He was not on the list.
Longtime
NBA coach and Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip
Saunders has died.
He
was 60 years old, and had been undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma over
the past few months.
The
Timberwolves organization announced Saunders' passing via Twitter Sunday
afternoon.
In
a statement, the team's owner Glen Taylor said the organization was
"devastated" by Saunders' passing.
"Flip
was a symbol of strength, compassion, and dignity for our organization. He was
a shining example of what a true leader should be, defined by his integrity and
kindness to all he encountered.
"Today
is not a day to reflect on Flip's accomplishments in basketball or what he
brought to us as an organization on the court, but rather to indicate what he
meant to us as a co-worker, friend, member of the community and the basketball
world at large."
Saunders,
who over his nearly two decades as a head coach hauled in more than 650 career
victories, is best known as the head coach of the Timberwolves, but also had a
successful run with the Detroit Pistons from 2005-2008, where he took that team
to three straight appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals.
He
also coached the Washington Wizards and worked as an ESPN analyst in between
coaching gigs.
As
ESPN reports, Saunders "was in the process of a major rebuilding
effort" with the Timberwolves that also included the building of a new
practice facility and renovations at the team's arena, the Target Center.
"Saunders
first became an NBA coach in 1996 with the Timberwolves, replacing Bill Blair, and eventually led the
team to eight straight playoff appearances. A standout offensive coach,
Saunders specialized in coaching point guards.
"But
perhaps the player he had the greatest impact on was a big man, a wiry kid who
came straight from high school in 1995 named Kevin Garnett. Under Saunders'
tutelage, Garnett developed into one of the best players in the NBA and
eventually an MVP."
Born
Philip Daniel Saunders, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, Saunders received
the nickname "Flip" from his mother — a former beautician who heard a
customer in the salon refer to her older son Greg by the moniker. But it stuck
to her younger son more or less his entire life.
The
Star Tribune also reports:
"Long
after he was deemed too small to make it big in the sport he so loved, Flip
Saunders rose from collegiate-playing and professional-coaching careers to
become one of the most powerful team executives in the entire National
Basketball Association during his second time around with the Timberwolves.
"He
returned to Minnesota full-time to run the Wolves basketball operations in May
2013, more than eight years after friend and former college coach Kevin McHale
fired him as coach the first time around.
"Saunders
is by a lopsided margin the winningest coach in franchise history — with a
654-592 record in nearly 11 full seasons — and is the only man to coach the
team into the playoffs ..."
Saunders began his coaching career at Golden Valley Lutheran
College where he compiled a 92–13 record, including a perfect 56–0 mark at
home, in four seasons. In 1981, he became an assistant coach at his alma mater,
Minnesota, and helped guide the Golden Gophers to the Big Ten championship that
season. After five seasons at Minnesota, he became an assistant coach at the
University of Tulsa where he worked for two seasons before heading to the pro
ranks.
Saunders became the coach of the Rapid City Thrillers of the
Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in the 1988–89 season, where future
Kings and Warriors head coach Eric Musselman served as the team's general
manager. Musselman's father, Bill Musselman, had recruited Flip when Bill was
head coach at the University of Minnesota.
Saunders then later moved to the La Crosse Catbirds for five
seasons (1989–94), where he won two CBA Championships, before coaching in
1994–95 with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also served as general manager
(1991–93) and team president (1991–94) of the Catbirds. Saunders' impressive
CBA tenure included seven consecutive seasons of 30 or more victories, two CBA
championships (1990, 1992), two CBA Coach of the Year honors (1989, 1992) and
23 CBA-to-NBA player promotions.
Saunders would leave after seven productive seasons as a
head coach in the CBA, where he ranks second with 253 career victories.
Some of his former players and basketball associates
include: Joe Smith, Tom Gugliotta, Christian Laettner, Spud Webb, Michael
Williams, Charles Smith, Isaiah Rider, Andrew Lang, Terry Porter, Stephon
Marbury, Sam Mitchell, Doug West, Cherokee Parks, Tom Hammonds, Stanley
Roberts, Anthony Peeler, Greg Ballard, Dennis Scott, Malik Sealy, Bobby Jackson, Terrell Brandon, Dean Garrett,
Wally Szczerbiak, Todd Day, Rasho Nesterović, LaPhonso Ellis, Chauncey Billups,
Robert Pack, Jerry Sichting, Kendall Gill, Rod Strickland, Sam Cassell, Latrell
Sprewell, Ervin Johnson, Michael Olowokandi, Fred Hoiberg, Randy Wittman, Trenton
Hassell, Eddie Griffin, Sidney Lowe, Joe Dumars, Bill Davidson, Ben Wallace,
Rasheed Wallace, Richard Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Lindsey Hunter, Antonio
McDyess, Dale Davis, Tony Delk, Igor Kokoškov, Chris Webber, Nazr Mohammed,
Theo Ratliff, Abe Pollin, Mike miller, Gilbert Arenas, Josh Howard, Caron
Butler, Antawn Jamison, Gene Banks, Earl Boykins, Ted Leonsis, Nick Young,
Rashard Lewis, John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Andray Blatche, Kirk Hinrich, Andrew
Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad, Kevin Martin, Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine.
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