Flip Saunders Discusses His Future With Wolves
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Flip Saunders was announced as the new president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. He's returning to familiar grounds, and to Glen Taylor - the boss that once fired him.
"After I was let go, our relationship was maybe strained for a little bit. Everyone goes through a little bit of a mourning period, you know, especially when it's the first time," Saunders said. "But the longer I was away from it, the more I really appreciated Glen, just the relationship that we had, the communication that we had, the involvement that he gave me."
Saunders also feels a kinship with Coach Rick Adelman, a professional with whom he shares several values.
"Ours is more a mutual respect for each other. We're both very similar, that we know it's a players' league. We don't try to put ourselves out there and take the limelight from the players. We want the player to know it's them. But we believe in how to play team basketball, share the basketball, player movement, ball movement – those are the things that are important," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."
When it comes to sitting down with players like Kevin Love to convince them that the Wolves is a team to stick with, Saunders says his personal investment in the team should speak volumes.
"I wouldn't have made an investment into this franchise if I didn't think that we'd be successful. And I made a personal investment to get into the minority ownership part. Usually when you make an investment and you want to put your own money up, that's usually the first sign that you believe in something," he said.
Saunders is 24-7 basketball, and he once again has a total focus on the Wolves.
"What I love about the game is I love the camaraderie of the game," he said.
