Community Shootaround: Tom Thibodeau

The Wolves and Tom Thibodeau reached an agreement Wednesday on a five-year deal that made Thibodeau the new head coach and president of basketball operations for Minnesota. “We are extremely excited to welcome Tom Thibodeau back to the Timberwolves,” team owner Glen Taylor said in the team’s official release. “Through this process we quickly identified Tom as the best leader to shape our talented team and help them realize their full potential. Tom’s resume speaks for itself. He is a proven winner, leader, and one of the most well-respected NBA head coaches over the last decade. His teams have annually been among the league leaders in defense and we are excited about the approach and mentality he will bring to that side of the ball. The future of the Minnesota Timberwolves has never been brighter and we are very pleased to have Tom as our basketball operations leader moving forward.

Thibodeau had plenty of on-court success in his five seasons with the Bulls, who had given the longtime assistant his first NBA head coaching job. He went 255-139 in the regular season, winning the 2010 Coach of the Year award, though he was just 23-28 in the playoffs. Chicago parted ways with Thibodeau last May. The main criticisms regarding Thibodeau from his time in Chicago were regarding his lackluster offensive system and play calling, as well as his propensity to wear his veteran players down through brutal practices and excessive regular season minutes.

The Wolves as an organization have a wealth of young talent and are certainly one of the up and coming franchises in the league as a result. The addition of Thibodeau is a solid fit given the defensive talent already on Minnesota’s roster, but there are likely to be some concerns raised about whether he has the right temperament to properly nurture and develop his younger players.

This brings me to today’s topic: Is Tom Thibodeau the right fit for the Wolves?

Take to the comments section to share your thoughts on the hire, express any reservations regarding Thibs joining the Wolves, or simply to offer a prediction on how well the team will fare in 2016/17 under Thibodeau. We look forward to what you have to say.

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