Wolves' Saunders still hospitalized, takes leave
Minnesota Timberwolves coach and team president Flip Saunders remains hospitalized from complications related to his cancer treatments and will take a leave of absence from the team, it was announced Friday.
Sam Mitchell will serve as the Timberwolves’ interim coach. General manager Milt Newton’s responsibilities overseeing the roster also will expand during Saunders’ absence.
The 60-year-old Saunders, who announced Aug. 11 that he is being treated for the Hodgkins lymphoma, has experienced complications from his chemotherapy treatments and will continue to undergo further testing and treatments.
He was diagnosed with a cancer of the immune system in June and has been undergoing chemotherapy.
Timberwolves chief executive officer Rob Moor, citing the desire for privacy for Saunders and his family, declined to speak specifically about Saunders’ condition during a news conference Friday at team headquarters.
“First and foremost, my immediate concern is for the Saunders family and the health of Flip,” Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. “Our priority right now is for him to regain his strength so that he can be 100 percent when he returns to his Timberwolves duties.”
Added Newton: “Flip has our full support and backing as he takes time to focus on his health.”
Saunders returned to the Timberwolves as team president in 2013. Last year, he replaced the retired Rick Adelman on the bench and the team finished 16-66.
Mitchell’s previous head-coaching experience came over four-plus seasons with the Toronto Raptors beginning in the 2004-05 season. Mitchell had a 156-189 record with the Raptors, took the team to the playoffs twice and was named coach of the year in 2006-07. But he was fired 17 games into the 2008-09 season.
“My thoughts right now are with Flip and the Saunders family,” Mitchell said in a statement. “In the interim, I am confident that I can continue to build the foundation that Flip has established. We have a team blended with talented young guys and experienced veterans. We’re excited to see how this team comes together in training camp.”
The 13-year NBA veteran joined the Timberwolves’ staff in June 2014.
“I remain confident in the direction of our team,” Taylor said in the statement. “I have known Sam Mitchell for a number of years, back to his playing days in Minnesota. He is a former NBA Head Coach of the Year. I have no doubt he will get the most out of our players and will continue to serve as a great mentor to our young and talented players as interim head coach.”
Saunders brought Mitchell to Minnesota for his head-coaching experience and to add some toughness to a staff developing a young core that includes Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad. Mitchell’s close relationship with Kevin Garnett, who returned to Minnesota in a February trade with the Brooklyn Nets, should help ease his transition back to the head-coaching job.
Mitchell played 10 of his 13 seasons in the league with the Timberwolves, becoming a popular figure in the community and the locker room. For the final seven years of his career he served as a mentor for a young Garnett, helping show the teenager the NBA ropes while cultivating the intensity that allowed Garnett to blossom into a franchise icon and become one of the best forwards in league history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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