Does Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau have an injury problem?
The Timberwolves brought Tom Thibodeau on board to help steer the Wolves to success, but with his history of injured players, including injuries to Zach LaVine last year and Jimmy Butler this year, does he have an injury problem?
It’s no secret that Thibodeau likes to play his starters big minutes.
Last season, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine were all in the top-five players in minutes per game, while this season Butler sits second on that list, with Towns and Wiggins also in the top-15.
Last year, Zach LaVine succumbed to a torn ACL during a game in early February that kept him out until January of this year, when he debuted for Chicago. Just this past Friday night, Butler suffered a meniscus injury that will sideline him indefinitely following surgery on Sunday morning.
While these injuries can’t be directly attributed to Tom Thibodeau, it’s certainly worth wondering if the heavy minutes he stacks on these players are responsible for the issues they’ve been suffering, particularly when he has a history of players suffering leg injuries.
In 2011, back when Thibodeau was coach of the Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose tore his ACL in a playoff game and subsequently missed the entire following season. Upon his return in 2013, Rose tore his meniscus and missed the remainder of the season.
As often discussed, Rose has never returned to his former form, when he was voted the youngest-ever MVP in 2011. Since then, statistics and play have since declined, and he currently is without a team after being waived by Utah earlier this season.
It seems that Rose has never fully recovered his form from his leg injuries, and many wonder whether LaVine will ever return to his former two-time dunk champion glory after his own ACL tear last season.
During the 2014 season, again with Chicago, it became apparent during the playoffs that Joakim Noah seemed to be suffering from soreness in his knee. Although this wasn’t a significant tear or major injury like the other players have experienced, Thibodeau admitted Noah had been suffering from soreness in his leg for the latter part of the season.
This came in a season where Noah started a career-high 80 regular season appearances, and averaged 35.3 minutes per game.
Another injury that occurred under the coaching of Thibodeau, although this time not a leg injury, took place when Luol Deng tore a ligament in his wrist back in 2012. Personally, I don’t think this one could be attributed to Thibodeau’s coaching style, as a wrist isn’t exactly the same thing as a leg when it comes to workload.
Whether these injuries can really be attributed to Thibodeau at all, or whether he’s just been a victim of bad luck, nobody can say for sure. However, I do find it surprising that Thibodeau has yet to let his stars have more in the way of rest, especially late in blowouts.
Take, for example, the Wolves victory over the Bulls on Saturday night, when the starters stayed in a game that was hovering around a 20-point advantage for the Wolves. They didn’t head to the bench until just over a minute remained in the game.
We can all hope for a speedy recovery for Butler, and see if the rest of the Wolves can lift the squad into a playoff position on their own.
Next: The Timberwolves played faster without Butler
Tom Thibodeau has done great things for the Timberwolves so far in his time as head coach. While these injuries can be frustrating, let’s not all throw him under the bus in regards to injuries just yet.