Alan Horton, the play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Timberwolves, called the team’s decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau “stunning,” during the Howl In Show on WCCO Radio.
“Really strange timing too, which immediately makes you think something must have occurred there. There has to be something that happened,” Horton told WCCO Radio host Eric Nelson on Sunday night.
Horton, who is the in the middle of his 12th season doing play-by-play for the Wolves, wondered why the decision was made now. “This completely catches me off guard, just for the timing of it. You would maybe say, had the team lost four or five, six… some kind of losing streak or there was something else you can point to that things aren't going well, but my goodness!” Horton said.
Nelson called the decision “intriguing,” and also questioning the timing, considering the team’s recent performance, including Sunday’s 108-86 victory over the LA Lakers. “They're in the mix. They're not out of it by any stretch as far as getting a playoff spot. They do get a win today. They won on Friday night and (the Timberwolves) have to pay Tom a lot of money because he had some guaranteed years remaining,” Nelson said.
Horton pointed out that Thibodeau had recruited many of the team's current players.
“Many of the guys on this roster were brought in and I think are pretty loyal to Tom Thibodeau too. I am stunned by this news, not knowing what it was that caused this move to be made. But I wonder how these guys respond."
And he concluded with a thought that must be shared by many Wolves fans:
“I've got a lot of questions and unfortunately we don't have a lot of answers right now,” he said.
Listen to the segment here: