Tom Thibodeau is on the cusp of becoming the new head coach and team president for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After a brief search that included interviewing former Houston Rockets and New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, the Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly finalizing a deal to hire Tom Thibodeau as team president and head coach. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical was the first to report:
Tom Thibodeau is finalizing a five-year deal to become president and coach of the Timberwolves, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2016
Thibodeau is a longtime coach, most recently the head man for the Chicago Bulls, who got his start in the league back in 1989 with these same Minnesota Timberwolves. Over 25 years later, he will replace Sam Mitchell as the coach of the Timberwolves. The Lottery Mafia covered the various candidates for the job, including Thibs, earlier this week.
In addition to taking over as coach, it is reported Thibs will likewise be president of basketball operations, mirroring the role of the late Flip Saunders. To assist him in that role, Woj reports Thibodeau will be bringing Scott Layden with him:
Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden is working on a deal to join Thibodeau as his GM in Minnesota, league sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2016
Thibodeau was widely thought to be the top candidate on the coaching market, and many predicted he would eventually end up in Minnesota, which was considered to be the top job available. It is expected that owner Glen Taylor and Thibodeau will relieve Milt Newton of all duties, although that has not been made official as of this time.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
