The Minnesota Timberwolves have not had a lot of success since joining the NBA in 1989. The franchise has a lowly record of 980-1,496 and only been to the playoffs nine times.
The Timberwolves have employed 13 different coaches. Only one was able to register a career record of above .500.
Despite the franchise's struggles, the Timberwolves have had some great coaches stroll the sidelines. It's just that these select few men weren't dealing with the best players.
For this piece, we ranked the best coaches in Timberwolves franchise history, starting off with a guy who was in town for three years.
4. Rick Adelman
Adelman coached the Timberwolves from 2012 to 2014. He compiled a regular-season record of 97-133. His 97 wins are good for a second-place tie in franchise history with Tom Thibodeau.
Minnesota never made the postseason under Adelman. Kevin Love was the only star player Adelman had at his disposal with the Timberwolves.
With a .442 winning percentage, Adelman has the fourth-highest in franchise history.
3. Dwane Casey
The current Detroit Pistons coach was in Minnesota for only one and a half years. He was able to rack up 53 wins in 122 games. Casey is fourth on the Timberwolves' all-time coaching wins list.
Minnesota didn't make the playoffs under Casey either. The franchise replaced him in the middle of the 2007 season with Randy Wittman.
Casey has gone on to win a Coach of the Year Award with the Toronto Raptors.
2. Tom Thibodeau
Thibodeau and Jimmy Butler led the Timberwolves to the playoffs during the 2017-18 season for the first time since 2004. The team lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round in five games.
Thibodeau won 97 games with Minnesota before getting fired in January of 2019. The way he handled the Butler trade request didn't sit well with owner Glen Taylor.
The 47 games that Thibodeau won in 2017-18 are tied for the fourth-most victories by a Wolves coach during the regular season. It's a shame that Butler wasn't happy in Minnesota and wanted out. The Timberwolves could have done something special if Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins were able to get on the same page.
1. Flip Saunders
The late Flip Saunders won a franchise-record 427 games with the Timberwolves. He's the only Minnesota coach to have a record above .500.
During his 11 years with the franchise, Saunders guided the Timberwolves to the playoffs eight times. Kevin Garnett was one of the best players in the entire NBA during the Saunders era. The 2003-04 Wolves won 58 games and KG took home the MVP award after averaging 24.2 points, 13.9 points, 5.0 assists and 2.2 blocks.
The 2003-04 Timberwolves have gone the furthest out of any Minnesota team in franchise history. They reached the Western Conference Finals, where the team ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The current coach in Minnesota is Flip's son Ryan. He's gone 36-70 since taking over for Thibodeau. Towns is a star in the league and new point guard D'Angelo Russell is an explosive scorer. Wolves fans are praying Ryan, Towns and Russell can be the trio which makes the Minnesota franchise a winner.
Until then, Minnesota fans will continue to playback the memories they have of Flip, Garnett, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. That’s the best team in Minnesota franchise history and it’s not even close. The way Flip was able to manage all the egos on that squad and lead the team to the rugged Western Conference Finals with only one superstar is incredible.
Follow Us
Subscribe