The Lakers and Knicks are looking for a new head coaches, but even those big-city jobs aren’t as attractive as the Timberwolves’ coaching vacancy, according ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst.
“The Minnesota Timberwolves have the most attractive coaching job in the NBA,” Windhorst said. “Their young talent, another high draft pick and salary cap flexibility make this the best job to come on the open market in years. And because of that, the Wolves are going big game hunting. They are targeting all the top candidates.”
“There are coaches who would crawl over glass for this job,” Windhorst added.
The names being floated by multiple reports, including Windhorst, are:
- Jeff Van Gundy
- Scott Brooks
- Tom Thibodeau
- Dave Joerger
Wolves will begin coaching search tomorrow & it won't include Sam Mitchell, sources said. On Wolves list is Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) April 14, 2016
Van Gundy, 54, hasn’t coached in the NBA since leaving the Rockets in 2007. Brooks played for the Timberwolves and in seven seasons as head coach of the Thunder he won fewer than 45 games only once. Thibodeau is a defensive guru known for instilling hard practices and discipline. Joerger, a Minnesota native (Staples-Motley High School), is still coaching the Memphis Grizzlies, but he’s been linked to Minnesota for a couple of years now.
Tom Thibodeau will be at the top of a lot of lists, but there are strong indications that Thibs is looking for personnel power, per sources.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) April 14, 2016
In addition to the Wolves, Lakers and Knicks, the Nets, Kings and Wizards are also searching for a new head coach.
Minnesota’s job is about to get even more attractive when they find out which pick they’ll have in the NBA Draft. The Draft lottery will be held May 17th and there’s a 10.6 percent chance the Wolves get the No. 1 overall pick.
