Minnesota Timberwolves

Chicago Bulls vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Game Outlook

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming to town, and with them comes Tom Thibodeau, the former coach of the Chicago Bulls. It’s going to be an interesting evening as the former coach makes his first return to the United Center.

Yesterday, we wrote a little about Tom Thibodeau, his past with the Bulls, and a little about where both he is at now, in Minnesota, and where Chicago is, with Fred Hoiberg.

People expected a lot more from the Timberwolves than they are getting to this point in the season. The team has probably the most stacked young team, slightly ahead of clubs like the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns or Philadelphia 76ers.

They boast an “old” Ricky Rubio, he is still in his mid-20s, alongside Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kris Dunn and Gorgui Dieng. That’s a mouthful. Every single player listed could net a big return in any trade and all of them are on team-friendly contracts, even the post-rookie deal Rubio.

It’s going to be trippy having Thibs back in town and there will be some interesting matchups. The youth of the Wolves vs. the revamped Bulls. The barking, balding Thibodeau and the reserved, svelte Hoiberg.

Chicago enters this game on the back of a couple big wins over the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, hanging around in the middle of the playoff pack at 13-10. Minnesota enters the game short on wins, but high on expectations. At some point, they’ll have to give up on the playoffs for this season and it looks like they might even be headed for another year in the top five of the draft. Imagine that team with another year under Thibodeau and Lonzo Ball or Markelle Fultz.

That’s beside the point, so let’s check out a few things to look forward to for the game against the Wolves.

Dec 9, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a call in the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Thibodeau Returns

Like we mentioned on the previous slide, the topic has already been covered in our Monday post. However, it’s not every day that you can say that the coach who engineered the best post-Michael Jordan Bulls team is coming back. Except, it’s not to help Chicago, but to try and beat them.

How odd it will be to hear Thibs screaming commands and curses louder than the United Center crowd, urging Wiggins to get back on defense, calling for Dieng to screen for Rubio, pounding the demands of full effort defense into the very foundation of the building with his will. He’ll be calling out plays against Jimmy Butler, looking to generate mismatches that attack Taj Gibson.

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Everything changes. Coaches come and go, but there’s a lot to be said about the differences between a return from Thibs opposed to Vinny Del Negro or Scott Skiles. The memory of a team that won, even challenged LeBron James and his iron grip on the Eastern Conference. Things were better under Thibodeau than they had been in a very long time.

Now, we get to watch the furious basketball guru attempt to perform his variation of genius with a different team.

It’ll be almost as fun to watch Thibodeau coach this young Wolves team as it will to watch Butler continue his elite level of play against yet another exciting wing in Wiggins.

Dec 11, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks on during the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

A Big KAT

Chicago has a lot of great players, but the best players on the Bulls are either in their prime or past it. Minnesota has the luxury of a roster that is full of players nowhere near their potential. At the center of their future is Towns.

The versatile young big man is the future of the center position. He’s already putting up numbers better than most of the players in the league not named DeMarcus Cousins and he’s only in his second season as a pro.

So, how do you deal with Towns? Well, the Wolves normally would be best served if they had Towns rolling to the rim. Currently, there’s a bit too much of the pick-and-pop action instead of pick-and-roll. Over the course of a season, and the career of Towns, attacking the rim instead of hanging in the mid-range on those actions might be the best course of actions. However, he’s going to absolutely create havoc against Robin Lopez.

Lopez is one of the better centers in the league on both ends of the floor, in my humble and possibly incorrect opinion, when he’s at the rim. He’s definitely one of the better centers on the defensive end of the floor and has been doing some fantastic work grabbing offensive rebounds for extended possessions or putbacks. The offensive stuff might not be as far along, so I probably overstated him on that end. Okay, I definitely overstated him on that end of the floor. He’s solid, not a liability, but you don’t want him putting up 20 shots a game as he has done a few times this season.

The defensive portion of his game is great at the rim, but the further he ventures from the rim, the more of a liability he becomes on that end. He’s great at the rim, average at best when he ventures away from it. Towns is going to venture away from it frequently.

Also, I might be asking for trouble, but I would like to see Cristiano Felicio get some minutes against Towns. Or, unrelated, even against Dieng.

Dec 6, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo (9) against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 102-91.Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Point Guard Problems

How about this whole point guard mess for both teams? Despite just about every measurable metric available pointing to the Wolves being better with Rubio on the court, the rumors are swirling about the possible interest Thibodeau may have in trading the guard.

On the other side, you’ve got Rajon Rondo. The Bulls paid him a bunch of money for this season, and a small vested interest in guaranteed money for next season. He’s been part of the team’s problems, not the solutions.

And they intersect. Thibodeau has coached both of them at separate points in time. Rubio now, of course, and Rondo while he was an assistant under Doc Rivers on the championship-winning Boston Celtics.

Also, both guards have the initials R.R. And they both are great at passing, racking up assists. And they are both terrible at shooting. You can leave either of them hanging out alone after they go over the top of a screen, waiting for them to attack to rim or helping off to whomever they are trying to target with a pass. It doesn’t matter what the situation, they’re both pretty terrible at shooting.

Of course, there’s a huge difference between the two. Rubio is one of the most likeable players in the league who, despite his injury history and playing on a poor Minnesota squad, has always held on to a positive mental approach. Rondo, as we have well-documented, has been a terror for almost every coach he’s ever played for and hasn’t done much to win any friends with his on-court behavior.

Also, Rubio is a great defender. You could explain defense to Rondo, but he’d probably just tell you to “shut the f### up,” like he’s done with actual NBA coaches in the past.

It’ll be interesting to see how these two guards match up.

Nov 10, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) waves to the fans after defeating the Miami Heat 98-95 at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions

Chicago is riding a bit of a hot streak. This is something they’ve done all season, going from good to bad to decent to worse to impressive. The East has been underwhelming, but also filled with good, not great teams. They’re having a better season than the Timberwolves and have the home court advantage.

The Wolves are a lowly 6-18, on a four-game losing streak, and a Mavericks win on Monday night put them even with the worst record in the Western Conference. Still, we’ve documented how they have some of the best young players in the entire NBA on one roster, each capable of having a big game.

And then there’s two big things to remember, one about each side. First, for the Bulls, there’s the habit of failing to show up for easy wins. They show up when they’re on national television, playing one of the best teams in the league. They show up when they’re playing Wade’s old team. They don’t show up when they’re getting run out of the building by those Mavericks we just mentioned, who beat Chicago by 25 points not long ago. Second, there’s the extra motivation for the Timberwolves. How important is it to Thibs to get the win in the United Center? I feel like it is extremely important. More, I assume that his team understands how much he wants it and will play hard for their coach.

Score: 107-104

Player of the Game: Zach LaVine

Winner: Chicago Bulls

Despite the motivation from Thibodeau and the fantastic young players on his roster, the Bulls are too good at home, playing great basketball with a lot of confidence on a couple days of rest. I’m hoping for a close game and would love to see some huge play from both teams, but Chicago should have enough to get the job done on Tuesday night.

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