The following article was written by guest poster Jayson Buford.
In January 2019, despite ending a 13-year playoff drought, Tom Thibodeau was fired by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The reasons are vast and muddy: Some of it was because his star player, Jimmy Butler, had become disillusioned with management and his teammates and forced his way out after an infamous practice session where he beat the first stringers with bench players. Some of it was Karl-Anthony Towns’ relationship with both Jimmy and Thibs becoming chilly to the point of frostbite. Some of it was Thibs’s personality, which was considered too maniacal and insular for an organization like the Timberwolves.