Five questions about incoming Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau

As the Timberwolves close in on a deal to make Tom Thibodeau their new head coach and president of basketball operations, here are five questions (and answers) about him:

1) Does he deserve his reputation for overworking players?

This is a big one since it was an oft-repeated critique toward the end of his successful five-year stint in Chicago.

While the numbers can’t tell us how Thibodeau ran practices or how hard he was on players, they can tell us how many minutes his best players logged. And, well, it appears as if this is a little overblown. While it’s true the Bulls always had a player ranked in the top five in minutes played every year under Thibodeau (either Luol Deng or Jimmy Butler), they never had two players who were in the top 10.

There might be an element of truth to it; but this also might be the case of something repeated so often people assume it’s true — as well as a narrative retroactively used against Thibodeau as it became clear he and Chicago were headed for a breakup.

2) Does he deserve his reputation as a defensive coach?

This one absolutely is well-earned. Thibodeau’s Bulls ranked in the top-5 in the NBA in terms of points allowed in four of his five seasons.

And before that, he was considered the defensive mastermind of the Celtics, where he was the team’s associate head coach. He took over that role in the 2007-08 season — the same year Kevin Garnett was traded from Minnesota to Boston – and the Celtics won the NBA title on the strength of their defense.

3) Does this mean the Wolves job really was the best one available this offseason?

This is more subjective, but let’s connect some basic dots: Thibodeau was considered by many to be the best candidate available. And the Wolves were able to hire him. So yes, as wild as it might sound to those who have followed this team, it stands to reason this was the most attractive job out there this offseason.

4) Does this hire guarantee the Wolves success?

Of course not. But it is another piece of puzzle that is starting to come into place in impressive fashion. If the Wolves are looking for the most optimistic possible trajectory, they need only look across their practice court at the WNBA’s Lynx.

That franchise was a non-factor for a long time. But the steady accumulation of top-end talent (including No. 1 picks Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore) combined with the right leadership (veteran players including Lindsay Whalen plus head coach Cheryl Reeve) has yielded three championships in the past five seasons. It looks like the Wolves have the talent and the coach. We’ll see where that takes them.

5) Does Thibodeau’s contract include any provisions about an unlimited supply of the type of track suit he had when he was an assistant with the Wolves a quarter-century ago?

I doubt it, and that’s an opportunity lost. The track suit (pictured from a Star Tribune file photo) is a thing of beauty and I’d pay 100 dollars American for one right now.