The Tom Thibodeau era in Minnesota

April 20: The Wolves hire Tom Thibodeau as head coach and president of basketball operations. He is the 12th coach in franchise history. Thibodeau began his career in the NBA as a Wolves assistant in 1989.

Nov. 1: After an 0-2 start, Thibodeau wins his first game as Wolves coach — 116-80 over Memphis at Target Center.

Dec. 13: The Wolves wipe out a 21-point deficit and defeat the Bulls 99-94 in Thibodeau's first game in Chicago since his firing.

April 12: The Wolves lose at Houston 123-118, ending Thibodeau's first season at 31-51 — two wins better than the previous year. The Wolves lost their final six games. They miss the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season, tying an NBA record.

June 29: Thibodeau joins Jimmy Butler for Butler's introductory news conference before an estimated 2,500 onlookers at the Mall of America. A week earlier the Wolves acquired Butler from Chicago, giving up Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen.

June 30: Thibodeau trades fan favorite Ricky Rubio to Utah. He eventually replaces him at point guard with Jeff Teague.

Jan. 22: A 126-118 win over the Clippers in Los Angeles pushes the Wolves' record to 31-18 (.633), their high-water mark for the 2017-18 season.

March 23: Wolves clinch their first winning season since 2005 with a 108-104 win at New York.

April 11: The Wolves clinch their first playoff spot since 2004 with their 30th home win of the season in the regular-season finale. They need overtime to defeat Denver 112-106. The Wolves' 47-35 record is a 16-win improvement from the previous season and lands them the No. 8 seed in the West. They go 34-18 in games against the West but only 13-17 against the East.

April 21: In Game 3 of their first-round series, the Wolves win their first playoff game in 14 years, defeating top-seeded Houston 121-105 at Target Center. It was their only win of the best-of-five series.

Sept. 18: Butler requests a trade while meeting with Thibodeau in Los Angeles. He disappears from team activities.

Oct. 11: Thibodeau cancels practice one day after Butler disrupts a team workout. A week later, he plays in the season opener.

Nov. 9: A 121-110 loss to Sacramento ends an 0-5 West Coast trip and leaves the Wolves at 4-9.

Nov. 10: After appearing in 10 of the Wolves' first 13 games, Butler is traded to Philadelphia for Robert Covington and Dario Saric.

Dec. 5: The Wolves improve to 13-12 (and 9-3 since the Butler trade) with their sixth win in seven games, 121-104 vs. Charlotte. It's the only time they have been over .500 all season.

Dec. 19: In a game indicative of their season struggles, the Wolves lose at home to Detroit 129-123 in overtime after blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Pistons made nine three-pointers on 13 attempts in the fourth quarter alone.

Jan. 6: Thibodeau is fired by the Wolves after a 108-86 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. His 96 wins and 203 games coached rank third all-time in team history.