A great chef is able to produce something tasty even when he’s not working with high-quality food. He’s creative enough to maximize the taste of every ingredient in his own unique way.
But imagine the savory delights that chef could concoct if he was working with the finest of foods. A great chef + great food = pure deliciousness.
This is the analogy floating through my mind as I start to envision Tom Thibodeau as coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is reporting that the Wolves are staying in contact with the former coach of the Chicago Bulls, and it seems like the young, talented Wolves could thrive under Thibs’s basketball intelligence.
Thibs is like that great chef who for numerous years produced something tasty out of very little. During his five seasons in Chicago, he spent the majority of his time figuring out how to make the Bulls competitive without their oft-injured superstar, Derrick Rose. He helped the Bulls overachieve regularly, with lacking offensive playmakers and undersized point guards such as Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin. He crafted Joakim Noah into an All-NBA First Team center, and he squeezed every bit of goodness out of Luol Deng.
Throughout his tenure in Chicago, you couldn’t help but wonder: How good could a Thibs-led team full of talent (and health) be? In arguably his only season with the Bulls in which they maintained sufficient health (2010-11), they won 62 games and made the Eastern Conference Finals. He was awarded Coach of the Year.
There’s no denying that Thibs is a basketball mastermind, particularly on the defensive end. He’s also a feisty, old-school competitor, which is what contributed to the friction in Chicago that led to his departure. He’s a strong personality who’s going to do things his way, and you can’t argue with his results. He’s currently looking even more impressive considering the inconsistencies the Bulls have shown this season, in which they appear like they could use an infusion of his discipline and grit.
In considering the potential of Thibs landing in Minnesota, we could see this formula: great coach + great talent = pure greatness. We’re familiar with Thibs directing injury-laden, depleted lineups to near 50-win seasons and playoff appearances. But hand Thibs blossoming studs in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and the sky’s the limit for the long-term future.
This is an experiment that would take time, as Towns and Wiggins are both only 20 years old and the Wolves are currently just 17-37. But with a few years of Thibs barking and instilling his own identity, Minnesota could develop into a legitimate title contender once Towns and Wiggins hit their mid-20s.
This starts at the defensive end, where you know Thibs would treasure Wiggins’s skill set as a perimeter defender. Wiggins would embody everything Deng and then Jimmy Butler showcased on defense under Thibodeau. When you combine his ridiculous athleticism with Thibodeau’s tutelage, we could see Wiggins emerge as a defensive stalwart similar to Kawhi Leonard.
Thibodeau would then utilize Towns as his defensive backbone. The seven-footer is compiling one of the most impressive rookie seasons in NBA history, especially in terms of efficiency. His rim-protecting abilities (1.8 blocks per game) and overall maturity for a youngster are astounding. Thibs could enable him to become a dominant force on both ends of the ball, molding him into hands-down the game’s best center.
Gorgui Dieng is another piece to the puzzle that Thibs would love. Dieng is older at age 26, but he’s 6-11 and another defensive force on the inside. Plus, Dieng has quick feet for a big man, with the ability to even switch onto perimeter players when necessary. Towns and Dieng could in time become a new-look version of the Twin Towers. Their skill sets complement each other nicely, especially when considering Dieng’s versatility on defense. They aren’t two lumbering big men who can’t play together as the league gets faster and faster. They’re rather two agile big men who could in a sense recreate how two monsters can mesh in the modern NBA. Thibodeau would be the ideal candidate to make this a reality.
Towns and Dieng have even recently been starting alongside each other and the early results are promising. ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently noted that Minnesota is pouring in 108 points per 100 possessions since the two have both been in the starting lineup. They’ve even won three out of their last four games while beating respectable opponents (L.A. Clippers, Chicago, Toronto).
The ceiling is so high when you ponder how good this duo could become. And when you factor in Wiggins, Thibodeau could shape this springy, lengthy threesome into a complete nightmare for offenses. Length, quickness, the ability to switch screens and a coach who formulates better defensive tactics than anybody. The ingredients would be on the table for the defensive identity of this Wolves team to be insanely good.
Offensively, this team should also be able to produce. Thibodeau was often criticized for his lack of offensive creativity in Chicago, but it seems that many of those criticisms were harsh. This is especially apparent when witnessing how the Bulls have continued to struggle offensively under their new “offensive-minded” coach Fred Hoiberg. The reality for Thibs is he was dealing with players in Chicago with limited offensive capabilities. The personnel was largely the issue.
In Minnesota, Thibodeau would inherit a team with numerous offensive weapons. The Wolves are currently averaging over 100 points per game (100.4), which is only good for 21st in the league. Yet when you consider that their top three scorers are all 20 years old (Wiggins, Towns, Zach LaVine), it’s clear that this bunch could display a great deal of offensive firepower as their young players mature.
Wiggins is registering 20.8 points per game, and this is a tally that should increase as his outside jumper becomes more reliable, as he’s currently shooting only 24.4 percent from long range. Towns is posting 17.1 PPG, and the most beautiful aspect of his game is his efficiency from the field (54.4 percent) and the free throw line (85.2 percent). This is honestly staggering from a rookie. To make things even more staggering, Dieng contributes with very similar shooting accuracy (53.5 percent from the field, 81.8 percent from the line).
It’s an absolute rarity for two big men to both shoot this well. There’s no point in wasting fouls on them when they have a clear look near the basket. They’re going to punish teams from the free throw line. Thibodeau would surely exploit this, as he’d run sets for Towns that he used to run to get Pau Gasol touches. He’d also be able to use Towns and Dieng innovatively in the mid-range, as both are capable of knocking down jumpers.
If you can’t tell yet, the thought of Thibodeau piloting the career trajectories of Towns and Dieng is beyond appealing for the Wolves. It’s like handing a brilliant cook two savory pieces of meat. Quite frankly, this could be revolutionary for Minnesota as a franchise.
If you haven’t noticed, I’ve yet to touch on Minnesota’s backcourt. This is for a couple reasons: 1) The potential for frontcourt dominance under Thibs on both ends of the floor was just too mesmerizing. This grabbed the focus of this article because it demanded it. 2) I think their backcourt could unfold a variety of ways and Thibs could make it work. He was in the business of reviving the careers of journeymen point guards in Chicago, and I’m confident he’d know how to generate production from the guard position.
Ricky Rubio remains just 25 years old and is under contract through 2018-19. Maybe his best days could occur under Thibs’s direction. But I do have concerns, particularly regarding his lack of shooting ability. LaVine could also be Minnesota’s long-term option at point guard, but there’s reason to question if he’s a true point guard. He may function better off the ball as a shooting guard and perhaps a sixth-man weapon off the bench.
The positive for Minnesota is its has time to analyze how its backcourt might look. Thibs may prefer to acquire an older point guard who could provide more stability, and Minnesota could become an enticing destination for a floor general looking to join an up-and-coming team. The Wolves are currently committed to Rubio due to his long-term deal, but it’s worth speculating if a better fit is out there. At any rate, Thibs would have some flexibility here considering their formidable frontcourt, and in time an adequate backcourt should materialize.
There’s one more factor that makes Thibs landing in Minnesota a perfect fit: Kevin Garnett. Thibs and Garnett bonded during their days in Boston when Thibs was an assistant. The mutual respect for one another is noteworthy, because the two share a similar intensity and the imprints they could leave together on this franchise are profound.
The Timberwolves have every reason to pursue Thibodeau, and to pursue him hard. And vice versa. Thibs should be licking his chops at coaching this team on the rise. Other coaching openings could include the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers, and while those are larger markets, Thibs would be in a similar situation to what he faced in Chicago. He wouldn’t have much to work with on those squads, and it’s time for Thibs to see what he can do with a plate full of goodies.
The long-term outlook in Minnesota appears tasty if this happens.