T'Wolves Fire Thibodeau To Clear Way For Revamp Of Front Office

Sources said that there were concerns on the business side of the team under ThibodeauNBAE/GETTY IMAGES

The T'Wolves last night fired President of Basketball Operations and coach Tom Thibodeau, "clearing the way for ownership to revamp the team's basketball operations," according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. Sources said that T'Wolves CEO Ethan Casson, accompanied by GM Scott Layden, "walked into Thibodeau's office and fired him" after yesterday's win over the Lakers. Sources added that Thibodeau had "no idea his ouster was imminent." Layden will "remain in place for now but his future remains uncertain." Sources also said that Thibodeau was "surprised over the timing of the dismissal ... expecting that he might finish the season as coach." Wojnarowski reported Thibodeau did not have a "strong relationship with Casson, who has lobbied for a coach who worked better with the business side of the organization and inspired fewer problems with public relations." Sources said that there were "concerns on the business side" of the team about "renewing season tickets and sponsorships without a change in basketball operations" (ESPN.com, 1/6). THE ATHLETIC's Jon Krawczynski noted Casson was hired to "head the business and marketing side of the operation after Thibodeau came aboard." He is "big on collaboration and innovation, and Thibodeau's long-running insistence on focusing strictly on the basketball side of the equation did not mesh well with a marketing side that needed to open more doors in a crowded sports market." There was "little hope that an upcoming season-ticket renewal campaign with Thibodeau remaining as a primary figure in the organization would generate even a smidgen of interest to the public" (THEATHLETIC.com, 1/6).

SPLITTING THINGS UP: T'Wolves Owner Glen Taylor said that he "would not be seeking a president of basketball operations, saying he would prefer the coach and front office to be separate." Taylor said of Layden's status with the team, “He’s under contract and he’ll be in charge. He’ll still be the GM, but we’re going to the traditional thing. We won’t have a basketball president or the coach to do both. [Layden] will be in charge of basketball operations.” In Minneapolis, Chris Hine in a front-page piece notes Layden "will handle front-office decisions before the Feb. 7 NBA trade deadline" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/7). SI.com's Rohan Nadkarni noted the T'Wolves are "under .500 and on the outside looking in on the playoffs in the West," but Thibodeau as team president was "arguably worse" than in his role as coach. He was "in charge" when the team signed F Andrew Wiggins to his "massive five-year extension, a deal that’s largely cringed at around the NBA." Trading Jimmy Butler earlier this season to the 76ers was a "smart move at the time, but Thibodeau couldn’t handle the situation properly, and his days were numbered as soon as Butler was traded" (SI.com, 1/6).

QUESTION THE TIMING? ESPN's Wojnarowski said the timing of the firing "was a surprise" to Thibodeau and the players ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 1/6). ESPN's Trey Wingo noted the announcement yesterday came after the T'Wolves had "beaten the Lakers by 22 points" to improve to 15-12 since trading Butler to the 76ers. Wingo: "You understand this was probably happening since that whole Butler thing went down but the timing of this seems weird." ESPN's Mike Golic: "What we don't know is what was going on behind the scenes there and that relationship had not been good through the Jimmy Butler situation and they just wanted to clear the air" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 1/7).

MISSING THE TARGET: In St. Paul, Jace Frederick notes fan support for the T'Wolves this season "seemed to be waning," as the club is 29th in attendance. Thibodeau was "booed by fans during introductions at every home game" (ST. PAUL PIONEER-PRESS, 1/7). The T'Wolves "were optimistic that last year’s playoff berth would lead to good times at Target Center both on the court and in the stands this season." However, through 19 home games, their attendance "has fallen back to the low levels seen before last season" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 1/6).

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