Timberwolves have interest in Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau

The Minnesota Timberwolves are scheduled to interview former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy on Monday in their fast-moving search for a new coach and face of basketball operations, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Wolves completed a similar interview over the weekend with former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who broke into NBA coaching as a Timberwolves assistant during their expansion season in 1989-90.

Van Gundy's interview was arranged to be conducted Monday in Cleveland, where he also called Sunday's Pistons-Cavaliers playoff game for ESPN.

Thibodeau and Van Gundy have quickly emerged as the top two candidates in Minnesota's search. Wolves owner Glen Taylor is conducting interviews with the help of executive search firm Korn Ferry.

The growing expectation in coaching circles is that the Wolves will choose either Van Gundy or Thibodeau to take over the team as coach/team president, with the ability to bring in a seasoned front-office executive to assist with day-to-day operations.

The Timberwolves fired interim coach Sam Mitchell on April 14. Mitchell, who took over as coach after Flip Saunders died in October, led the team to a 29-53 record.