Tom Thibodeau to Timberwolves: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

After a one-year hiatus, Tom Thibodeau is returning to an NBA sideline. The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that Thibodeau will take over as president of basketball operations and head coach, and San Antonio Spurs assistant general manager Scott Layden will become the team's new GM:

Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press initially reported the move. Marc Stein of ESPN.com noted the deal is "expected to pay him in [the] $8 million range annually."

Thibodeau commented on the hire, per Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune: 

This comes after Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported the sides were set to finalize a five-year contract. 

Stein said Layden would get $2-plus million annually. 

Davide Chinellato of NBA Italy believes the coaching hire is an ideal match:

The T-Wolves are coming off a 29-53 campaign. They relieved interim coach Sam Mitchell of his duties after the campaign and zeroed in on Thibodeau, who was to some the best free-agent coach on the market. His hiring comes after being linked to the open Knicks job following Derek Fisher's ouster back in February.

"The Knicks are the job he's always wanted," Ian O'Connor of ESPN.com reported. "He would crawl to Madison Square Garden."

Thibodeau, 58, was out of the NBA last season after being let go by the Chicago Bulls in 2015. He went 255-139 in five seasons in Chicago, making the playoffs each year and emerging as perhaps the league's premier defensive mind. The Bulls finished in the top five in points allowed per 100 possessions in four of Thibodeau's five seasons, per NBA.com, despite dealing with myriad injuries.

It's hard not to look back at Thibodeau's tenure and wonder if he'd still be in Chicago if it weren't for injuries, particularly to Derrick Rose. Thibodeau arrived amid the ascent of Rose into MVP form and tried to hold things together as his career rapidly descended due to injury issues. Few coaches did more with less than Thibodeau over his last four seasons, pushing his roster to playoff appearances despite rarely having a full complement of starters.

However, Thibodeau's never-say-die attitude also proved to be his downfall. Fans and the organization grew increasingly worried about Thibodeau's tendency to push players hard in meaningless regular-season games. Bulls starters were typically among the highest usage rates in basketball, with Jimmy Butler and Luol Deng in particular standing out as workhorses.

Bulls center Pau Gasol described Thibodeau's driven personality last year, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com:

"

Thibs is just a very intense guy. Very intense. Very emotional. I don't dislike it. I appreciate where he's coming from. I see that he likes to win. He just does it his way, and he cannot help it. Whether you like him or you don't, I respect where he's coming from. I respect his discipline, his commitment to the team. He's all in. All he does is basketball. He's completely devoted to it, and he does it 24/7.

"

While it was a trademark that helped push the Bulls to on-court success, Thibodeau's intensity also hurt his relationships behind the scenes. The coach and general manager Gar Forman were at odds for much of the latter part of Thibodeau's tenure, mostly over star players' playing time. It was clear by the end of the 2014-15 season—one in which Thibodeau led the Bulls to 50 wins despite only one regular starter missing fewer than 15 games—that the two sides needed to part ways.

Now, he inherits a Minnesota roster with a lot of promising pieces. Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns headline a group loaded with 27-and-under players that should put the team in position to begin rising up the standings in the near future.

Choosing Thibodeau to lead the young squad, which also features the likes of Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad, makes a ton of sense. His defense-first approach is exactly what needs to be instilled in the team's DNA before it makes that leap toward contention.

For example, this season the T-Wolves ranked a respectable 11th in offensive efficiency, but their defensive efficiency was among the league's worst (27th of 30), per ESPN. So the new coach's focus from the outset will undoubtedly be that end of the floor.

ESPN Stats and Info further highlighted his prior success with the Bulls:

Given a year off to reflect, one can only wonder how Thibodeau will adapt to his new environment. His removal in Chicago could have chastened him enough that the Timberwolves get the perfect blend of intensity and understanding. Thibodeau as a defensive mastermind who understands player psychology would be a scary thought for the NBA.

Or it could be the exact opposite. Teams' pursuit of Thibodeau might have internally validated his ways and created a situation where he's even more intense than before. That would probably be fine in the short term—coaches like Thibodeau tend to foster instant improvement—but would also lead to an eventual redux of his Chicago days that were filled with tension.