regarded as one of the best-run organizations in basketball.
Given that Layden’s job is going to be what Milt Newton’s was before Saunders’ untimely death, though, Layden’s role will
probably involve more work than we know and less power than we think. Just as it’s inadequate to assess players in a
vacuum when they’re so dependent on who’s around them, it’s probably wrong to judge executives without understanding
the entire framework they’re part of. Plus, it’s much more difficult to understand that entire framework since it’s far more
opaque than watching what happens on the court.
So Thibodeau has no track record and Layden’s is a thoroughly mixed bag. The Wolves are turning over organizational
control to this tandem with no guarantee it’s not going to flame out five years from now, and that’s worrying. Yet there’s
also something to be said for not overthinking this, in much the same way as it’s a little foolish to worry about how Ricky
Rubio will perform in the playoffs before the team has even gotten there. There’s something to be said for getting the best
coach available and going from there. All the concerns about Thibodeau’s off-court acumen or burning out of players
come along with the much more immediate and arguably more important positive things he will bring. This team going
from potentially good to legitimately good to playoffs good can create a snowball effect that in turn creates better
opportunities down the road.
Two years ago the Wolves had a disengaged coach announcing his retirement, a botched rebuild, a disgruntled star in
Kevin Love and no clear way forward. Now they have Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, a top 8 pick in the upcoming
draft and Tom Thibodeau. That’s not too shabby.
Now: let’s get to work on some new uniforms, seriously.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/20/2016
Outlet: 1500 ESPN
Author: Judd Zulgad
Don’t worry, be happy with Thibodeau
Anyone who reads this column on a regular basis, or listens to the “Mackey & Judd” program each weekday, knows I
have a propensity to fret when it comes to the local sports teams.
Whether that be the Twins’ decision to use Miguel Sano in right field, the Wild’s maddening inconsistency or Adrian
Peterson’s inability to execute a block, the tendency of many to simply accept dumb decisions or obvious shortcomings
drives me crazy.
Thus, what I’m about tell Timberwolves fans might come as a surprise: Do not forebode joy when it comes to the hiring of
Tom Thibodeau as president of basketball operations and head coach.
Ever since news emerged that Thibodeau was a front-runner for the Wolves job, there have been concerns expressed
about why he was fired by Chicago after last season, the minutes he played many of his guys with the Bulls and whether
he can handle both running an organization and coaching it.
All of these are relevant topics and there will be plenty of time to discuss them. But of far greater importance is that on his
75th birthday Wolves owner Glen Taylor did something very un-Glen Taylor like by hitting what appears to be a home run
with two hires he made in quick fashion.
In addition to Thibodeau, the Wolves also announced that longtime NBA executive Scott Layden will be Thibodeau’s righthand man and hold the title of general manager. Layden’s most recent experience was as assistant general manager of
the San Antonio Spurs, one of the most-respected organizations in the league.
The 58-year-old Thibodeau, who went 255-139 in five seasons in Chicago, will get a five-year contract in the $8 million
range annually and Layden will get $2 million per year, according to ESPN.com.
Given what the Wolves and their fans have been through, they deserve to enjoy this moment. This is a franchise that
hasn’t been to the playoffs for 12 years and had to deal with the tragedy of having president of basketball operations and
coach Flip Saunders pass away just before last season because of complications from cancer.
Saunders had a clear vision for how to get this franchise back on its feet when he acquired Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1
overall pick in 2014, in a deal that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland, and added a key piece and future MVP to the nucleus
last offseason when he used the Wolves’ first-ever No. 1 overall pick on Karl-Anthony Towns.
Taylor, who has made some terrible moves since buying the Wolves in 1994, obviously understood the franchise had a
chance to continue its emergence from irrelevance but that the proper leadership and guidance would be required.
Could interim coach Sam Mitchell have been the man to continue the Wolves down the right path, at least as coach?
Maybe. Mitchell took the Wolves from the 16 victories they had in 2014-15 under Saunders to 29 wins this past season,
but sticking with him would have been considered a typical Taylor-type move.
Thibodeau, whose first NBA assistant coaching job came with the expansion Wolves under Bill Musselman, took this past
season off waiting for an opportunity just like this to emerge. Thibodeau was considered one of the hottest candidates on
the open market and the Wolves were considered the most desirable job opening.
On Wednesday, the marriage between the two became official.
Does Thibodeau have shortcomings and weaknesses? I’m sure he does. We’ll have plenty of time to dissect those things.
But, for now, go ahead and enjoy the fact that Taylor has given this far-too-often woeful franchise the best chance to
become a winner.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/20/2016
Outlet: WCCO
Author: Ryan Mayer
The Potential Pros And Cons Of The Wolves Hiring Tom Thibodeau
The Timberwolves made big news today with reports that they are close to finalizing a deal with former Chicago Bulls
head coach Tom Thibodeau to become the team’s President of Basketball Operations and head coach. Thibodeau is
known for qualities both good and bad from his tenure with the Bulls, so here’s some of the things to watch for as he takes
over in Minnesota.
Pros
Defensive Savant
His teams routinely were in the top 5-10 in the league in terms of defensive efficiency. That will certainly help a Wolves
team that last season ranked 26th in defensive rating allowing 107.1 points per 100 possessions. With young,
impressionable players like Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach Lavine, Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng, etc.
the Wolves are the perfect group for Thibs to be able to mold into a top ranked unit. Considering how long and athletic
each of those guys is, it’s easy to see them becoming a top 10 unit in the next 2-3 seasons.
Very Good With Young, Mobile Big Men
Thibs defensive scheme relies heavily on his bigs to be mobile and athletic. Being able to hedge out hard on screens then
recover quickly to their men will be crucial to the defense’s effectiveness. That meshes perfectly with young bigs like
Towns and Dieng who both have very good mobility.Towns in particular showed the lateral quickness to stay with almost
anyone this year on the defensive end.
Cons
Will he play these young players too many minutes?
While the T’Wolves are a young team in need of development at all positions, with a grueling NBA season you have to
worry about these young players being taxed by Thibodeau’s penchant for playing starters long minutes.
In Chicago, under his watch, Butler, Gasol, Deng and Noah all averaged over 35 minutes per night and were consistently
injured. Along with pretty intense practices, there was a lot of criticism about Thibs’ push on players throughout the long
regular season.
Again, while the core of Towns, Lavine and Wiggins need to continue growing as players, you have to wonder if Thibs will
listen to the criticism of his past and change his approach with this young, explosive core.
Practice and offseason workouts?
There were reports from Bulls beat writers during Thibs’ stay that detailed how many players would avoid the coach
during the offseason. There were also reports stating that many of the players grew increasingly frustrated and tired with
the grueling practices Thibodeau held. So much so, that they began to believe that the practices and their length began
affecting their play on the court. This was with a veteran group of players. We wonder how things may change with a
different generation of players who are younger and may not be used to the heavy hand of a coach like Thibs.
This is a good move by the franchise that will be applauded by many. What will be interesting is what Thibs learned from
his first go-round in terms of the necessity of rest and keeping the star players minutes in check. Definitely things to keep
an eye on as the Timberwolves look to build a team to contend with the likes of the Warriors and Spurs at the top of the
West.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: Timberwolves.com
Author: Kyle Ratke
The Best Coach For The Best Job
The Minnesota Timberwolves were the hottest commodity for coaches on the open market.
And for good reason.
The team has this year’s Rookie of the Year in Karl-Anthony Towns. There’s Andrew Wiggins, last year’s Rookie of the
Year. Ricky Rubio is one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA. And don’t forget about Zach LaVine, who is
oozing with potential.
The team has drawn comparisons to the young Oklahoma City Thunder team highlighted by Kevin Durant, Russell
Westbrook and James Harden.
Who wouldn’t want to coach that?
The top coaching candidate on the market was Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau took a year off after a great run as head
coach with the Chicago Bulls, piling up a 255-139 record over five seasons while reaching the playoffs in every season.
Thibodeau was named the Coach of the Year in 2010-11 and is also an assistant coach with the USA Basketball Team.
Seldom does the best team match up with the best coach on the open market. In fact, that almost never happens.
It did, though, on Wednesday evening when the Timberwolves announced that they had hired Thibodeau as the team’s
new President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach.
“(Thibodeau) is the best coach available on the market right now,” ESPN NBA writer Brian Windhorst said. “The
Wolves have the best young roster that we’ve seen probably since the Thunder.”
You could look at his resume for days. Not just aimlessly looking – but reading. That’s how long it is.
DEFENSE
This is his claim to fame.
Need proof?
Before arriving as an assistant in Boston in 2007, the Celtics ranked 24th in the league in opponent field goal percentage.
Then Thibodeau arrived and turned the Celtics into a top-five defense, helping them win the championship in 2008.
In four of his five seasons with Chicago, the Bulls finished top-three in both points allowed and defensive field goal
percentage.
Thibodeau pays great attention to detail, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
The Wolves finished 23rd in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage (46.4 percent) and 16th in points allowed per
game (102.5) last season.
“They were in the mid-20s defensively this year,” Windhorst said. “I think with Tom Thibodeau and the personnel they
have, they could be a borderline top-10 defensive team next year.”
Wiggins and Towns, especially, certainly have the tools to be great defenders. Thibodeau, as coach and President of
Basketball Operations, knows it’s in his best interest on and off the court to make sure they turn into just that.
His Connection With KG
When Kevin Garnett was on the floor last season, although it was only 38 games, the Wolves were much better
defensively. Some of it had to do with Garnett being in the right place at the right time. A lot of it had to do with
communication.
Two of the best defensive minds in basketball history (if Garnett returns in 2016-17) will be reunited after spending 20072010 together in Boston.
Back To The Beginning
Thibodeau’s first professional coaching gig actually started in Minnesota. After stints at Salem State University and
Harvard, Thibodeau joined the Wolves as an assistant coach in 1989 under head coach Bill Musselman. He remained
with the Wolves until 1991.
While he’s risen up the ranks since then, so has his hair (sorry, Coach).
What Does This Move Mean?
Glen Taylor and the Wolves are going for it.
Taylor recognizes that this is the most talent the Wolves have had on a team since probably the 2003-04 season with
Garnett, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell.
This team is young, though, and with that comes being impressionable. That’s natural. By hiring Thibodeau, the Wolves
brought in one of the most-respected coaches in the business. He will instill the right culture – a winning one – for these
players.
The playoffs should be the goal for the 2016-17 season. It’s easier said than done. This is a team that only won 29 games
last season, 12 games back from the eighth seed in the West. But with the core of the team improving and the addition of
Thibodeau, for the first time since Kevin Love was on the team, playoffs are a very, very real option.
And then there’s the upcoming draft and free agency. By hiring Thibodeau now rather than later, the team has set itself up
nicely for the offseason. Free agents won’t have to wonder who will be in charge in Minnesota when making a decision on
where to sign. It will also give Thibodeau a chance to scout for the upcoming draft where the Wolves will have a pick
somewhere in between five and eight with, of course, a chance of moving up.
This is the most important offseason the team has had in quite a while. This is the most talent the team has had in nearly
12 years. And the team has one of the best coaches in the league at the helm and one of the most-respected basketball
minds running Basketball Operations.
That all has to sound pretty good if you’re a fan of the Wolves.
“I’m telling you,” Windhorst said. “If I lived in Minneapolis and could afford it, I would invest in season tickets.”
Watch out. The Wolves are coming.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/22/2016
Outlet: Canis Hoopus
Author: Lucas Seehafer
A Few Thoughts: Tom Thibodeau, The Wolves, and Looking to the Future
Over the past week, the discussion in Wolves Nation has been centered around Tom Thibodeau (ex-Chicago Bulls head
coach) and Scott Layden (ex-San Antonio Spurs assistant general manager). The pairing is set to take over in
Minneapolis, which means change is inevitable with new visionaries at the helm. Only six days after letting go of interim
head coach Sam Mitchell, who took over coaching duties from Flip Saunders after his untimely passing last October, the
hiring of Thibodeau and Layden — while widely praised and, for many, the obvious choice — was a bit of a shock to longtime fans due to its swift and pragmatic nature.
‘Swift' and ‘pragmatic' are two words rarely associated with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and specifically owner Glen
Taylor, since the conception of the team in 1989. The franchise has been oft-ridiculed for its unnecessarily drawn out
searches for general managers and coaches (see David Khan and Kurt Rambis), so the fact a decision was made so
quickly at such an important time for the franchise, both in terms of the offseason and the future, has sent pleasantly
surprised shockwaves throughout Minnesota and the NBA community.
It's fair to question and even be upset with the way that the firing of Mitchell was handled publicly. It was unfair to the man
who was put in a nearly unwinnable situation and did a decent job, and the fact that the coaching search the Wolves
conducted was probably more of checking off boxes than a totally unbridled search, but the organization, specifically
Taylor, also deserve praise for quickly recognizing the candidate they felt would best help the team moving forward and
finally going about business in a timely manner.
The hiring of Thibodeau may very well delineate a change in attitude within the franchise. With Thibodeau in town, the
expectations of the Wolves will rise from young up-and-comer to perennial contenders and along with that comes
pressure, both within and without the franchise. The pressure to win, possibly not right away, but it will come nonetheless,
will only increase as the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins,Ricky Rubio, and Zach LaVine age and improve
and it's fair to wonder how the franchise will handle that moving forward.
The hiring of Thibs has a strong scent of a win now attitude, something the Wolves haven't completely embraced since
acquiring Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell nearly 15 years ago, and while that very well may be the case, it can't really
be determined until the draft and free agency hits; that's when the NBA and Wolves' fans will truly know the direction the
franchise wishes to go in the next year. Will the team now be more inclined to sign veteran free agents or to trade some of
their young players for more solidified talent? And what ultimately happens with the coaching and training staff? Will
Thibodeau be open to bringing back the likes of assistant coaches Ryan Saunders andDavid Adelman and Vice President
of Sports Performance Arnie Kander? Will he and Layden choose a staff entirely of their choosing? These are important
questions to consider over the coming months and it will be interesting to see how the franchise copes with the ebbs and
flows of their successes and failures under the new regime.
Have no doubt, there will be ebbs and flows. The Wolves are still an extremely young team whose players will most likely
just be hitting their prime when Thibodeau's contract ends in five years. The team will still experience growing pains along
the way as they grow and morph into the players they should be able to become and adapt to the new coaching and
playing style of Thibodeau. Of course, this won't necessarily be the easy transition assumed by many. The roster still has
tweaks to be made, one's that will align with Thibodeau's vision, and is far from a finished product so turnover is to be
expected, but the foundation is certainly there. The Wolves have the potential to be a very special team in the coming
years. So much of that will depend on the dynamic that is formed among Taylor, Thibodeau, and Layden.
However, the unfortunate reality is that it's always possible the Wolves will revert back to old habits and what has become
"normal"; the hirings of Thibodeau and Layden in and of themselves don't necessarily mean the Wolves are poised to take
over league. But hiring high-level candidates is a positive step in the right direction that fans have to be excited about.
After 12 years in the desert, the promised land of the playoffs isn't so unfeasible. With Thibodeau now leading the charge,
they are that much more prepared to get there.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: SB Nation
Author: Tom Ziller
Tom Thibodeau must decide if Ricky Rubio is a key part of the Timberwolves’
future
The Minnesota Timberwolves finished last season No. 27 in points allowed per 100 possessions due primarily to the
second-worst shot defense in the league. If we know anything about Tom Thibodeau as a coach, it's that he will fix that
immediately. There is no question that with Thibodeau signed on to coach Karl-Anthony Towns in the middle and Andrew
Wiggins on the wing, the Wolves are on track to be a good defensive team within a couple of years, if not next season.
Thibodeau's defenses in Boston and then Chicago were so good that the rest of the league copied them. While mutant
variations of his schemes cropped up around the basic Thibodeau principles -- deny the paint, overload the strong side,
etc. -- no one has implemented them better than Thibs did in Chicago. He took a mid-tier playoff team to the No. 1 seed
on the strength of that defense and by opening up the offense for Derrick Rose's dribble-drive penetration.
The Wolves are not yet where those Bulls teams began. They have an impossibly young team with the league's longest
active postseason drought, which is to say this will take time. Towns has wonderful instincts and a terrific combination of
length and mobility, but pick-and-roll coverage is learned, not bestowed. Wiggins has the potential to be a shutdown
defender, but he also has a massive offensive role and needs much more seasoning. He's also just 21 and Towns is 20.
In Chicago, Thibodeau inherited older defensive stars. (Joakim Noah and Luol Deng were 25 with multiple years of
experience. Rose was, however, young and green.)
The long-term concern is on offense, where Minnesota was actually respectable in 2015-16. Thibodeau's Chicago teams
had a knock for being bad at scoring efficiently. The record is much more complicated. The 2010-11 team that won 62
games finished No. 11 in offensive rating and hit No. 5 in the lockout-shortened season that followed. The offense
disintegrated with Rose's knee ligaments, scraping the cellar repeatedly until last season when Jimmy Butler and Pau
Gasol helped get it back up to No. 11. Meanwhile, the defense was consistently excellent until 2014-15, when Gasol's
huge role assumed part of the void that Deng once filled and injuries to Noah sunk Chicago to a still-respectable No. 11.
This is where the most intriguing player on Minnesota's roster comes into play.
By most accounts Ricky Rubio nearly got traded to Jason Kidd and the Bucks in February. It's hard to know what to make
of Rubio under Thibodeau because Rubio is so unlike the Bulls' point guards (and frankly most point guards). Rose was a
slashing scorer who learned how to pass and shoot enough to keep the lane semi-open. His primary replacements, Kirk
Hinrich and Aaron Brooks, were a role-playing grinder and an undersized gunner, respectively. Butler blossomed and took
on a huge offensive role late in Thibodeau's tenure, where he echoed Rose's probing style.
If Rubio does have a future in Minnesota, perhaps the Celtics when Thibodeau worked under Doc Rivers offer a better
guide. Rubio's skills are ultra-creative passing and defense. On the flip side, he's among the league's worst shooters.
Boston had Rajon Rondo and Rubio is a Rondo clone. The Celtics had so much defense that they won a title and nearly
took another without compromising at point guard.
The three-pointer has since taken over the league, so holding on to the ghost of old champions might not be tenable.
However, Rubio's defensive excellence seems custom-made for Thibodeau.
The problem is that while there is already a good bit of defensive talent at the top of the roster, there's also little to no
shooting. Wiggins took threes rather infrequently (fewer than three per game) and hit them at a poor rate (30 percent),
though he improved in the second half of the season. Towns takes little more than one per game. The only credible deep
shooters last season were Nemanja Bjelica and Zach LaVine. Unless Wiggins becomes a dead-eye deep shooter or
Towns truly extends his consistent range to 23 feet, having a third potential star who isn't a deep threat in the modern
NBA is a scary prospect.
This is all theoryball, a paper exercise in trying to read tea leaves that will become clear with some patience. Fans are bad
at that, and everyone who loves basketball is quickly becoming a fan of the Timberwolves. After seeing Towns, Wiggins
and LaVine ride their potential to an exciting, albeit loss-ridden, season and knowing that there's more youth beyond the
marquee with another top-10 pick on its way, who wouldn't be excited? Now that Thibodeau will guide Towns, there's
even a free agent case to be made.
We're all rushing to see what's next. The Wolves are like distinctly shaped gifts shrouded in wrapping paper: We think we
know what we're getting, but that paper needs to be ripped off to be sure.
How Thibodeau approaches Rubio in the offseason and next November will be fascinating. We'll see if the next great
Wolves team will be so overloaded on defense that it will concede a modern shooting offense. We'll see if Thibodeau
trusts so much in the defense of Wiggins, Towns and his own system that the coach-president goes after a more
traditional scorer at the point. We'll see whether Bjelica becomes a starter or at least a featured player, whether the
LaVine Point Guard experiment resumes, where Kevin Garnett fits in minutes-wise and what savvy veterans the front
office chases.
These are all important questions we can't answer now. The allure is so great that we can't help considering them.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: Star Tribune
Author: Jason Gonzalez
'Inside the NBA' crew voices support, concerns about Thibodeau
The Timberwolves received TNT “Inside the NBA” crew’s approval after hiring Tom Thibodeau as head coach and president of
basketball operations on Wednesday.
Charles Barkley said during Wednesday night’s postgame show that “Thibs is going to do a great job in Minnesota. He’s a heck
of a coach … I’ve got great respect for Thibs and that team has a bright future.”
Barkley’s endorsement didn’t come without a few points of concern. First, Barkley argued that Wolves former interim head coach
Sam Mitchell and staff should have gotten another chance to coach the team. Then he questioned the way Thibodeau used his
players while coaching in Chicago.
“I think Thibs is going to be better,” Barkley said. “I think he learned from some things in Chicago where he kind of played those
guys too much, trying to win every single game, playing guys max minutes. He has got to learn that the human body only has so
many runs and jumps in it, and you can’t play guys and practice guys until you grind them down. I think he’s going to learn
because he’s a heck of a coach.”
Shaquille O’Neal’s wonders if Thibodeau won’t be able to relate to the Wolves’ young talent.
“My only concern for Thibs is he doesn’t speak the language of the new era of basketball,” O’Neal said. “He’s an old-school guy,
get in your face, a rah-rah guy. The type of player today, they’re not really used to that.”
Kenny Smith said Thibodeau will be a great teacher for young players like Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach
Lavine.
“Wiggins, KAT, all of those guys, they’re figuring out how to be pros,” Smith said. “Thibs will put in place a mechanism to make
them be a pro. Then it becomes a habit. Then it becomes easy for you to do it. Then you don’t have to think about being a pro.
Then you get better. That’s what is missing today.”
The segment started with a Star Tribune photo of Thibodeau from 1989 when he was an assistant coach for the Wolves. Barkley
and O’Neal celebrated Thibodeau’s hairstyle before shifting the focus back to basketball. The photo taken by David Brewster has
gone viral over the last several weeks.
Watch the video to find out what ESPN hockey analyst Thibodeau’s 1989 flow was compared to.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: Hardwood Paroxysm
Author: Derek James
Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves could create a masterpiece
The Minnesota Timberwolves have spent the last five years trying to alter a public perception both nationally and locally.
Understandably, they’re a team that has not been looked at in a positive light having not made the playoffs in over a
decade. Between those playoff appearances are bookended stretches of futility.
On Wednesday, the team took another step in the right direction by naming Tom Thibodeau as vice president of
basketball operations and head coach.
It’s not just the hire but the process that is encouraging. For years, the Timberwolves were held back by a country club
mentality. If not that, an owner with a sense of loyalty to the wrong people that kept them from reaching success.
However, the Timberwolves didn’t just bring in someone that owner Glen Taylor was familiar with, they brought in an
independent party to conduct the search to ensure that Thibodeau was the best man for the job.
Hiring Thibadeau is in line with a change in direction that Taylor exhibited when he hired Rick Adelman to coach the team
in 2011. That was the first really “splashy” hire that he had made in his time as owner. Adelman had no previous ties to
the organization and was a future hall of fame coach. Since the late Flip Saunders was fired back in 2005, the team had
cycled through safe choices on the bench like Kevin McHale and Randy Wittman, while swinging and missing on Kurt
Rambis in 2009.
(And, no, Rambis doesn’t count because the faulty process that led to Kahn’s hiring led to Rambis’.)
Bringing in Saunders somewhat contradicts this because he spent a decade coaching the team prior to rejoining in 2013
but he was also the right hire. Being able to discern between the person you’re most comfortable with for the job and the
right man for the job has historically been challenging for this team. Considering the moves Saunders would make in his
all too short second stint in Minnesota, it seems he was the both the familiar face and correct choice.
Now, comes Thibodeau, who is far younger than Adelman was when joined the organization and comes with impressive
credentials of his own. C0aches of his stature don’t come along often and it was wise of the organization not to outsmart
themselves this time.
Thibodeau also happens to be joining the Timberwolves at a time when momentum is on their side.
Andrew Wiggins won Rookie of the Year in 2015 after coming over in the Kevin Love trade. You can’t forget this was the
same draft that got them Zach LaVine, who really came into his own in the second half of the season. Then there’s KarlAnthony Towns, a transcendent rookie whose historically great season piqued the attention of upper-echelon coaches like
Thibadeau.
Now, you add a top coach to a young team that started the year at 8-8 and finished 15-17, it’s hard not to see them
surpassing their win total of 29 next season.
Having Thibodeau as coach and Steve Layden as general manager already means that the team will have two months to
game plan for a draft in which they will pick in the top five. Finding a general manager and head coach before the draft
was crucial for the team’s ability to adequately prepare. In 2009 ,the Timberwolves hired David Kahn a month before the
draft and took until early August to hire Rambis as coach. Clearly, Taylor learned from this debacle and knocked out his
search sooner rather than later.
You cannot change the perception of a franchise overnight — for good and bad. If the Spurs blundered a decision people
would just shrug it off because they’ve built up that credibility. Conversely, if teams like the Kings or Timberwolves do so,
it’s just another example of their franchise’s shortcomings. For teams like the Timberwolves, they should have to prove
that things are finally different
For teams like the Timberwolves, they should have to prove that things are finally different and that things have changed.
It can be done; just look at what the Golden State Warriors have accomplished. That’s not to say that this Timberwolves
team is automatically going to be a dynasty, but the Warriors very recently have gone from punching bag to powerhouse
by inserting the right coach with the right players. Whether or not Thibodeau is the right coach for these players will
remain to be seen, but with all due respect to Sam Mitchell, his hire seems to be a vast upgrade over last season.
Slowly but surely, the Timberwolves are changing their perception one move at a time. You can’t undo 12 years of mostly
mistakes and misfortune, but you can slowly paint over it. The Timberwolves’ history may always be there, but it can be
covered over time with the right person holding the brush. It seems that with the Thibadeau hire, they’ve added another
stroke to what could become a masterpiece.