Wolves Press Clippings

Wolves Press Clippings

On Wednesday news broke that the Minnesota Timberwolves were finalizing a deal to make Tom Thibodeau the new head coach and president of the team.

Thibodeau is a good NBA coach. There’s no denying this. He is a brilliant defensive mind and gets the most out of teams that are put in his care.

But I have some questions. I have some questions about Thibodeau with this young roster, with his patience, with his ability to develop talent. In a must-win situation, with one game or series on the line, I’m not sure if there’s a coach I trust more than Thibodeau. But for multiple years, and this young team? I have questions.

Thibodeau’s time ended in Chicago after clashes with management forced him to leave the team. He’d been nothing but successful with the Bulls, but friction with team vice president John Paxson doomed him and led to his exit in Chicago.

Some of the critiques were unfounded, but many of the knocks on Thibodeau had merit. He did have a habit of only trusting a few players, especially in big games, and had a habit of playing those players a lot of minutes. This was especially true of plus wing defenders that Thibodeau trusted — Luol Deng led the league in minutes per game in 2011-12 and 2012-13 and Jimmy Butler was tied for the league lead in minutes per game in 2013-14.

When those players got injured, it was hard not to think that Thibodeau bore some of that responsibility, even if some of it came down to luck. As the rest of the league moved toward Gregg Popovich’s — and now Steve Kerr’s — method of resting stars on the second leg of back-to-backs and managing minutes, Thibodeau continued to play his guys.

Thibodeau was also a micromanager during games, running a rigid offense that he liked to dictate from the side of the floor. This can be a good thing for a young team, as it takes many of the decisions out of their hands and allows them to focus on the task at hand.

At the same time, there is the concern that Thibodeau’s micromanaging is actually limiting his players’ ability to think for themselves and be creative on the fly. This year, the Bulls seemed to struggle with their newfound offensive freedom under head coach Fred Hoiberg.

Future superstar Karl-Anthony Towns is just 20 years old and learning how to play the game. Is it good for him, or 21-year-old Andrew Wiggins, or 21-year-old Zach LaVine, or 19-year-old Tyus Jones, to have that decision-making taken away? The team might win more now, but what about in the future? Will they become the players they could have become?

I don’t have the answers to these questions. I’m not sure anyone does. But they’re questions that are worth asking. I think Tom Thibodeau is a brilliant basketball coach. But he’s a win-now coach. He’s a coach you bring in to squeeze the last potential out of a finished product.

The Timberwolves are going to be amazing, and perhaps sooner than people think. But management can’t rush this. They have to be patient, and have to let these players learn the game, learn how to play together, and learn how to win. Thibodeau is a great coach, but I’m not convinced he’s the man to do that.

Wolves Press Clippings

Of the stubborn misperceptions about coach Tom Thibodeau, one of the toughest to snap has been his supposed aversion to young players. ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, once commenting on whether Thibodeau would use Doug McDermott and/or Nikola Mirotic as rookies, said Thibodeau “hates rookies more than missed defensive assignments.” Wilbon was close. Thibodeau hates rookies because of missed defensive assignments.

Now that Thibodeau moves closer to securing a five-year deal to coach and be the general manager has been hired as coach and team president for the Timberwolves, it’s obvious he will have to make some changes in order to get this team to fit the mold he wants. That means defense — blessed, blessed defense. Age, experience level and talent will matter far less going forward in Minnesota. He will put players on the bench for blowing his defense. And the Timberwolves need that kind of tough love.

Thibodeau is a guy whose optimal basketball score would be something like 48-32, and even then, he’d complain about the 32. He’s going to ensure these guys are sharp on the defensive end, or he is going to limit their minutes. That was a point of contention between Thibodeau and the Bulls' front office during his tenure in Chicago. But Thibodeau has solved that problem in Minnesota by becoming the front office himself.

But now, Thibodeau the executive must help out Thibodeau the coach. Because although the Timberwolves have scads of young talent, they’re almost universally bad on the defensive end. In the nine seasons since Kevin Garnett left Minnesota, the Timberwolves have ranked 25th or worse on the defensive end in seven of those seasons. There was a slight bump to the middle of the league in Rick Adelman’s final two seasons, but mostly this franchise has been held back because the players could not defend.

The Timberwolves have players with potential on the defensive end. Point guard Ricky Rubio is already a high-level defender, and the young gang of Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Gorgui Dieng and Nemanja Bjelica have the potential to translate their physical skills into top-tier NBA defensive skills. That does not just mean making highlight-reel blocks, of course. It’s being where you’re supposed to be and not making mistakes.

That’s where Thibodeau’s reputation for toughness on young players precedes him. His defensive system requires precision, starting with ball pressure at about the 3-point line, and continuing into a focus on forcing penetration to the baseline by loading up the strong side of the opposing offense. Combine that with an emphasis on closing out to 3-point shooters—long, athletic guys like Wiggins and Towns should be very adept at that—and you’ve got the basics of what Thibodeau wants to do.

But it requires quick decision-making from all five guys. In that regard, expect Thibodeau to look to inject his current roster with some veteran free-agent help, guys who can fill the on-floor mentor’s role that Garnett filled last year and will comfortably fill for Thibodeau this year. Look for Thibodeau to approach ex-Bulls players he knows so well — Miami’s Luol Deng, for example, was a favorite of Thibodeau’s in Chicago, and will be a free agent who might make the ideal complement to Wiggins on the wing.

And yes, look for Thibodeau to consider a deal involving the Timberwolves’ No. 1 pick, which is currently slated for fifth. If the pick does not fall in the top two, Thibodeau — whose team already has three key players (Wiggins, Towns, Zach LaVine) who are 21 or younger — would likely explore the trade market. Again, it’s not that Thibodeau has a total aversion to rookies, it’s just that he knows he needs to teach the guys he has how to defend before this team can move forward.

For all their shortcomings, the Timberwolves job was one of the most coveted of the offseason because of the team's young talent. Thibodeau is one of the best coaches in the league, and has been since he took over the Bulls in 2010. But it bears repeating: The Timberwolves were 29th in defensive efficiency last year, 30th the previous year. Thibodeau is not going to coddle the youth of Minnesota, nor should he.

Wolves Press Clippings

THE PLAN GOING FORWARD 

Management seems to realize a short-term solution is not the answer. The Timberwolves have the identity of a college team that needs stability, direction and a coach to mold the young talent. Thibodeau should solve that.

Rarely does a new head coach come to a team that features franchise-level talent in Karl-Anthony Towns andAndrew Wiggins.

Mind the rookie window 

Minnesota can’t take for granted players on rookie-scale contracts. The team has seven players who are former first-round picks.

There will come a time when Minnesota will need to decide whom to lock up and keep.

Minnesota will not always be known as a young team with plenty of upside.

Sell Towns and Wiggins to free agents 
Towns and Wiggins are the draws in Minnesota, making it a desirable destination for future recruiting seasons.

Don’t let their ages fool you, either. Towns, 20, and Wiggins, 21, are mature beyond their years and will remain the focal point of whatever happens with the Timberwolves.

Dangle the first pick? 
With close to 10 teams lacking a draft pick in June, the Timberwolves’ No. 5 pick in the lottery has league executives intrigued.

With a strong nucleus of young players in the fold, can Minnesota parlay that lottery pick into a commodity that will accelerate the rebuild?

TEAM NEEDS 
Continued development 
This offseason in Minnesota is going to be the most important in recent memory and not just because the Timberwolves could have close to $20 million in cap space.

The development of the young core will determine the direction of the team next season.

The one thing Minnesota cannot afford is to take a step back.

Rubio stepping up 

He’s a “nice” point guard, but the Timberwolves need him to get closer to the NBA’s elite. The numbers may say that isn’t possible, but with Thibodeau at the helm, time is on Rubio’s side.

Health 
Will the Timberwolves ever see Nikola Pekovic again?

Pekovic, 30, has only played 43 games the past two seasons and has been a shell of himself since signing a $60 million contract in 2013. Still owed $24 million over the next two years, one has to wonder if Pekovic can ever be the player he once was. Pekovic and Kevin Garnett (44 missed games) have combined salaries of $20 million per year that will continue to go against the Timberwolves’ salary cap.

Dead money 

CAP PICTURE

With cap space and a young nucleus also comes some roster juggling. The Timberwolves already have 11 guaranteed contracts, not including their first-round pick this year.

JUNE DRAFT PICKS 
First round: own No. 5 selection

Second round: to Boston

FUTURE PICKS 
First round 
2017: Own

2018: Own

2019: Own or to Atlanta (protected Nos. 1-14)

2020: Own or to Atlanta (protected Nos. 1-14)

Own all first-round picks starting in 2021.

Key rights to: Bojan Dubijevic (Pick No. 59, 2013)