The Minnesota Timberwolves surprised the NBA world on Sunday night by firing president of basketball operations and head coach Tom Thibodeau. The firing itself was not surprising, as his handling of the Jimmy Butler all but sealed his fate, but the timing is what caught most off guard.
It came hours after the Timberwolves completed a 108-86 thrashing of the Los Angeles Lakers. The loss was so bad, that it caused Lakers head coach Luke Walton to openly criticize the passion of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.
Of course, Ball and Ingram responded with great individual performances the following night a win against the Dallas Mavericks, but whenever a three-game losing streak happens with a playoff-level roster, the coach is often who critics focus on.