The Minnesota Timberwolves will play their final game of the 2015-16 season Wednesday night at home against New Orleans.
But that will only be the beginning of what is sure to be an interesting offseason, as Wolves owner Glen Taylor will decide whether or not Sam Mitchell will return to the team’s bench next season.
While the players won’t be making the decision on Mitchell’s future, many of them seem to support their head coach.
“Definitely,” said Wolves forward Andrew Wiggins to the Star Tribune when he was asked if he’d like Mitchell back next season. Wiggins added that Mitchell and the staff have helped him develop this year. “It’s been huge,” Wiggins said. “They put me in positions to succeed. They’ve never steered me wrong.”
His thoughts were similar to those shared by Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns.
“I’ll tell you one thing. We’ve done a great job this year, especially the coaching staff. With the tragedy happening, I think they did a great job for us this year,” Towns told the Star Tribune.
There were some highs and some lows for the Wolves this season – despite Minnesota’s 28-53 record. Minnesota was especially tough on the road, becoming the first NBA team since 2011-12 to finish the season with a better road record than home mark.
Minnesota’s biggest wins all occurred on the road – victories at Golden State, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Clippers.
At this point I think Wolves fans should be surprised if Sam Mitchell isn't the coach next season. https://t.co/XsLCdjoTC1
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 12, 2016
But not everyone is so optimistic that Mitchell will be back. There are some high-profile coaches on the job market. The Pioneer Press notes that speculation is already circulating that either former Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks or former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau could be in Minnesota next fall.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is convinced that Mitchell won’t get a fair shake with names like that on the market.
“I watched him be the coach of the year in Toronto; I know this man can coach basketball,” Smith said on “First Take,” recently. “Karl-Anthony Towns is the rookie of the year. Zach LaVine is the two-time slam dunk champion. He has tremendous promise. Andrew Wiggins has tremendous promise, as well. But these guys are kids.”
While Taylor hasn’t provided a timeline for when Timberwolves’ fans should expect an announcement,Mitchell doesn’t seem too worried about it.
“All I can do is the best job I can,” Mitchell told the Star Tribune. “I’m comfortable with that, whatever happens.”
