Tom Thibodeau: Why familiarity matters

The Minnesota Timberwolves front office has remade the roster over the course of this offseason. Why is it that so many former Chicago Bulls are being linked to the team?

Since hiring Tom Thibodeau as head coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, rumors have consistently gravitated towards him attempting to acquire his former players.

Seemingly the entire Chicago Bulls roster from 2011 until 2015 has popped into the Timberwolves rumor mill over the course of the last year, leading to persistent and unoriginal “Timberbulls” jokes Minnesota fans have become far too familiar with.

But why is this the case? What is the reason that this comfort level seems to exist between player and coach?

In a league where both coach and player salaries are public knowledge, and fans are constantly evaluating each athlete’s value to the team in respect to these salaries, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when athletes and coaches lean towards familiarity when filling out a roster. There are many moving parts in the NBA.  So when an opportunity arises to join forces with a recognizable party, it’s often times hard to pass up.

How does this apply to Thibodeau and the Timberwolves?

The attractiveness of these opportunities is amplified when the past experiences of these relationships are so positive. This seems to be the case when analyzing Tom Thibodeau and his former Chicago players. Thibs’ record as the head coach of the Bulls was a sterling 255-139 in five seasons with the club. He built a reputation as a hard-nosed winner who preached the importance of defense. His attention to detail and intense style of coaching formed an identity for the entire Chicago Bulls organization, and his passion for working rubbed off on his players.

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That team identity from Chicago has turned into a sort of magnetic pull between Thibodeau and his former disciples. National reports linking the coach to his old players have come frequently for the past year. Fans of the Timberwolves franchise have been fed so many of these stories that we have no help but to think Thibodeau’s only temptation as the head of a new team is to get his Bulls players back together.

Thibs resisted this temptation in his first offseason calling the shots as leader of the Timberwolves front office. He flirted with names like Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, but eventually refused to up his offers when challenged by other teams for their services (which, in hindsight, was a great decision). He instead dealt with a season full of mistakes and frustration as his young team stumbled to a 31-51 record. A win-loss ratio that fell well short of lofty preseason expectations.

Taking Action

It was after this unsatisfying season that Thibodeau decided to take action. His defensive principles, which have become renowned league wide for their effectiveness, crumbled when combined with youthful players who weren’t properly supported by veterans who knew how to execute them. As a coach, the only way to ensure this wouldn’t continue was to obtain players who Thibodeau knew he could be comfortable and familiar.

But comfort and familiarity go both ways. Not only does the front office have to have an interest in the player, the player has to reciprocate that affection. Thibodeau’s success in Chicago seems to have cemented his relationship with plenty of his former guys. His gruff style of coaching, while seemingly brash at times, seems to have created a bond with his former players. Tough love, if you will. This bond left open the door for a reunion with many of these ex-Bulls.

The Reunion.

Enter Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson. Devoted pupils to Thibodeau’s teachings and still highly functional basketball players (in Butler’s case, VERY highly functional). These players not only will execute Thibs’ system but can also be voices for Wiggins and Towns to turn to. Especially when their coach’s hoarse voice becomes too much to handle.

Now all of this sounds good in theory, but what will it amount to? That question might be difficult to quantify.

Even with all of the advanced stats and analytics that are taking over the NBA game today, cohesion and familiarity slip through the cracks in trying to analyze how many additional wins these team attributes create. Crisp defensive rotations, well-executed offensive sets, and consistent crunch time execution will be noticeable aspects of this years team.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 goals for Karl-Anthony Towns

And for fans who haven’t seen competent professional men’s basketball in more than a decade, that will be extremely refreshing.