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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Timberwolves interim head coach Ryan Saunders said he thinks his dad, former head coach Flip Saunders, would be proud of him for being tapped to lead the team following the dismissal of Tom Thibodeau over the weekend.
Thibodeau was fired as the president of basketball relations and head coach of the Timberwolves on Sunday, along with assistant coach Andy Greer. Saunders will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Saunders held his first practice with the team on Monday. He also spoke to reporters about what his dad would say if he were here. Flip died in October 2015, shortly after he announced he had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and took a leave of absence from the team.
“I think he’d tell me one—to go with [ESPN] SportsCenter answers. That was his thing, you know you got to keep short answers sometimes with these things,” “Two—he’d tell me he’s proud of me. He knew this was a goal, eventually, maybe he didn’t think it would happen this soon in this unfortunate circumstance, but he’d say he’s proud.”
The Timberwolves are 19-21 so far this season. They play the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma on Tuesday at 7 p.m.