Former Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau apparently was not expecting to get fired following the team's game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Timberwolves picked up a convincing 108-86 victory over the Lakers, but shortly after, the franchise decided to fire Thibodeau.
It seemed like an odd choice to let him go after such a big win, but that's exactly what the team chose to do.
Apparently, fans weren't the only ones who may have been caught by surprise, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
The news of Thibodeau's firing caught players by surprise. They had no idea it was coming, nor did Thibodeau.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) January 7, 2019
While Thibodeau getting fired always seemed like a possibility given the ups and downs of the franchise, it probably wasn't something that he or the players were thinking about entering the game with the Lakers.
Either way, Minnesota will now turn its attention to finding his replacement, with several coaches already being mentioned as possible candidates.
As for the Timberwolves, they have won two in a row at this point, and there's no doubt that Thibodeau's firing may take away some momentum that they've built up over the past few games.
Minnesota is 19-21 at this stage of the season and will prepare for a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
After that, the team will play four of its next five games at Target Center, with back-to-back games against the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans later in the week.
Perhaps the Timberwolves will be able to find the right fit at head coach so that they can continue to gain confidence moving forward.
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