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Imrem: The Thibinator is back in town

Lock down the United Center and anchor the furniture.

The Thibinator is back in town.

Former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, now head coach and basketball president of the Timberwolves, returns to the UC on Tuesday night.

Considering that the Wolves arrive with a 6-18 record, Thibodeau likely will be a bit testy while testing the Bulls.

Another loss - especially to a Bulls organization that enthusiastically fired him - might prompt Thibodeau to take a bite out of the scorer's table.

Seriously, this isn't a man who takes losing very well.

Thibodeau's teams in Chicago rarely dipped under .500 and never suffered 18 losses in a span of 24 games.

Perhaps losing doesn't sting as much up there as it would down here now that Thibodeau's contract is worth $40 million over five years.

Thibodeau wants to be paid fairly but never appeared to be about money. If his salary was $40 over five years, you'd wonder whether he'd find a way to spend it all.

Tom Thibodeau is about basketball. He is during his first year with Minnesota, was during his five years with the Bulls and was during his one year off in between.

During that sabbatical season, Thibodeau toured the country observing and conversing with prominent sports leaders in and out of basketball.

One was Tony La Russa, a Hall of Fame baseball manager who worked for Jerry Reinsdorf with the White Sox like Thibodeau did with the Bulls.

The difference is that Reinsdorf blasted Thibodeau after firing him in 2015 and has remained friends with La Russa after three decades.

Last week The New York Times reported that La Russa, currently an executive with the Arizona Diamondbacks, "said the Bulls tried to mandate that Thibodeau take a two-week vacation after each season."

The story quoted La Russa as adding, "And he told them, 'You can put it in (the contract), but I'm still coming into the office.' "

Keep in mind that La Russa was one of baseball's most intense managers of his time and he's talking about one of the NBA's most intense coaches of this time.

La Russa was quoted as saying. "(Thibodeau) could have sat around and felt sorry for himself. He could have learned to play a sport like golf. He could have taken a trip around the world. Instead, he knew that he had his career in front of him, and he did exactly what you would expect from Tom: He was going to use that time to learn."

Thibodeau's drive has been a blessing and a curse. A thin line separates coaching players up and breaking them down.

Early in this NBA season, longtime Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse proposed trading the hard-charging Thibodeau to the Twins for mild-mannered manager Paul Molitor.

Reusse mentioned a few things that the Timberwolves' talented young core needs to reach its potential.

"What they don't need," he wrote "is 48 minutes of Thibodeau bellowing nonstop instructions and then waving his arms in disgust like a middle-school coach when there's a screw-up."

Tom Thibodeau's intensity is why he's a great coach; it's also why he wears out the people around him.

No chance, though, that the Wolves' coach will wear out their president of basketball operations.

They appreciate each other too much.

mimrem@dailyherald.com

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