He did an admirable job filling in for the late Flip Saunders, but Sam Mitchell’s inevitable dismissal as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves has officially arrived.
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The Wolves made the announcement on Wednesday night after finishing the season with a win over New Orleans.
Newton will continue to serve as general manager in the interim.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has hired a search firm and will give the new coach full autonomy and allow him to build out the front office, according to the Vertical. Its important that we find the best leaders to shape our talented team and help them realize their full potential. To manage the search process the team has retained the services of Korn Ferry whose sports practice includes extensive experience in coaching, executive and team personnel searches.
“We’ve done a great job this year, especially the coaching staff”, Towns said. Saunders died in October.
Following a rocky January that dropped the Wolves to 14-36, Mitchell made several key adjustments and played a big role in developing the team’s copious young talent.
The Wolves won three straight games on the road last week, including an overtime victory at Golden State, which is on the cusp of setting the single-season record for victories with 73. While this was Mitchell’s second stint as an National Basketball Association head coach, it does seem that the Timberwolves organization will want to look for an upgrade this upcoming offseason. “They’ve never steered me wrong”. A 14-17 record over the past six weeks was considered an encouraging sign for Mitchell.
The players likely wouldn’t be happy with that decision.
“Everybody thinks the season is such a grind and is so tiring”, Mitchell said. We knew this day was going to come.
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Newton was not immediately available for comment. The firm previously helped the Detroit Pistons land Stan Van Gundy and has also worked with National Football League and NCAA teams.
