The Minnesota Timberwolves are entering the point of no return this season as the losses continue to pile up.
Earlier this weekend, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost to tanking Atlanta Hawks in overtime after a terrible display at the free throw line, losing 123-120.
With the Wolves coming back from 22 points down, to closing out the game with mistakes in an overtime loss to a tanking team, there were plenty of things that owner Glen Taylor definitely didn’t want to see.
A lack of urgency and effort could be seen on display by the players a mile away. I recently wrote that head coach Tom Thibodeau had the locker room at a good place but this weekend the curtain was unveiled and we could see the frustration building.
Andrew Wiggins, who is mostly a soft-spoken individual, lashed out at the fans who were booing the team after the loss. Our own favorite reporter Jon Krawcynski of The Athletic quoted Wiggins’ saying this about the Wolves’ fans below:
Wiggins on the boos: “That’s fans for you. We’ve got some shitty fans and we’ve got some good fans. That’s just how it works.”
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) December 29, 2018
The team isn’t playing to their full potential and lack leadership on the court as well as in the locker room. The time for change is now to be able to save the season and make the playoffs back to back seasons. Getting a new coaching staff just might be the cure this organization needs to turn the ship around. Coach Thibs was at one point the best defensive minded coach in the NBA but the time has changed and so have the Wolves.
Thibs is respected around the league and by many former/current players for his hard style of coaching. Coach Thibs is loved outright by his former MVP Derrick Rose who comes to coaches defense anytime he has a chance and Thibs has Rose playing at an All-Star level (or it’s just Rose flourishing).
K.C. Johnson, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, replayed the following about Thibs and Rose:
"“To have the mental toughness to overcome all that adversity and then get back to the level that he’s at, it’s great to see because he’s a great guy,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve seen him at 22 when he’s sitting on top of the world and MVP of the league and I’ve seen him going through three years of not being able to play and the toll it took on him. “Particularly for a guy who is from Chicago, to have the weight of that and lift the franchise back up like he did, as time goes on, there’s going to be great appreciation for all he"
The reality is that Thibs is also the President of Basketball Operations as well as Head Coach, so the team will need to find a new GM as well as a new head coach if they decide to let go of Thibs.
Therefore, we’ll only focus on the top three Head Coaching replacements and if they can save the Wolves season. The first coach we will look at is high on a lot of executives list.