New Timberwolves Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson played for Tom Thibodeau when he coached five seasons in Chicago … and they're willing to do it again.
Imagine that.
Butler has called his formative NBA years with Thibodeau a "love-hate" relationship and Gibson isn't one to quibble with the three-time All Star concerning Thibodeau's gruff exterior and commitment to coaching every single possession, no matter the score or time remaining.
"Thibs understands I'm tough," Gibson said. "He can throw anything at me, and I'm going to bulldoze right through it. Any kind of situation, any kind of perseverance, anything. He threw those things at me my second year in the league, and I'm not going to shy away from anything."
Thibodeau was hired as Bulls coach in 2010 after Gibson's rookie season and the two parted ways professionally when the Bulls fired Thibodeau in May 2015.
Now they're reunited and Gibson acknowledged that sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone.
"His shell is so hard, but once you finally break into his shell, he's an awesome guy," Gibson said. "My first year, two years, he played me a lot of minutes, but I never really talked to him. It was all X's and O's, but he really counted on me in tough situations. In practice, he always screamed at me, yelled at me and I never even reacted.
"But as years went on, we kind of grew a mutual respect and now when we talk, it's like best friends almost. When we talk, it's like a father that you see every day. It's a great relationship."