Page 22 - Aruba Today

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SPORTSMonday 26 October 2015

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders dies of cancer

JON KRAWCZYNSKI berwolves open the season get into coaching and set lege buddy, McHale, took hammad and Karl-Anthony
AP Basketball Writer Wednesday. about a long and winding over the basketball opera- Towns, brought in veterans
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Flip Sam Mitchell has been path to the NBA. He started tions with the Timberwolves Andre Miller and Tayshaun
Saunders, the longtime named interim head coach at Golden Valley Lutheran and Saunders became the Prince and helped design
NBA coach who won more of the Timberwolves and College just outside of Min- team’s general manager. a new $25 million practice
than 650 games in nearly GM Milt Newton is heading neapolis and served as an When Bill Blair was fired 20 facility across the street
two decades and was try- the team’s personnel de- assistant at Minnesota and games into the season, from Target Center.
ing to rebuild the Minne- partment. Tulsa before spending sev- Saunders was suddenly the As team president, coach
sota Timberwolves as team Saunders went 654-592 in en seasons in the Continen- head coach of a struggling and a minority owner,
franchise that had never Saunders grabbed a level
FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2010, file photo, Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders laughs during made the playoffs. But he of influence within his or-
NBA basketball training camp at the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. teamed with a young Kev- ganization that was un-
Saunders, the longtime NBA coach who won more than 650 games in nearly two decades and in Garnett to turn the Tim- matched in the NBA. His
was trying to rebuild the Minnesota Timberwolves as team president, coach and part owner, died berwolves into a perennial fingerprints were on every-
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015, the team said. He was 60. playoff team. thing, from personnel deci-
Saunders led the Wolves to sions to in-game strategies,
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) eight straight playoff ap- even down to the pregame
pearances, the last a trip entertainment.
president, coach and part 17 NBA seasons with the tal Basketball Association. to the Western Conference He liked to sneak up behind
owner, died Sunday, the Timberwolves, Detroit Pis- Saunders often credited his finals in 2004. He was fired unsuspecting visitors to Tar-
team said. He was 60. tons and Washington Wiz- stint in the CBA with instilling the next season when the get Center, clamp his hand
Saunders was diagnosed ards. in him the work ethic and team disintegrated thanks down on a shoulder and
with Hodgkin lymphoma in Philip Daniel Saunders was breadth of organizational in large part to contrac- squeeze with a vise-like grip
June and doctors called it born on Feb. 23, 1955, knowledge that would help tual battles with Latrell that came from hours of
“treatable and curable,” in Cleveland and was a him as a coach and exec- Sprewell and Sam Cassell. massaging his polio-strick-
when the Timberwolves prep basketball star at utive in the NBA. He made The Wolves have not been en mother in his youth.
made the diagnosis pub- Cuyahoga Heights High stops in Rapid City, South back to the playoffs since. He would carry around au-
lic in August. But he took a School. Dakota; La Crosse, Wiscon- Saunders won 64 games in tographed cards of himself
leave of absence from the His mother Kay nicknamed sin; and Sioux Falls, South his first season in Detroit in to hand out to fans, and
team in September after him Flip after hearing the Dakota, and would often 2005-06 and 176 in his three playfully give them to me-
complications arose during name at a beauty salon. relay stories of his backwa- seasons coaching the Pis- dia members as well with
his treatment, which includ- He played in college at ter adventures in the minor tons. But he couldn’t quite a mischievous grin on his
ed chemotherapy. Minnesota, teaming with league and his affinity for get a veteran-laden team face.
This week, owner Glen Tay- Kevin McHale and Mychal the NBA coaches who fol- over the hump and into the Gregarious and outgo-
lor announced Saunders Thompson as a senior to lowed similar paths. NBA Finals, so he was dis- ing, he endeared himself
would not be back this lead the Golden Gophers He landed in the NBA in missed in 2008. to a Twin Cities commu-
season and asked team to a 24-3 record. 1995, when he wrote a let- He coached three more nity that viewed him as
employees to give Saun- Not long after graduat- ter to new owner Glen Tay- years in Washington be- a hometown boy done
ders time to heal. The Tim- ing, Saunders decided to lor asking for a job. His col- fore returning to Minnesota good, with his Gophers
as president of basketball roots overshadowing his
operations in 2013. Again, Cleveland upbringing. And
he took over a franchise Flip loved Minnesota right
in turmoil and was steadily back. When he returned
bringing the Timberwolves to the organization after 10
back to relevance before years away, he recounted
he fell ill. a story about working for
Saunders deftly handled ESPN and being asked why
the exit of disgruntled for- he still lived in Minnesota so
ward Kevin Love, trading long after he was fired.
him to Cleveland for a “And I’d say ‘Well, you
package including bud- don’t really understand un-
ding young star Andrew less you’re from Minnesota.
Wiggins and Thaddeus You really don’t get it. Even
Young, who was flipped when it snows on May 3rd
to Brooklyn in February to you really don’t get it,’”
secure Garnett’s return. Saunders said. “And the
Saunders also signed Ricky loyalty and the passion
Rubio to a four-year con- that the people have here
tract extension, drafted is what always drives me
Zach LaVine, Shabazz Mu- back.”q

Rose holds off Bjerregaard to win Hong Kong Open

HONG KONG (AP) — Justin over the field, carded an one,” said Rose, the 2013 that both of us played in- then took over the lead by
Rose won his first European impressive two-under-par US Open champion whose credibly well,” added Rose, one.
Tour title in 15 months Sun- 68 for a 17-under 263. It was last victory on the Europe- who has now won in every Rose, 31, went two shots
day, warding off a stub- his eighth career title on the an Tour came at the 2014 European Tour season dat- ahead at the 16th and
born challenge from Lucas European Tour. Scottish Open. ing back to 2012. despite a bogey at the
Bjerregaard of Denmark to “I’m very happy to get the “Lucas played incredible Bjerregaard’s attempt to final hole, only his third
win the Hong Kong Open job done. Last week I had golf and I was thoroughly win his first title was blown dropped shot all week, it
by one shot. a chance to win in Napa impressed. When you sep- away at the 14th hole at was enough to ensure vic-
The Englishman, who start- when I was tied for the arate yourself from the field the Hong Kong Golf Club tory as the 24-year-old Bjer-
ed the final round even lead but I let that one flitter like we did, it’s probably a when he made a double- regaard failed to force a
with Bjerregaard on 15 un- away. tough one for him to lose. bogey to let slip a one- playoff and finished with 69
der and a four-shot lead I wanted to hang on to this But he didn’t lose it, it’s just stroke lead over Rose who for a 16-under 264.q