The Whiteboard: The Minnesota Timberwolves are actually the Timberbulls

The Minnesota Timberwolves might have to officially change their nickname to Timberbulls if Tom Thibodeau keeps importing former Chicago Bulls.

Usually when Drake is brought up in an NBA article, it’s in some relation to the Toronto Raptors, not the Minnesota Timberwolves. This time, though, we’re going to branch out and be open-minded.

That is exactly what Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau has not done in his time making personnel decisions for his team. Thibs currently has four players on the Wolves that played for him in Chicago: Aaron Brooks, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Derrick Rose. Soon, Luol Deng will join the list as well.

A full third — at least — of the Timberwolves’ roster is going to be Thibs era Bulls in the 2018-19 NBA season. Hence the name Timberbulls. And hence the Drake reference, because neither man seems able to stop thinking about their exes. Here’s a line from Drake’s album Views that could certainly have been written by Thibs about the core players from his Bulls teams:

I group DM my exes
I tell ’em they belong to me, that goes on for forever
And I think we just get closer when we not together

It’s pretty clear Thibs only loves his Bulls and his ICE, and he’s not sorry about it. Once Joakim Noah finally is away from the New York Knicks for good, there’s got to be a 90-plus percent chance that he joins the Timberbulls, right? If, nay, when that happens, how often will Wolves fans see Rose-Butler-Deng-Gibson-Noah lineups? Will Karl-Anthony Towns ever get the ball in the post again?

Maybe all of these questions are hyperbole, and all of this is coincidence, or happenstance. Or, maybe in a few months Carlos Boozer will be the Bulls’ third big. Once again, Drake said it best:

Just give it time, we’ll see who’s still around a decade from now

Although I’m not sure Drizzy was referring to which former Bulls were still in basketball shape a decade after their Eastern Conference Finals run together in Chicago.

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