Thibodeau's door to NBA was opened in Minnesota
On Nov. 8, 1989, the NBA officially returned to Minnesota.
Before a crowd of 35,000 at the Metrodome, the Bulls knocked off the expansion Timberwolves 96-84 as Michael Jordan scored 45 points.
That's also when Tom Thibodeau's professional coaching career began.
The Bulls are back in Minneapolis on Wednesday, hoping to take the frustration from a disappointing loss to Philadelphia out on the Timberwolves, who possess the worst record in the Western Conference.
But Minnesota will always be special to Thibodeau. His unlikely jump from assistant coach at Harvard to an NBA bench obviously made a huge impact on the Bulls 22 years later.
It all started by reading the newspaper. Thibodeau saw a story by The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan about Bill Musselman, who was directing the CBA's Albany Patroons to an incredible 48-6 record in the 1987-88 season.
“I read the story and it was just fascinating,” Thibodeau said. “The record of the team was incredible. I wanted to learn more about him.
“A friend, Frank Catapano, an agent, knew him well. So he took me up there to watch one of his practices and I was just amazed at what he was doing with those guys.
“I always loved watching the NBA, but like everybody else on the outside, you don't realize all the coaching and all the decisions that are being made. Once I saw practice, I just realized how fascinating the game was and how different it was.”
Thibodeau had the bug, but he needed a mentor.
Musselman, who died in 2000 from a rare bone marrow cancer, crafted his image as a no-nonsense coach and tough guy. It was easy to imagine Musselman holding his hand over an open flame while dissecting tough losses.
But much of that was an act. When Thibodeau showed up at Patroons practice looking for basketball knowledge, Musselman was willing to help out.
“If you didn't really know him and just met him at a game, you wouldn't know what a fun-loving guy he was or how great he was to be around,” Thibodeau said.
“Once I saw the first practice, I wanted to keep going back and he was terrific. He was the type of guy who would sit down and talk basketball for hours and hours with you.”
Musselman, who coached the University of Minnesota in the early 1970s, was hired in 1988 to take over the expansion Timberwolves. For the next year, he scouted the nation to prepare for the Timberwolves inaugural season.
“Whenever he'd come to Boston, we'd get together and he was always great to me,” Thibodeau said. “I just thought it was a great way to learn. Then he invited me to a couple of the free-agent camps. That's what led to the opportunity to coach with him.”
When Musselman hired a coaching staff, he gave Thibodeau a job, and the rest is history. One interesting sidebar is the first two Timberwolves teams featured four players who went on to become NBA head coaches — Sam Mitchell, Tyrone Corbin, Scott Brooks and Sidney Lowe.
During the first two seasons, Minnesota outperformed the other three expansion squads, winning 22 and 29 games. Management may have felt winning the draft lottery was more important than winning games, because Musselman and Thibodeau were let go after the second season.
It didn't last long, but that job made Thibodeau's NBA career possible.
“That team played hard every night,” he said. “The fans were great and the city was excited. It was a great experience.”