Becky Hammon, please coach the Minnesota Timberwolves
By Trey Flynn
The NBA is infamous for re-hiring old coaches that are seemingly washed up, and no one has any clue why. The Timberwolves organization has lacked excitement and energy for almost 15 years, so who can bring hope to the team?
We’ll begin by saying that Head Coach Tom Thibodeau seems like a fine person with good intentions, but he’s stuck in the mud of the past.
Disregarding the popular blame Thibs gets for the lack of improvement in guys like Andrew Wiggins or Karl-Anthony Towns on the defensive end, we’ll place an emphasis on the lack of progressive direction and culture that Thibs has provided for the Minnesota organization.
Our Head Coaching prospect is one that is loved by San Antonio and their Hall of Fame Head Coach, Gregg Popovich.
"“It’s going to take somebody who has some guts, some imagination, and is not driven by old standards and old forms,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said, per Louisa Thomas of the New Yorker."
Who does Pop feel this strongly about? Becky Hammon.
Hammon is one of the best WNBA players of all time and she just happens to be one of the more underrated assets in the NBA. Being under the tutelage of Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs organization and having nothing but success since entering the NBA as an assistant coach, Hammon should be on the Minnesota Timberwolves radar for a new Head Coaching spot. Hammon was even asked to interview for the Milwaukee Bucks GM position just last summer, a move needs to be made as soon as possible.
Your first thoughts may be that the Timberwolves owner, Glen Taylor, isn’t capable of making a gutsy move such as hiring the first woman Head Coach in the NBA, or just a coach that hasn’t been a Head Coach before. Professional sports have seen a spark in fans starting campaigns of hiring several coaches and signing players around the league since the existence of social media, and that platform has given the masses an actual voice in these conversations.
Moreover, let’s begin the Becky Hammon to Minnesota campaign.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have an extremely talented young core, who need more direction from a new mind that can help mold the organization into one with a culture and a belief system. The Wolves should look at what teams like the San Antonio Spurs have done, or even the Miami Heat. Taking a group of guys – talent or a lack of talent – and being able to bring the best out of them.
Next: 3 players the Timberwolves should draft
There have been several NBA coaches who were disciples of Gregg Popovich that have found a lot of success around the league, and Becky Hammon could bring new life to Minnesota in that same way. Hammon has been with the Spurs for three seasons and she’s already won the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League Championship during her first year with the San Antonio organization, garnering respect from the rest of the league.
The Timberwolves need a strong leader like Hammon, one that can help Minnesota find a new direction and help re-brand the entirety of the organization. Instead of hiring ex-Head Coaches that have had their several stints of failure in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves should be looking forward to the future, not looking back at the past.