Sam Mitchell Named T-Wolves Interim Coach During Flip Saunders' Cancer Treatment

The Minnesota Timberwolves will have Sam Mitchell serve as their interim head coach while Flip Saunders goes through treatment for cancer. The Timberwolves announced the move Friday:

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports first reported the news and added what the team's current plan is for the situation heading into the season:

The Timberwolves announced in August that Saunders, who serves as head coach and president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in June and had been receiving chemotherapy treatments.

Saunders said in a statement released by Minnesota's PR department he planned to stay on in his current roles with the team:

The Timberwolves hired Mitchell as an assistant head coach in June 2014. He spent four-plus seasons as head coach of the Toronto Raptors, making the playoffs twice and being named NBA Coach of the Year following the 2006-07 season.

Despite winning 16 games last year, Minnesota looks like a solid sleeper team in the Western Conference. The roster is loaded with young talent like Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Tyus Jones and Andrew Wiggins and is complemented by the strong veteran presence of Kevin Garnett.

Because these players have at least some history with Mitchell, the transition between coaches should be smooth. It's not an ideal situation for anyone, but it's certainly necessary so Saunders can get the treatment he needs to hopefully return sooner than later.