After signing Luol Deng to a one-year, $2.4 million deal, the Timberbulls jokes are in full swing. For all the laughing, how will this deal actually impact the 2018-19 Minnesota Timberwolves?
Luol Deng is an adamant professional. His altruism is well-noted and there are only positive reports of his locker room presence (even during his miserable stint with the Los Angeles Lakers).
To sign a guy like Deng to the minimum for 2018-19 would be a good deal for just about any team, except, perhaps, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Tom Thibodeau, the T-Wolves’ head coach and president of basketball operations, is in his third year with the franchise, yet with Luol Deng now on board he’s somehow managed to bring four of his former Chicago Bulls players to Minnesota.
The Timberbulls memes are in full swing, and the basketball world is left wondering how much Deng has to offer on a basketball court in his 15th season, and whether Tom Thibodeau has lost his touch.
If Deng simply sat on the bench and provided a veteran presence, that would be fantastic for Minnesota, but running with his former Chicago teammates and coach, fans need to brace themselves for seeing Deng play significant bench minutes this season.
Here’s how that reality would affect the 2018-19 Timberwolves.