Two games into his stint as Minnesota Timberwolves coach, Tom Thibodeau is already pushing his team to toughen up.
Thibodeau, who also serves as president of basketball operations, publicly challenged his players after the Timberwolves' 106-103 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, saying they lacked all sorts of toughness.
"Everything: mental toughness, physical toughness, emotional toughness, all aspects of it," Thibodeau said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "Every team has two or three primary scorers, and they're going to put pressure on you and you have to respond. It's not any one person's responsibility. It's the entire team's. We have to get tied together and have discipline."
He was particularly upset with the third quarter Saturday, when Minnesota (0-2) was outscored 31-12. The period included a 17-0 run by the Kings.
"The third quarter was a problem. A big problem," Thibodeau said. "So we got to look at the film to see what the issues were. We've got to be tougher."
Ricky Rubio did not practice on Monday because of a sprained right elbow and was scheduled to meet with a doctor later in the day to try to determine the extent of his injury.
Rubio was injured in the second half of Saturday's loss to the Kings, and Thibodeau said Monday the Timberwolves would have to wait for the doctor to evaluate an MRI before they knew more about a timeline for his recovery.
Rubio is an integral part of a young Wolves team trying to end a 12-year playoff drought. His veteran leadership, passing and defense are needed on a team that has had a rough start to the season.
If he cannot play in the home opener on Tuesday night against Memphis, rookie Kris Dunn would get the start.
"Next man up," Thibodeau said when asked if Dunn was ready to start this early in his tenure. "You don't get here by accident. You're here, you're a great player -- get in there and get the job done."
Thibodeau's next chance to get his first win as Timberwolves coach comes in the team's home opener Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
