The Minnesota Timberwolves Offseason Thread - Kris Dunn at No. 5 in Most Recent DX Mock

Sources: Timberwolves planning coaching search that will include Sam Mitchell

By Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical

The Minnesota Timberwolves are planning to engage in a coaching search that will include interim coach Sam Mitchell as part of the process, league sources told The Vertical.

The Timberwolves are targeting the elite coaches on the market, including Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks, league sources said.

Minnesota has the potential to be the most attractive job opening on the market, largely because of the presence of presumptive Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns and a core of young talent.

Minnesota owner Glen Taylor has engaged with a prominent search firm to help gauge the potential for giving a coach full autonomy and letting him build out the front office, league sources said. The search firm has been identifying both coaching and management candidates, sources said. Taylor is intrigued with the Stan Van Gundy model in Detroit that has helped return the Pistons to the playoffs, sources said.
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Mitchell has the support of Wolves veteran Kevin Garnett, whose endorsement does have impact with Taylor.
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:lol: Wow. I can't believe this. Glen is completely shocking me if true.
 
Id be cool if JVG vame to coach this team but man I would miss him on commentary.
 
Thibbs is my top choice
JVG is second

Mr. Taylor would shock the state if we went out and actually spent money on a coach rather than in house friends or kids of friends.
 
Regardless of the coaching choice, I can't think of a time when I was more excited for next year's season to start :pimp:
 
Tom Thibodeau is pursuing the Minnesota Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations and coaching job because of his determination to have full control of an organization, league sources told The Vertical.

Thibodeau wants to have final say on player personnel, organizational philosophy and hirings, league sources said, and that’s only available with the Minnesota opening now.

If he doesn't end up with Minnesota, Thibodeau will still consider coaching jobs without full control, but his preference is clearly to have it, league sources said.

The lure of hiring his own general manager and constructing a contender around Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins has made Thibodeau more determined in pursuit of the Minnesota job, league sources said. Minnesota ownership is completing its meetings with Thibodeau and Jeff Van Gundy on Monday and is expected to move quickly in making an offer, league sources said.

Thibodeau’s appetite for organizational power has been unmistakable to Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor in the process, league sources said.

Taylor is expected to be willing to pay a $7 million-a-year package to an elite candidate, comparable to Stan Van Gundy’s deal with Detroit, league sources said.
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The search firm Korn Ferry has been influential in the Minnesota process and has recommended this coach-as-president structure to Taylor, league sources said.
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Thibs or Van Gundy...Tell me that last year and I say flip a coin, as we'd be lucky to have either. Ask me this right now?...

Please get Thibs!...Pleeasseee... :lol:

He just pegs me as the hungry type. Van Gundy has a lot Jon Gruden about him. Probably wants to coach again, but completely content in the "booth."
 
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Wolves in negotiations to make Tom Thibodeau coach

The Minnesota Timberwolves and former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau are closing in on a five-year contract in the $10 million range annually for him to become their new coach and president of basketball operations, sources tell ESPN's Marc Stein.

As part of the reorganization, San Antonio Spurs general manager Scott Layden would become the Timberwolves' GM, Yahoo! Sports is reporting.
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Those numbers :wow:
 
Couple first questions:

1. Does he want Rubio as his PG?
2. Who can Thibs talk into coming here now in FA?
3. What happens to our guy Ryan Saunders?
 
RyGuy45 said:
Couple first questions:

1. Does he want Rubio as his PG?
2. Who can Thibs talk into coming here now in FA?
3. What happens to our guy Ryan Saunders?
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Thibs is a defensive minded guy.. I can't see why he'd dislike Rubio.
All FAs
I imagine he's gonna bring in his own staff. So Ryan may be out of luck, Glen will find him a position within the org if he can't get another gig
 
:smokin Here we go.

Formal Introduction
News conference introducing new Wolves coach/president Tom Thibodeau and General Manager Scott Layden will be 4 p.m. CST Tuesday at Target Center. Live coverage on FSN, NBATV and WCCO 830-AM.
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Some interesting comments from Glen Taylor in a recent interview with Star Tribune:

Why is Thibodeau the right guy?
There's never one reason. I liked his answer to one of the first questions I asked: What are the things most important to you? The first thing he said was 'I want to be the coach of an NBA championship team. That's my goal in life.' So I said OK, we start with that. This guy is probably going to outwork anybody else I know.

When Flip took over both coach and management jobs, you were reluctant. Has your opinion changed or did doing that again (here) get the deal done?
It's the way to get the deal done., but the arrangement isn't so much that Thibodeau is going to run everything. I hired him as coach, but I said we're going to hire a really strong GM. They understand it's a partnership; it's written in their contracts. It isn't the same as Detroit's with Stan Van Gundy or anybody else. The two of them signed on the same day, for the same length and they are hired as a team.

So who determines what?
On some decisions, Thibs will have the final say and on some decisions Scott will have the final say and we have it all written down. They're friends, they respect each other. They both have said it's highly unlikely that one will have to make a decision over the other.

Occasionally, somebody's got to make a decision, right? We've set up a way to do that and who will call it and it isn't the same person in all cases. Thibs has the president title. I understand that. It was important to him. It wasn't important to Scott. You'll find out Scott is a strong personality himself, and he wouldn't come here if he thought he was too much of a second fiddle.

How much did Thibodeau's defensive-minded nature appeal to you?
Yes, he knows defense. But he talked about all parts of basketball and what you have to do to get a championship team. He talked about cutting back on shots that aren't high percentage, about the importance of threes now, how the game is changing. He just talked about a lot of things. I could see he has a lot of flexibility within him, and I liked that because (the game) is changing.

He was known in Chicago for playing his players a lot of minutes. Does that concern you?
I talked to him about that and he said, 'Talk to my players and ask them.' I did not do that directly. I did that through some other people.

The speed with which you hired Thibodeau probably surprised people. Had you decided early who you wanted or did you do that to beat the competition in the search for coaches?
It was both. In fact, I said I wouldn't make an announcement until the season was over, but I had made up my mind before the season was over that I had to do this. I was going to do this. I jumped on a number of guys and talked early, so I was confident nobody was going to take another job without finding out first where they stood with us.
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Britt Robson:

This team needs a few quality veterans to prevent Thibodeau from murdering his incompetent bench and callow starters, and to provide mentorship and avenues of communication between the coach and the locker room.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Wolves traded their draft pick. Even if that is not the way they choose to abet their veteran talent base, there are quality free agents on the market, including past Thibs favorites like Luol Deng, a 6-9 swingman currently starring in the playoffs for Miami, and Noah, a gritty big man who has been injury-prone but still tantalizes for his past versatility of skills, his inspirational leadership and his history with Thibs.
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Enough can't be said about the Thibs hire. Excellent all around, equally excited about Layden too....

First off I want to state that imo Flip started this rebuild off in the right direction, whether it be drafting a not so sure thing in Lavin, to just not messing up the sure thing in Towns I feel he really put us in position to be competitive for the next several years. 

As far as the offseason goes, I am def in favor of trading our pick IF we get the right player in return, it would HAVE to be a starter.... Love to hear that Thibs is going to implement shooting 3's and create a system that works. What a time to be alive. 
 
Thibs in an interview with Timberwolves.com sounded like he and Flip talked about the job at some point. I still believe if Flip made it through and returned he would've hired Thibs as coach :smh: that be crazy!
 
I would have broken down in TEARS if we landed the 1ast pick. But with 5 I'm not sure if there is anyone avaible that would help. I'd expect someone to call Thibs and either offer him former players or offer 3 and D guys and moveable bigs.

Thoughts?
 
Yeah, I agree. I feel like the chances of us moving the pick are pretty high.

Top 3-4 players at #5 for me would be

Murray

Dunn

Hield/Bender
 
#5 pick to Chicago for a vet (or a similar situation) sounds almost too realistic :lol:

And better yet...

Gonna be interesting to follow, can't wait for this fall to be honest :smokin

Here is where it gets interesting with Thibs having the dual role (OK, along with Layden)....looking at this draft does Thibs the coach make the pass on another raw 19-20 year old to acquire a vet to win now....or does he do the benefit of the franchise right and take that 19 year old if he thinks his ceiling is massive 4 years from now? (hypothetical example of course)

I've got to think this team has major eyes on Hield at that spot...fills a need and was measured at 6'5'' in shoes with a 6'9" wingspan at the combine.
 
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