Tom Thibodeau literally turns the Timberwolves into his old team of bulls

Add Luol Deng to the list of former Chicago Bulls players that head coach and team president Tom Thibodeau are collecting in Minnesota.

Deng has accepted a one-year contract worth at least $ 2.4 million with the Timberwolves, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The move confirms something everyone knew, but could have used more confirmation anyway:

Thibodeau gathers his Chicago Bulls in Minnesota.

Thibodeau took over as head coach and president of Timberwolves three years ago. Since then, he has come a long way, through trades and other acquisitions, to assemble his old band. Five of Thibs' former players are on the list, coaches or front office in a certain way.

This is how this meeting, to the north, began:

April 20, 2016 – Timberwolves hires Tom Thibodeau

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The unfortunate death of Flip Saunders left Timberwolves' management in two positions: the coach and the team's president. The Wolves played the rest of the 2015-16 season before hiring Thiboeau for a five-year, $ 40 million contract.

The Timberwolves also hired Scott Layden as general manager to serve under Thibodeau. Layden was never part of the Chicago Bulls, but he was executive vice president or president and general manager of the New York Knicks from 1999 to 2003, while Thibodeau was an assistant coach.

Interseason 2016 – Thibodeau hires former assistants

Thibodeau filled his team of coaches by hiring three people who worked with him in Chicago. Andy Greer, his senior assistant, worked with the Bulls from 2010 to 2015 and also worked as an assistant colleague with Thibodeau in New York and Houston. Ed Pinckney also worked with the Bulls from 2010 to 2015, while Rick Brunson worked with Thibodeau from 2010 to 2012.

August 24, 2016 – Wolves sign John Lucas III

Lucas III only played five games with the Wolves last season, but spent two seasons in Chicago playing for Thibodeau in the playoffs. He was fired later this season and retired shortly thereafter, but he joined the Wolves coaching team as a player development coach last summer.

June 22, 2017 – Bulls and wolves make a big dive in the day

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The Bulls had decided that Jimmy Butler was not going to be the face of their franchise, so they started presenting bids that would bring back the best mix of young players and selections. Thibodeau and the Timberwolves led, handing Kris Dunn, an injured Zach LaVine, and the choice that became Lauri Markkanen.

The biggest chip of the Bulls meeting in Minnesota had finally fallen.

Butler has always praised Thibodeau for pushing the players to the max. In his first season in Minnesota, Jimmy Buckets led the NBA in minutes played. Later, he tore his meniscus and is probably put out before the playoffs.

July 10, 2017 – Wolves add another ex-bull

The pillars of Minnesota were beautifully aligned. With Butler in the lead and Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague accompanying him, the Wolves have as impressive training as you can find throughout the league. They needed only a legitimate power to complete the top five.

So, Thibodeau did what he did best and brought a player he knew: Taj Gibson. Gibson joined the Wolves for a $ 28 million, two-year contract, immediately bringing strength, wisdom and defensive intensity to Minnesota.

September 21, 2017 – A small addition

In an effort to add depth and wisdom to the veteran leader, Thibodeau signed with Aaron Brooks to support Teague and Tyus Jones. Brooks played in Chicago under Thibs for two seasons from 2014 to 2016.

Brooks has not been re-signed by entering the 2018-19 season.

March 8, 2018 – Another last domino falls

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It can not be a meeting of bulls without the most famous bull since Michael Jordan. The title belongs to Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, whose career was interrupted by a series of endless knee injuries.

Rose averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists and four rebounds per game in her 2010-11 MVP season, leading the Bulls to a loss in the Eastern Conference final against LeBron's Miami Heat. The next season, he tore his ACL and was never the same. He was traded to the Knicks, where he spent a season, before signing with Cleveland this summer.

In the middle of a spiral season, the Cavaliers made a mid – season pivot and traded almost every player they 've acquired during the summer. This included Rose, was sent to Utah and eventually given up by the team.

September 10, 2018 – There are still more ex-bulls?

Yes, there are, and now he is on the Timberwolves. Luol Deng accepted Monday a minimum contract of one year with a veteran worth $ 2.4 million. As long as he passes his physique, he will be part of Thibs' master plan.

A healthy Deng played in one game for the Los Angeles Lakers last season. They bought the remaining two years of his contract at $ 30.5 million (a savings figure of $ 7.5 million) and allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He averaged 7.6 points on 30.9% of the three shots of the 2016-17 season.

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Now, Deng joins Thibodeau, Butler, Gibson, Rose and Lucas III in Minnesota as the Wolves sail into the Wild West Conference. They will attempt to make consecutive appearances in the playoffs for the first time since the Kevin Garnett era.

There is still a domino, and it is Joakim Noah, the center besieged with two years worth $ 37.8 million for his contract with the New York Knicks. The Knicks do not seem in a hurry to buy this exorbitant contract. But if they wish, there will be a crazy man who will be ready to win Noah on the market.