Thibodeau to hold down two jobs with Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS — Tom Thibodeau came to Minnesota for the impressive young core of talent assembled.

He came to the Timberwolves for the shiny new facilities and the chance to take over a team that has been at the bottom of the NBA and bring it back into the playoffs.

And he came to work with a close friend in Scott Layden, forming a partnership with a man he has trusted for nearly two decades after he clashed with Bulls management in a messy exit from Chicago last spring.

“For me personally, this is about alignment,” Thibodeau said Tuesday in a press conference that introduced him as the new Timberwolves president of basketball operations and coach. “It’s not about power. It’s not about any of that stuff. I’ve known Scott a long time. We’ve shared philosophies with each other about certain things. He was the person that I really wanted. So I’m glad we had the opportunity to get him.”

Layden comes to Minnesota after four years as an assistant general manager in San Antonio. The two got to know each other when Layden was the GM of the New York Knicks and Thibodeau was an assistant on Jeff Van Gundy’s coaching staff back in 1999.

“I was an assistant coach at the time and he talked to me all the time about what do you see, what do you think,” Thibodeau said. “Those were important questions to me.”

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor broke the bank to bring these two in to reshape a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2004. He spent more than $10 million on the pair, with the bulk going to Thibodeau, widely regarded to be the best coach available on the market.

The move to get Layden may turn out to be equally important. The son of a coach, Layden also was an executive in Utah and New York and spent the last four years learning under Popovich and Buford in San Antonio.

“We have this saying where you go in a room, you debate, you disagree, but the most important thing is coming out of the room committed, and we will be committed,” Layden said. “I certainly have known Coach a long time. It is about the relationship, it is about doing this together. Coach has the president’s title, but I actually think the title of coach is as important if not more important. That is the way I grew up. I am thrilled with this relationship.”

Armed with a team that has an impressive array of young players including Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine and Ricky Rubio, Taylor felt the need to act quickly and decisively because he sees this moment as the third time since he bought the team in 1995 to build a championship contender.

“We have an outstanding group of young players,” Taylor said. “And this is a unique opportunity for us to go for the championship again. Not for one year. Not for two years. But over many years if we can put this together right.”

Returning to the city where he got his NBA start after spending a year away has clearly energized Thibodeau. He spoke fondly of being an assistant under Bill Musselman on the first two Timberwolves teams and said he holds no ill will toward the Bulls organization.