Minnesota Sports Forum

thedoper wrote:I think it's fairly apparent that Sid really did have the inside track on this story after hearing this interview.

No question about it. I was worried that Sid might actually tell some stories about chasing puss with Muss and Thibs almost 30 years ago, but he held back. I can remember seeing them at some of the popular watering holes downtown back then. I don't know for sure, but even though all three were working hard, only the "married" guy was regularly successful.

longstrangetrip wrote:

thedoper wrote:I think it's fairly apparent that Sid really did have the inside track on this story after hearing this interview.

No question about it. I was worried that Sid might actually tell some stories about chasing puss with Muss and Thibs almost 30 years ago, but he held back. I can remember seeing them at some of the popular watering holes downtown back then. I don't know for sure, but even though all three were working hard, only the "married" guy was regularly successful.

I had a good friend who worked in public relations with the team at the beginning. And he would regale me with stories about Muss on the hunt at the local hangouts. He was a strange cracker.

longstrangetrip wrote:

thedoper wrote:I think it's fairly apparent that Sid really did have the inside track on this story after hearing this interview.

No question about it. I was worried that Sid might actually tell some stories about chasing puss with Muss and Thibs almost 30 years ago, but he held back. I can remember seeing them at some of the popular watering holes downtown back then. I don't know for sure, but even though all three were working hard, only the "married" guy was regularly successful.

Please share. Was "The Cowboy" prominently involved in any of these stories? Please leave out the ones that end with "so we end up at the Gay '90s....."

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Q12543 wrote:Abe, The reason he might like Jones is because one of Thib's oft-repeated five keys to success is keeping turnovers down. If there is one thing Jones demonstrated at both Duke and this past season in the NBA is that he takes care of the ball and generally makes good decisions.

Sure. That's only one part of it though. And Jones is far from proven. My point is that I don't think Thibodeau would have any problem moving Jones if another option surfaced. I don't see Jones as a foundation type of guy. He's a career backup in some way or another... and those guys tend to bounce around the league a bit... for a reason.

He's also a backup on a cheap rookie deal that will likely only keep getting better. Having two guys he can trust to run his offense without a bunch of hand holding is probably important to him. I could see him potentially going after Hinrich as insurance though.

TeamRicky wrote:http://radio.com/audio/the-chad-hartman-show/

Meh... The interview Thibs gave Barreiro yesterday afternoon was WAY better with a lot more meat. Well worth the listen if you an extra hour on your hands... (it starts a few minutes into the show)

http://www.iheart.com/show/139-The-Dan-Barreiro-Show/?episode_id=27505468

And reading between the lines, I would almost put money down on Sam Cassell being Thib's lead assistant next year...

60WinTim wrote:And reading between the lines, I would almost put money down on Sam Cassell being Thib's lead assistant next year...

Seems like a congenial guy. A little dull, but certainly pleasant...and he clearly knows basketball. I'm glad Barreiro got the name pronunciation controversy resolved...his full name is pronounced with a "th" sound in true Cajun style, but "Thibs" is pronounced with a hard "t". Confusing, but at least resolved. And it does open up the possibility for either Thibs Tuesday or Thibodeau Thursday, although I'm not sure my heart could take the excitement :) .

Tim, I was a little distracted listening to this (Ok, actually I fell asleep)...what did he say about Cassell? A few guys here have brought up Cassell positively here, and I have to admit I don't get it. Don't get me wrong- I loved Sam the 2 years he played here...well, the first year at least. But I never thought of him as a guy that would ever be an effective NBA coach. Here's what I remember about Sam:

1) His GPA in high school didn't qualify him to get into college, so he had to play his first two years in Juco. As you guys know, the bar isn't very high for qualifying for college. I mean, Michael Beasley and Adreian Payne were smart enough to qualify!

2) His main talent as a player was finding ways to get open for mid-range jumpers (the least effective shot in basketball), and he was admittedly deadly on them. He didn't shoot many threes and he was below average at getting to the line. Is he going to be effective at coaching a modern offense?

3) He always seemed to wear out his welcome after a couple years...traded 8 times in his 14 year career. I always wondered why, because he was a pretty good player.

4) While he was instrumental in the Wolves' best year, his Big Balls celebration led to an in injury that cost us a potential championship. That move was so notorious that more than a decade later, that celebration is still referred to as The Sam Cassell Dance.

5) Flip gave him his first coaching job. But ask yourself this...how good was Flip at identifying talented assistant coaches?

6) Nobody has ever seen ET and him in the same room at the same time. Hmm...

What is the attraction to Sam Cassell...I still look at him as a goofball. What makes us think he can coach?

In addition to his stint with Flip, Sam was with Thibs at Boston, and followed Doc to the Clippers. Thibs had high praise for Sam, and I got the feeling it "slipped out" that Thibs had just talked to Sam.

Hmmm... Why would Thibs have just talked to Sam (as in the last day or two)? What could it be about?

Yeah, call it a BIG leap, but future assistant on the Wolves bench is one of the only things I could come up with!

60WinTim wrote:In addition to his stint with Flip, Sam was with Thibs at Boston, and followed Doc to the Clippers. Thibs had high praise for Sam, and I got the feeling it "slipped out" that Thibs had just talked to Sam.

Hmmm... Why would Thibs have just talked to Sam (as in the last day or two)? What could it be about?

Yeah, call it a BIG leap, but future assistant on the Wolves bench is one of the only things I could come up with!

I thought Barreiro sounded kind of naïve when he dismissed emailers who wanted him to ask about specific players Thibs might like in free agency, saying he obviously couldn't do that because of tampering...but he asked Thibs about Sam Cassell who is currently under contract with the Clippers!

I liked this interview, so thanks Tim for posting.

I was real excited to hear how much Thibs likes analytics and using it to gain any conceivable edge on the opponent. He seems to be super detail orientated and analytical in his decision making in his approach to the draft, personnel moves and granting playing time. I also liked that he mentioned Real Plus Minus as a stat he uses in evaluating players contribution on the court as its a personal favorite of mine.

The Sam Cassell phone call was an interesting tidbit and I wasn't aware they had worked together in Boston, so there might be something there. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. What he does indicate is that the players seem to like him. If he's not the lead assistant, I'd think he'd be a good hire. If he is brought in to be the lead assistant job, then I am more ambivalent as I was hoping for a guy like D'Antoni, Hornacek, Nash, Stockton or McHale to help run the offensive to counterbalance Thibs expertise in defense.