Timberwolves General Manager Matt Lloyd has been considered a favorite for the Chicago Bulls’ vacant head of basketball operations job for weeks. After Minnesota’s massive upset of the Denver Nuggets, Chicago should be in a hurry to raid the Wolves’ staff — including Lloyd and assistant coach Micah Nori.
The Bulls are closer than ever to bringing Lloyd, a Chicago native who worked for the team from 1994 to 2012, home to the Windy City. And if they do manage to land Lloyd, Nori — who’s been Chris Finch’s lead assistant and a large part of Minnesota’s success the last few seasons — may follow him, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
The short-handed Timberwolves' upset of Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets should have Bulls fans even more excited about this duo potentially leading their rebuild.
Bulls just got a new reason to raid Timberwolves staff
Minnesota was down superstar Anthony Edwards and was without Donte DiVincenzo. Former Chicago guard and playoff hero Ayo Dosunmu was also absent. But Nori helped the Wolves win Game 6 and complete an unlikely series victory over Denver — with a roster Lloyd helped construct.
The former Bulls media coordinator has played an important role in building a Minnesota team that reached back-to-back Western Conference Finals. He was in Minneapolis when the Wolves made an aggressive move to acquire Rudy Gobert; when they traded D’Angelo Russell for Mike Conley Jr. and Nickel Alexander-Walker; and when they sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York.Â
And as a painful reminder for Bulls fans, he helped steal Ayo Dosunmu for nickels on the dollar.
Nori has been Finch’s lead assistant since 2021 and has been in the NBA for more than 25 years. He’s interviewed with the Lakers and Knicks in the past few seasons and was the Wolves’ acting head coach for part of the 2024 playoffs.
Nori has been compared to Ted Lasso, Jason Sudeikis' fictional soccer manager, for his ability to connect with players and create a positive culture. He’s considered a strong in-game tactician able to tweak schemes and rotations on a whim.
Hiring Lloyd and Nori as a pair would be major coup for Bulls
Last month, Chicago fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley. Head coach Billy Donovan stepped down shortly after. It was a necessary and long-overdue house cleaning.
But none of it will matter if Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf whiffs on more hires.Â
Lloyd is reportedly the frontrunner to take over at the top. Considering his history with the Timberwolves, that seems like a sound decision. If he brings Nori with him — a solid coach with whom he has experience working — all the better.
Minnesota’s impressive win over the Nuggets should be the final piece of evidence Reinsdorf needs to make the obvious call.
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