Timberwolves – Page 86 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Flip Did It All in His Basketball Life

Posted on October 26, 2015October 26, 2015 by David Shama

Flip Saunders was probably the most unique basketball man in the history of this state. He was raised in Ohio but Minnesota was home. He died yesterday at age 60 in Minnesota and he wouldn’t have wanted to depart this earth from anywhere else.

I first saw Flip as a feisty teenager playing point guard for the Gophers in the 1970s. During the last few years I knew him as the basketball boss of the Timberwolves. Through the decades he played every role possible in big time basketball in Minnesota. At the end of his life he had an unprecedented list of simultaneous responsibilities as part owner, president and coach of the Wolves.

Flip Saunders (Photo courtesy of Timberwolves)

Flip played on some of the best Gophers teams ever, including the 24-3 group in 1977, his senior season. He had been a high school All-American in suburban Cleveland and came to the Gophers as coach Bill Musselman’s alter ego. Musselman was back alley tough and reveled in the basketball smarts and competitiveness of Flip, a small guy like his coach but just as willing to battle enemies of all sizes and skills.

After Flip’s college career he had an NBA tryout with his hometown Cavs. If guts and determination were all that was required, the 5-11 Saunders would have been All-NBA 10 years in a row. Flip had averaged 32 points per game in high school and started 101 of 103 possible games for the Gophers but he soon realized his future was on the sidelines and not on the court.

Flip started his coaching career at Golden Valley Lutheran where his record of 92-13 included 56 straight wins at home. In 1981 he became a Gophers assistant to head coach Jim Dutcher for whom he had played his final two seasons. He stayed five seasons with the Gophers, helping them to the 1982 Big Ten championship. Then it was two more years of assistant coaching at Tulsa.

After Tulsa he went into the CBA, pro basketball’s minor league and NBA feeder system. His achievements, though, were big time. In seven seasons his teams won two league championships, he was twice named Coach of the Year, and he had a record number of players promoted to the NBA.

By 1995 Flip had proven he was as much a grinder hell-bent for success as a coach as he was as a player. Kevin McHale, the Wolves basketball boss and former teammate with the Gophers, hired Flip to work in the front office but soon switched him to the sidelines as head coach.

It’s no coincidence that the mostly forlorn franchise known as the Timberwolves has experienced its greatest successes under Flip’s direction. In the late 1990s the Wolves looked poised to become one of the league’s elite led by Kevin Garnett, Tom Gugliotta and Steph Marbury. But only Garnett stuck around and the Wolves regrouped early in the new Millennium led by KG, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. They were on the edge of an NBA title in 2004 when an injury to Cassell derailed plans for a championship parade down Hennepin Avenue.

Any list of the franchise’s 26 years of mistakes has to include the decision to fire Saunders as coach early in the 2004-2005 season. That was a blow to the gut for Flip but by now anyone who knew him realized he would march on to more coaching experiences. There was success in Detroit where his Pistons were annual contenders to win the Eastern Conference. Then there was a stop in Washington D.C. as Wizards coach before he was let go.

Flip was almost 57 when the Wizards said he was out in early 2012, but he was hardly through writing his basketball story. He became a special assistant to the Celtics, worked for ESPN analyzing the NBA and plotted a return to coaching.

That return might have been to his alma mater in 2013. Flip was looking for a job and the Gophers had an opening. He would have been a sensational fit, and not just as a coach but as a recruiter and promoter of the program. He had told me years before that if he ever got back into college coaching he would revive the Harlem Globetrotters-like pregame ball handling show he had been part of at Minnesota under Musselman. The show was a knockout and amped fans to near craziness by game time.

In 2013 Flip interviewed for the Gophers job with athletic director Norwood Teague and his basketball administrator Mike Ellis. The interview went no where including a disagreement over Flip’s authority to hire a staff. I was told Flip was willing to take the job at a modest salary and willing to donate $500,000 toward the cost of a new practice facility. The same source also said Flip did want bonus compensation based on the box office success of his team.

Teague should have given Flip just about anything he asked for. That’s how big time deals are made. Go ask Michigan how they were able to bring Jim Harbaugh back to the Big House. Do a little homework on how the Blue Devils keep “Coach K” at Duke. Teague was a flop as Minnesota’s AD and the half-hearted effort to land Flip is one of the now departed administrator’s failures.

Glen Taylor (Photo courtesy of Timberwolves)

Soon after the Gophers’ opportunity fell through in 2013 Flip was rehired by the Wolves, this time as the basketball authority in charge of personnel and other decisions. He negotiated a part ownership of the Wolves with lead owner Glen Taylor who also gave Flip the coaching job in 2014 when Rick Adelman retired.

Flip not only knew how to coach, he was a savvy talent evaluator. In the last couple of years he undid some of the damage left by overmatched general manager David Kahn. His acquisition of young players Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony-Towns and Zach LaVine has put hope back into spirits of the fan base. The Wolves are no longer the laughingstock of the league and have the foundation to build a playoff team.

This season was going to be Flip’s next step in the resurrection of the Wolves. He had big plans and likely would have been interested in eventually expanding his share of team ownership. He reached out awhile ago to big money guys like Dr. Bill McGuire about possible ownership if Taylor went through with plans to sell.

Flip was always ready to do what was needed, whether it was Xs and Os, college scouting, NBA trades, pitching potential owners, or marketing his team to the fans and media with public appearances and news gatherings. He was a basketball icon who did it all while earning tens of millions of dollars.

Now the tributes to the man who died at the height of his influence are coming from all over the map. Ironically one came from Marbury who played only a couple of seasons for Flip before bolting out of town and blowing up a potential Wolves championship. Yesterday the former point guard wrote this on Instagram about his ex-mentor:

“I thank you for giving me my foundation in how to play the professional way. I thank you for giving me unconditional love as if I were your son when I was so young. …What an impact you’ve had on so many humans on earth.”

Flip worked his way up from the bottom. Played so many roles. Touched so many lives. He won’t just be missed. He won’t be replaced.

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U Legend Predicts Big Ten Football Title

Posted on October 21, 2015October 21, 2015 by David Shama

Bobby Bell predicts the football Gophers will win a Big Ten championship in the next couple of years. “I believe in what they’re doing,” Bell told Sports Headliners.

Bell was a two-time All-American tackle for Minnesota in 1961-1962. He won the 1962 Outland Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding lineman. Gophers football historians place him at or near the top of any list of the program’s greatest players.

Although he lives in the Kansas City area, Bell was in town last weekend for the Gophers game on Saturday, and to watch the Chiefs, his former NFL team, take on the Vikings. He was asked if Minnesota can win the Big Ten in the next five years?

“Oh, yeah,” Bell answered. “I would say in another year or two. …”

Bell not only believes in head coach Jerry Kill but also bases his optimism about the program’s future on the support for athletics by University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler. Another reason Bell is upbeat about the Gophers is the commitment to build new football facilities that will help with recruiting.

When Bell watches Minnesota he sees a roster that is only a few key players away from being “trouble” for the rest of the Big Ten. More talent and the coaching of Kill and staff will deliver a title, he believes.

Bell was a great athlete who also played basketball for the Gophers. In college he was 6-4 and about 225 pounds, and he could play multiple positions. He competed during an era when freshmen weren’t eligible for varsity competition and during his first fall at Minnesota he played quarterback on the frosh team.

Coach Murray Warmath switched the Shelby, North Carolina native to tackle because highly recruited Sandy Stephens was a year ahead of Bell in eligibility and was establishing himself at quarterback. If Stephens, who was a 1961 All-American, hadn’t been at Minnesota, could Bell have been an All-American quarterback?

“Yeah, I think so,” Bell answered. “I played every position. I told them, wherever you need me, I’ll play. If you can coach (the position), I can play it, so they switched me from quarterback to offensive tackle, defensive end, center. I could have played them all. I did the same things in the pros, too. Played anywhere.”

Bell was the important player during the last dominant era of Minnesota football. From 1960-1962 the Gophers won Big Ten and national championships. They played in two Rose Bowls, winning the 1962 game 21-3 against UCLA. In a three year stretch the team’s record was 22 wins, 6 losses and 1 tie. Minnesota only lost four conference games from 1960-1962.

The 1962 team lost the Big Ten title in the last game of the season when an official made a controversial call on Bell for roughing the Wisconsin passer. The penalty helped set up the winning fourth quarter touchdown for the Badgers in the 14-9 game played in Madison. Bell, his teammates and Warmath never got over that game they felt was taken away from them.

Later that fall Bell met John F. Kennedy who had seen the game. It didn’t take the president long to tell Bell he thought the Gophers got “a raw deal.”

All these years later that’s small consolation for a Big Ten title lost. No doubt Bell looks forward to his prediction about Kill’s first conference title coming true.

Worth Noting

The Gophers basketball team will have a free scrimmage open to the public on Sunday at Williams Arena. The scrimmage begins at 4 p.m. with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. After the scrimmage players and coaches will sign autographs in the concourse. Minnesota’s opening game, an exhibition against Minnesota Crookston, is on November 1 at Williams Arena.

Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns and 21-year veteran Kevin Garnett are on one of the regional covers of Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview. The magazine has printed four covers and the issue with Towns and Garnett is for sale on newsstands starting today.

The Timberwolves played the Bucks last night in Madison and will see the same team in a final preseason game Friday evening in Minneapolis. The Bucks roster includes former Robbinsdale Cooper star Rashad Vaughn who has been among the rookie scoring leaders in the NBA, frequently totaling double figures.

The coaching staff includes ex-Cretin-Derham Hall and St. Thomas player Sean Sweeney. He has worked his way up in the coaching profession, having started with assistant positions at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

“It’s really kind of a cool story,” said Steve Fritz, who coached Sweeney at St. Thomas from 2001-2006. “He was our point guard. You could tell he was a student of the game.”

Sweeney was director of basketball operations at the University of Evansville and video coordinator at Northern Iowa before joining the NBA’s Nets in December of 2011 as the team’s assistant video coordinator. He was named a Bucks assistant to head coach Jason Kidd in 2014 and is known for his defensive knowledge. “He certainly lives the game,” said Fritz.

Fritz, 66, is in his 25th year as the St. Thomas athletic director. He retired as men’s basketball coach in 2011.

Dan O’Brien, Gophers senior associate athletic director, said his teenage son Casey had a successful surgery for cancer recently. In November the plan is for chemotherapy and then to be cancer free.

Todd Richards, the former Wild head coach now leading the Blue Jackets, has the only winless team in the NHL. The 0-7 Blue Jackets have given up a league high 34 goals, and play the Wild tomorrow night at Xcel Energy Center. Richards, a Crystal, Minnesota native, coached the Wild from 2009-2011.

The Wild have 12 players on the 23-man roster who are 25 or younger. That nucleus will be a key to sustaining playoff success on an annual basis. The youngest player is 21-year-old defenseman Matt Dumba, while the oldest is 37-year-old goalie Niklas Backstrom, who the Wild no doubt would like to swap in the right trade.

It’s a disappointing end to the season for Eagan High School alum Zach Zenner who made the Lions roster as an undrafted rookie free agent. Zenner suffered cracked ribs and a collapsed lung in the first half of Sunday’s Lions win over the Bears. He had been playing on special teams and as a reserve running back, gaining 60 yards on 17 carries.

The 3-2 Vikings, who play the 1-5 Lions in Detroit on Sunday, won the first game between the two teams, 26-16. The Vikings are 70-36-2 all-time against the Lions, including 31-22-1 in Detroit.

Any transplanted Minnesota sports fans now living in the Phoenix area have to be looking forward to an odd scheduling stretch in December. The Vikings play the Cardinals in suburban Glendale on December 10, the Wild have a game in Glendale against the Coyotes December 11, and then the Timberwolves are hosted by the Suns December 13 in Phoenix.

Twins fans can take encouragement from the Royals who are in the playoffs and trying to make the World Series for a second consecutive season. From 2003 through 2012 the Royals lost 90-plus games eight times, according to Wikipedia. Three of those seasons they lost over 100 games. The Royals rebuilt their roster and farm system through the draft—like the Twins are doing after 90-plus loss seasons from 2011-2014. This year the Twins improved to 83-79.

Although an official announcement granting Minnesota a Major League Soccer franchise is expected soon, it’s not known yet what the first year of operation will be. Minnesota and one other market are expected to be awarded a franchise.

Among the interesting facts about the MLS is the upper range of team payrolls is about $19 million. The most successful teams in the standings right now have payrolls of about $4 million.

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Flip’s Setback Surprised Wolves Owner

Posted on October 19, 2015October 19, 2015 by David Shama

Highlights from an interview with Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor regarding various subjects:

Taylor said the setback in Flip Saunders’ health last month surprised him, and he acknowledged the return of his coach and basketball president is completely unknown. Reports in August were the 60-year-old Saunders had Hodgkin’s lymphoma but that it was treatable and curable. However, now sources are saying he has been hospitalized because of a serious—perhaps life-threatening—infection.

“We’re just patiently waiting and hoping that he recovers,” said Taylor, who wouldn’t confirm Saunders is hospitalized. “…You think he is coming along and all of a sudden he’s just had a setback and now we just have to wait.”

Earlier this month Taylor gathered Wolves players, coaches and others with the organization at his Mankato home for the annual lasagna feed. He spoke about the group being family and how Saunders had brought so many players and staff to the organization. “I just talked about the importance of him and how we missed him,” Taylor said. “How we’re going to pray for him, and how we’re all going to do well.”

Kevin Garnett is one of the players brought to the Wolves by Saunders who acquired the 39-year-old former superstar in a trade last February with the Nets. Garnett, who originally had been drafted by the Wolves as a teenager, has expressed interest in team ownership some day but Taylor said no deal is in place and can’t be because of NBA policy.

“No, it’s not something I can talk to Kevin about,” Taylor said. “He’s a player and I am an owner, and that would be a conflict of interest. I’ve never talked to Kevin about that issue. All I know about it is that I think that he has stated a couple different times that he would be interested in that when the opportunity comes. We have to just wait until that opportunity is there and it won’t be while he is playing.”

While the Wolves haven’t qualified for the playoffs since 2004, Taylor’s WNBA Lynx have won three league titles in five years with the latest earned last week. “It still just feels wonderful,” he said about winning another championship.

Although Taylor didn’t have the figures in front of him, his “sense” is the franchise may turn about a $1 million profit because of its successful season. That’s likely the best year financially ever for the Lynx and stands in contrast to most WNBA clubs that lose money.

Minnesota native Lindsay Whalen, a key contributor to the Lynx championships, was frustrated with injuries this past season and is 33 years old. Taylor hasn’t spoken to the point guard about how long she will continue playing. He is a Whalen admirer and thinks she could eventually have other responsibilities in the organization. “It’s not something we’ve discussed (though),” Taylor said.

Taylor is committed to partnering with Dr. Bill McGuire and others in an ownership group to bring an MLS franchise to Minnesota. Taylor, who operates his Wolves and Lynx at city-owned Target Center, thought Minneapolis elected officials would show more interest in having a soccer stadium built in the Farmers market area, a project and site that could create jobs and offer other benefits to the city economy.

Taylor said he sent a letter to Mayor Betsy Hodges awhile back about a Minneapolis soccer stadium. “I didn’t even get a reply, so I assume that’s telling me something—that they don’t see it as a possibility or they aren’t encouraging it,” said Taylor, who is now supportive of the proposed Midway stadium location in St. Paul.

Taylor owns 17,000 acres of farm land in Minnesota and Iowa. Raised on a farm in Minnesota as a youngster, he still likes to be close to the land and planned to spend part of last weekend riding in a combine on one of his farms.

Worth Noting

The Lynx were honored by the Vikings at their game with the Chiefs yesterday at TCF Bank Stadium. Maya Moore sounded the Gjallarhorn prior to the game. Against three different opponents in the playoffs, Moore averaged 23.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. She has experienced a remarkable first five years as a pro. She has been WNBA Rookie of the Year, league MVP and a force on three WNBA championship teams.

Augsburg alum Roger Griffith is executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Lynx. He has been a part of the Timberwolves/Lynx organization since 1994.

Former Gophers Big Ten championship basketball coach Jim Dutcher will speak at the next CORES luncheon on November 12 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. More information about CORES is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

While the Gophers men’s hockey team is off to a 0-3 start, the No. 1 ranked women’s team is 6-0.

The office of former Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague is being used as a conference room in the Bierman Field Athletic Building. Interim athletic director Beth Goetz’s office is nearby.

The late Steve Wilkinson, the Gustavus legend and winningest head coach in collegiate men’s tennis history, was honored by the USPTA when the organization named one of its top awards the “Steve Wilkinson Collegiate Coach of the Year Award.”

Congratulations to prep football coaches Jeff Gronner from Cromwell and Dan Essler of New London-Spicer for achieving 100 career wins this month. Gronner’s record is 100-34 in 12 seasons. Essler’s record is 101-64 in 16 years.

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