A month away from training camp's opening, Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said Monday at the Minnesota State Fair he doesn't need to assure the team's nervous fans or his best players that all will be right in a season after which All-Star guard Jimmy Butler can leave as an unrestricted free agent.
"The winning will take care of that," he said.
Thibodeau answered a couple of questions from fairgoers worried about the team's chemistry and Butler's future during an appearance at the Star Tribune booth.
Thibodeau said "I respectfully disagree" when a fan questioned the unity and culture of a team that won 47 games last season — its first winning season since the Kevin Garnett era — and made the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
He ticked off facts and statistics: The Wolves went 27-10 against the mighty Western Conference when Butler and young teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins played together last season. The Wolves broke 14 franchise records last season, won 13 consecutive games at home and had 18 sellouts at Target Center.
The team's starting five — which includes all three players together — ranked third in offensive efficiency and seventh defensively last season on a team whose second unit ranked 30th defensively. The Wolves have signed Derrick Rose, Anthony Tolliver and James Nunnally to address both the bench's defense and the team's three-point shooting.
Media reports throughout the summer have, using unnamed sources, suggested Butler is unhappy with his young teammates' will and dedication and has decided he won't play in Minnesota after this season and wants to unite with pal Kyrie Irving or other stars elsewhere.
"I've been around a long time; I don't buy into any of that stuff," Thibodeau said. "You have to distinguish what's real and what's not real. You never heard any of that come from Jimmy's mouth. It's always a source close to Jimmy. If Jimmy has something to say to someone, he usually says it directly …