But he took a leave of absence from the team in September after complications arose during his treatment, which included chemotherapy. General manager Milt Newton interrupted practice Sunday morning to break the news. I remember the first year they came out here (in 1999), Flip asked me if they could use our weight room. I was blessed to have the short time I had with him, to meet him and be in his presence, talk to him, touch him, laugh with him. Flip, his wife and his four kids all attended school here and they were connected with the University of Minnesota in a way that made them feel like family to all of us. Saunders had not signed on to be part of a rebuilding project (and in fact openly questioned his desire to coach young players) but rolled up his sleeves and got down to the dirty business of making chicken salad out of the chickenshit of Andray, JaVale, and Nick, all the while protecting the young Wall and encouraging his development. “It really just shows how quickly things can change, and it’s really tough”. “You will be deeply missed. My thoughts & prayers are with the Saunders &Twolves family”.
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“Real, real sad”, Kevin Love said of Saunders’ death.
God speed, Flip. You deserve better than we gave you in the DMV.
Saunders’ time in Washington will probably be overlooked during the glowing eulogies that are written about him over the next several days.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton said in a statement that “the Timberwolves have lost a brilliant leader, and Minnesota has lost an outstanding citizen. He was a great coach who coached a lot of different kinds of teams”. Saunders was diagnosed with the disease in June.
During one practice, Dawkins grabbed a rebound with one hand and flung an outlet pass down the court as if tossing a tennis ball, causing Saunders to look over at assistant coach Monte Towe with a grin that seemed to say, “Are you seeing this?”
“I think it’s really important”, Stevens said. Seven months later, he was named the team’s head coach, replacing Bill Blair after Minnesota had gotten off to a dismal 6-14 start.
Saunders started his National Basketball Association coaching career with the Timberwolves in 1995.
“He had a personality that he would never – in the true sense of Chuck Daly – never get too high with wins and never get too down with losses”, said Mike Abdenour, the Pistons’ longtime director of team operations.
“We had Randy Breuer and a bunch of other good players”. Unlike a few of the veteran players in the league, Garnett will embrace playing limited minutes and provide more of a voice in the locker room. “He was the one guy we couldn’t do without”. Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan was a player on the team.
“I was talking with my mom about that yesterday”, he said. I said, ‘I think I’m going to like school’.
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Saunders’ final CBA stop came in Sioux Falls, where he spent an eventful 1994-95 season before being hired as general manager by the Timberwolves. As reported by NBA.com, “he guided the club to eight consecutive playoff appearances and a Western Conference best and franchise-best 58-24 record in 2003-04”.
