The preseason opener is always somewhat of a mixed bag, and Saturday night’s tilt between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors was no exception — although the victory was nice.
The Timberwolves were, of course, without All-Star Jimmy Butler, who continues to sit out while awaiting a resolution to his trade request. While it is just preseason and training camp only kicked off on Tuesday of this week, it sure seemed as though a pall was hanging over the Wolves bench.
Tom Thibodeau may or may not be a dead man walking as head coach and president of basketball operations, but he was his unmistakably loud, gruff self just seconds into the game, and with that, the (pre)season was on its way.