Can Coach Thibodeau Make the Timberwolves Contenders?

Minnesota Timberwolves have signed Coach Thibodeau

During the NBA playoffs many teams that did not make the playoffs play a game of coaching roulette.  Some bet it all and miss (Jason Kidd’s stint in New York) and some bet on proven winners.  You always bet Red everyone knows that.  Coach Thibodeau (Thibs) did a ton of great work in Chicago taking a group of decent individual defenders and creating one of this eras best team defenses.  Can he do something similar in Minnesota?  Probably not.  He can however make them better and become a playoff contender.

Thibs acquires something similar to what he had in Chicago, an athletic young player (Wiggins/Rose). He also has a crop of bigs that are very young and moveable pieces if he decides that there is a different team need to go after.  My guess would be spacing.  The team does not have a viable wing threat.  A three and D type of player would fit nicely Ala Courtney Lee, or Aaron Afflalo.

The team stats for this years Wolves are as follows.

PPG –15th

RPG – 29th

APG – 8th

OPPG – 23rd

23rd in opponents points per game (OPPG) is bad and will only get better as Thibs gets his guys to buy into his system.  The year before Thibs was brought in to coach the Bulls, the Bulls OPPG was 99.1. The first year under coach Thibs the Bulls OPPG was 91.3 and good enough for second in the league behind the Celtics at 91.1

Thibs will bring down the Wolves 106 OPPG rating and make them contenders.  If he can get them down around the 98-100 range they instantly become threats in the West. They are long, athletic, young, and have a viable superstar in the making.

Go ahead and bet on them making the playoffs next year.  Just remember to thank me while you sip your champagne.

@Chriskpmatthews