The Minnesota Timberwolves’ search for a new coach and chief basketball decision maker ended quickly. Why? It appears owner Glen Taylor and company got their man.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Timberwolves are on verge of hiring former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau as team czar.
Sources: Minnesota is engaged in serious talks with Tom Thibodeau to become President of Basketball Ops and coach, with Scott Layden as GM.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2016
Tom Thibodeau is finalizing a five-year deal to become president and coach of the Timberwolves, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2016
Thibodeau isn’t the only highly-regarded basketball mind likely packing his bags for Minnesota, though. San Antonio Spurs front-office assistant Scott Layden is set to join the Timberwolves as general manager, too.
Layden is the assistant GM with Spurs, and sources say that he discussed GM job under Thibodeau's authority with Minnesota in recent days.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2016
Minnesota relieved interim coach Sam Mitchell of his duties following its season-ending win over the New Orleans Pelicans last Wednesday, beginning the process of finding his replacement on the sidelines. Team higher-ups and executive search firm Korn Ferry interviewed Thibodeau and Jeff Van Gundy earlier this week, while other reports suggested the team also set meetings with Scott Brooks and Mark Jackson.
It’s difficult to imagine a better finish to the Timberwolves’ coaching search. Thibodeau is universally lauded as one of the game’s brightest strategists; the only question was if his obsessive attention to detail and short-sighted approach to playing time would grate a team exceptionally long on talent but short on experience. But with Layden, a league lifer who was GM of the New York Knicks from 1999-00 to 2003-04 and is also credited with drafting John Stockton and Karl Malone for the Utah Jazz, also coming aboard, it’s fair to say Thibodeau’s potentially damaging tendencies will be mitigated by another strong voice if necessary – especially considering the two worked in concert to agree with Minnesota.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and company comprise the most promising collection of young talent in basketball. And with a brilliant coach like Thibodeau at the helm, the Timberwolves could begin living up to their prodigious gifts in the win-loss column as early as next season.
