A month away from training camp's opening, Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said Monday at the Minnesota State Fair he doesn't need to assure the team's nervous fans or his best players that all will be right in a season after which All-Star guard Jimmy Butler can leave as an unrestricted free agent.
"The winning will take care of that," he said.
Thibodeau answered a couple of questions from fairgoers worried about the team's chemistry and Butler's future during an appearance at the Star Tribune booth.
Thibodeau said "I respectfully disagree" when a fan questioned the unity and culture of a team that won 47 games last season — its first winning season since the Kevin Garnett era — and made the playoffs for first time since 2004.