NBA Recalls Flip's Sharing Nature
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ZSW [C M Y K]C3 Monday, Oct. 26, 2015 MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2015 • STAR TRIBUNE • SPORTS • C3 Philip “Flip” Saunders 1955-2015 “Thank you for everything “Flip was one of the most genuine and “We lost an incredible man, you have done for me coach! caring people I have ever met. God works in thankful for everything U will truly be missed.” mysterious ways, but this loss really hurts.” he’s done for me.” Zach LaVine, Wolves guard Kris Humphries, Washington forward and Minnesota native Corey Brewer, former Wolves forward Star Tribune file photo THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL: Flip Saunders talked shop with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, General Manager Kevin McHale and a 19-year-old Kevin Garnett in 1995. NBA recalls Flip’s sharing nature Friends told of how a lifelong coach and part-time Western finals. He won’t forget “He believed in me and taught NBA COACHING STATS Saunders helped them magician who attracted people moments away from the court, me what it takes to be a good no matter where he went. on plane flights, times he said player and a better man. RIP REGULAR SEASON even before they asked. “He was almost like a pied- Sunday helped him to decide he, Coach.” Season Team W l Pct. piper kind of p erson,” said Trey too, wanted to coach first at Iowa Milwaukee second-year 1995-96 Wolves 20 42 .323 1996-97 Wolves 40 42 .488 By JERRY ZGODA Schwab — a former Marquette State and now with the Bulls. forward Jabari Parker recalled 1997-98 Wolves 45 37 .549 [email protected] assistant coach who worked “We’d be flying home from a Saunders’ three seasons 1998-99 Wolves 25 25 .500 with Saunders collegiately at road trip and he’d come down coaching Detroit, where he 1999-00 Wolves 50 32 .610 Three days before his team Tulsa in the 1980s and profes- and sit next to me and talk to won 64, 53 and 59 games but 2000-01 Wolves 47 35 .573 2001-02 Wolves 50 32 .610 meets the Timberwolves sionally in the CBA and with you,” Hoiberg said. “It’s some- never reached the NBA Finals. 2002-03 Wolves 51 31 .622 in the NBA season opener, the Timberwolves in the 1980s thing I used with my players “Rest in Paradise Flip,” 2003-04 Wolves 58 24 .707 Los Angeles Lakers assistant and ’90s — to the Milwaukee in college, something that I’ll Parker tweeted. “You were my 2004-05 Wolves 25 26 .490 coach Mark Madsen learned Journal Sentinel. “If you were use as long as I’m on this side favorite coach when I rooted 2005-06 Detroit 64 18 .780 2006-07 Detroit 53 29 .646 midway through Sunday’s mad at him, you couldn’t stay of things.” for the Pistons as a shorty.” 2007-08 Detroit 59 23 .720 practice that his friend and mad at him for very long.” Hoiberg had just finished Former Gophers coach Jim 2009-10 Wash. 26 56 .317 former coach Flip Saunders Madsen won’t forget that leading Bulls practice Sunday Dutcher remembers Saunders 2010-11 Wash. 23 59 .280 had died at age 60. 2003-04 season, which he calls when he learned of Saunders’ as the playmaking point guard 2011-12 Wash. 2 15 .118 2014-15 Wolves 16 66 .195 Madsen played for Saun- “one of, if not, the most memo- death. who played for him during Career 654 592 .525 ders on the Wolves team rable and fun years I’ve had play- “To hear the news was a Dutcher’s first two seasons as that reached the 2004 West- ing at a professional level.” And shock,” he said. “I’m still in head coach. He also remem- POSTSEASON ern Conference semifinals this from a guy who was part of shock. It’s so sad.” bers a broken nose Saunders Season Team W l Pct. against the Lakers, the team the Lakers’ 2001 and 2002 NBA NBA players around the sustained in practice on a Fri- 1996-97 Wolves 0 3 .000 with whom Madsen began his championship teams. league reacted on Twitter. day before the Gophers played 1997-98 Wolves 2 3 .400 1998-99 Wolves 1 3 .250 playing career and now is an He also won’t forget qui- Included were many Wolves Michigan State the next day. 1999-00 Wolves 1 3 .250 assistant to Byron Scott. eter moments, such as the players, who were sent home “I mean, he really broke 2000-01 Wolves 1 3 .250 Even among the opposition, time when Saunders coached Sunday afternoon after halting it,” Dutcher said Sunday. “He 2001-02 Wolves 0 3 .000 Sunday’s news hit hard. Detroit and called Madsen, DAY FOR TEARS: practice because Saunders had got knocked out and when he 2002-03 Wolves 2 4 .333 “I couldn’t believe it, no one volunteering to appear at Mad- A photo of Kevin Garnett died that morning. fell, he sprained his ankle, too. 2003-04 Wolves 10 8 .556 seated in front of Flip 2005-06 Detroit 10 8 .556 could believe it,” Madsen said sen’s summer youth basketball “We all have been blessed And so it’s an afternoon game 2006-07 Detroit 10 6 .625 by phone. “Whether people camp in Champlin Park. Saunders’ parking space by your wonderful life, Coach and how are we going to play 2007-08 Detroit 10 7 .588 knew him or not, it was a reflec- “I didn’t ask him,” Madsen appeared on Garnett’s Flip,” Wolves forward Shabazz without him? He showed up Career 47 51 .480 tive day for everyone at the Lak- said. “He just called me and Facebook page Sunday. Muhammad tweeted. “You will and said, ‘Coach, I’m good to Source: basketball-reference.com ers facility. It was a day of loss. said, ‘Hey, I want to come by be deeply missed. Rest in peace.” go,’ and I said, ‘Flip, you can But it was also a day of celebra- your camp, I want to speak to his back. The kids absolutely Washington All-Star guard hardly walk.’ tion for a great life, a great per- the kids.’ And he came. He was loved it.” John Wall remembered a man “But he started and played WORDS FROM TAYLOR son, a great human being.” shooting threes with the kids. Chicago Bulls coach Fred who coached him in his rookie and never missed a game. He “It is with tremendous Those who knew him, played He was showing them basket- Hoiberg — a member of that season with the Wizards. was really a competitor, a stu- difficulty and deep sad- for him and loved him remem- ball tricks, spinning the ball on 2004 Wolves team — won’t “Coach Saunders guided me dent of the game and he was a ness that the Timber- bered Saunders on Sunday as one finger, moving it around forget that playoff run to the in this league,” Wall tweeted. heck of a coach.” wolves acknowledge the passing of our President of Basketball Opera- tions and Head Coach, Flip Saunders. Flip was Playing days at the U still echo inside Williams Arena a symbol of strength, compassion, and dignity for our organization. He By AMELIA RAYNO recognized by one name, that’s began his first stint as Timber- “They used to put on quite a gerson said. “He and McHale was a shining example [email protected] how you know you’ve really wolves coach. Later, he played show,” said Denny Siems, who and those guys, in those days, of what a true leader made it,” said Quincy Lewis, for Saunders when the Tim- along with his wife, Deb, and sort of revived everything.” should be, defined by his Just before the start of the who played for the Gophers berwolves signed him as a free their neighbors Denny and Even since, Saunders integrity and kindness Gophers basketball i ntrasquad from 1995 to 1999 and now agent for the 2003-04 season. Dori Lynde have followed the remained involved with the to all he encountered. scrimmage on Sunday evening, works for the U . “You can just “We always had a sense of Gophers to road games for Gophers. Each year h e invited Today is not a day to an image of a young, baby-faced say ‘Flip’ and everyone knows.” pride, having a Gopher on the decades. coach Richard Pitino to Tim- reflect on Flip’s accom- Philip “Flip” Saunders flashed Saunders, who passed away bench,” Lewis said of Saun- Beyond the laughs, though, berwolves practices t o speak plishments in basketball across the Jumbotron in the Sunday a few months after ders, tears threatening. “It was a sense that Saunders left with the team, Pitino said. or what he brought to arena he loved so much. beginning chemotherapy for wasn’t until I really played his print on a program that “It was because I was the us as an organization on As the team and a modest Hodgkin’s lymphoma, came [for] him that you really got saw many struggles before Gophers coach,” Pitino said. the court, but rather to crowd observed a moment of to the Twin Cities as a 5-11, the full genius that he is as a he came and has seen plenty “He loved the Gophers, and indicate what he meant silence for the former Gophers scrappy teenage guard, playing basketball coach and a basket- of struggles since he left. Paul this university was obviously to us as a co-worker, point guard , a sound as slight at Minnesota under Bill Mus- ball mind.” Helgerson, a St.