It took Wolves owner Glen Taylor a week to decide on Thibodeau, who won 50 or more games in three of his five seasons as Bulls’ coach and took them to the Eastern Conference finals once. I think with this hire and a few key off-season moves, the Wolves will be a playoff team this upcoming year.
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Thibodeau played basketball collegiately at Salem State University and immediately became an assistant upon graduation before being promoted to head coach in 1984.
According to multiple media outlets, Thibodeau will land a five-year deal worth approximately $10 million annually that gives him total control of the franchise’s basketball operations. Mitchell led the team to a 29-53 record in 2015-16, but was not retained at the end of the season.
Minnesota also announced the hiring of Scott Layden to serve as general manager of the Wolves.
I started my National Basketball Association career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and it is an incredible opportunity to rejoin the organization at a time when they have what I believe to be the best young roster in the National Basketball Association.
Thibodeau was sacked by the Bulls after the 2014-15 season following a spat with the front office.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Tom Thibodeau back to the Timberwolves”, team owner Taylor told in a statement issued by the Northwest division club.
The Wolves also considered current television analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson as well as former Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks, among others.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are undergoing some wholesome changes. The young, promising core is attractive enough, but add in Thibodeau, who had a 255-139 record as Bulls head coach, and they’re sure to bring in free agents.
San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden is coming along to be the general manager in Minnesota. Some questioned whether Thibodeau’s aggressive demands wore down his Bulls teams that succumbed to injuries – most notably Derrick Rose – in the postseason.
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With that said, it’s clear that the Wolves have the potential to be a contender once cornerstones like Towns (20 years old and a virtual lock to win this season’s Rookie of the Year award) and Wiggins (21 years old and the victor of last season’s ROY award) take the next step in their development.
