Interview with Timberwolves Head Coach and President of Basketball operations, Tom Thibodeau, before his team's game against the Los Angeles Lakers
Thibodeau watching his team. The Wolves seem to be finally showing signs of life on the defensive side of the ball
By "Zeke" Beachy
"Zeke": Good afternoon Tom. Hope you're doing well.
Tom: The same to you "Zeke".
Z: How do you feel the team's been playing in these first couple of weeks?
T: Well, there have been positives and negatives. On the plus side, we're scoring the ball inside at an incredible rate and we're really getting involved in disrupting opposing offenses. We're doing a good job of creating opportunities on the break. Conversely, our shooting further away from the basket has frankly been unacceptable, and that Greek kid over in Milwaukee exposed our inability to stop drives or the drive and kick at an NBA level. To be fair to the team, Giannis is one of the NBA elite for a reason despite his lack of a reliable shot. So overall it's been up and down thus far, with the team taking its lumps and delivering - we had a really good win in Toronto against a tough Raptor squad and that's something we'll be trying to build off of moving forward.
Z: What's your plan for dealing with LeBron tomorrow? He and the Lakers have been red hot in this young season
T: Well a coach doesn't want to divulge his secrets, but let's just say that playing fundamentally sound basketball is key to competing with LeBron. He's just so smart and good at capitalizing on mishaps. He's the best player in the league at 34 for a reason. Nothing really consistently works to stop him and he keeps evolving his game.
Z: Derrick Rose has been growing increasingly frustrated with his role within the team. What's your plan with this situation?
T: We have no comment on any supposed frustrations. We talk to Derrick every day and we don't need to elaborate on those discussions publicly. I've known and worked with Derrick for years.
I love Derrick's enthusiasm for our team and the energy he brings on a nightly basis. He's a competitor that makes our team better with his presence.
Z: Are you planning on making any changes to your rotations?
T: We've been fairly healthy thus far, so things are looking good on that front. We have some good players that aren't getting minutes right now, something that's hard to manage. We sent both of our Two-Way players (jared Terrell and C.J. Williams) back down to Iowa as they aren't getting P.T. up here. We're also considering sending Keita (Bates-Diop) to Iowa as he hasn't gotten minutes either and he's someone we really want to get experience.
Z: What are your expectations for the Timberwolves moving forward.
T: Obviously it's a building process, but with some of the guys we have like Karl and Andrew, we expect to be competitive for years to come. They're still young and the league won't remain the way it's been the past few years forever. We're hoping to be one of the teams fighting to take the crown from Golden State in a couple of years. Maintaining a healthy, winning culture before that time is crucial for the team's development. Robert and Dario have been great in this regard, really setting an example for the team in terms of the attitude needed to win in this league. Not many remember that I was here when the franchise started - this was the team that gave my first job in the NBA! So I'm really giving this team my all and trying to make it the best I can
Thibodeau as an assistant coach for the early Wolves teams
Z: Any comment on KAT's play thus far? This has seemingly been his team ever since Jimmy was traded.
T: Karl has done great, winning player of the week a couple of weeks ago and he's up there with the best of the league in a couple of statistics. He's certainly been our driving engine on both offense and defense and he sets the pace for us every game. He just needs to start hitting his threes again and he could have a special season.
Z: That he could! Well Tom, it's been a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you for answering my questions and good luck against the Lakers!