Tom Thibodeau Fired by Minnesota Timberwolves

Tom Thibodeau on Sunday was fired by the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to media reports.

The head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau was relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

Per NBA.com, assistant coach Ryan Saunders will take over coaching duties on a caretaker basis. General manager Scott Layden will take over the daily operations of the basketball department.

Tom Thibodeau took over the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2016. Previously he coached the Chicago Bulls for five years. There, he made the playoffs every year and had a 255 – 139 record.

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He finished with a 97 – 107 record in Minnesota. In half of the current season, he led the Wolves to a 19 – 21 record, as of early January.

Team owner Glen Taylor said the decision was made because the Timberwolves are not where they want to be.

“We would like to thank Tom for his efforts and wish him all the best,” said Taylor. “These decisions are never easy to make, but we felt them necessary to move our organization forward.

“I said let’s let it go and see how things worked and I think now, we’ve gone up through halfway through the season and I don’t think we’re where we thought we would be or where we think we should be.

“We still have hopes to getting into the playoffs and I think with half the season left, let’s see if this change will make a difference.”

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The overall impression of the Timberwolves this season is that of an organization that’s a mess. Prior to All-Star Jimmy Butler’s departure in the Summer, stories emerged of a clash between him and Thibodeau.

At the time, it was framed as a situation where either one of the player or the coach would leave. Now, the Wolves have lost both, and face a rebuilding process to get back into playoff contention.