Timberwolves Will Wear Commemorative Patch Honoring Flip Saunders This Season
The Minnesota Timberwolves will honor late coach and executive Flip Saunders by wearing a patch in his memory for the 2015-16 NBA season.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported the news Tuesday. The Timberwolves' official PR Twitter feed posted an image of the commemorative insignia:
Saunders died Sunday at age 60 from Hodgkin lymphoma. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor spoke about Saunders' legacy thereafter in a statement.
"Flip was a symbol of strength, compassion, and dignity for our organization," said Taylor, per the Associated Press' Jon Krawczynski. "He was a shining example of what a true leader should be, defined by his integrity and kindness to all he encountered."
Minnesota's players will wear the patch beginning on Nov. 2 in the squad's home opener against the Portland Trail Blazers. They will continue donning the "Flip" logo all season at Target Center and for away games.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune added another way the Wolves are remembering their beloved coach:
In addition, coaches around the Association are wearing lapel pins this season to honor Saunders, per ESPN's Marc Stein.
Saunders' first stint with the Wolves was as head coach from 1995 to 2005, when he earned the organization's first playoff berth in only his second season at the helm and led Minnesota to seven straight postseason trips thereafter. He returned to the franchise last season as coach and president of basketball operations to oversee the Wolves' rebuild.
During the 2014-15 campaign, Saunders nurtured the development of reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins and reunited with the most decorated player in team history, Kevin Garnett.
Sam Mitchell has taken over Saunders' post as head coach and has a team bound to play with passion and heavy hearts for the foreseeable future. Saunders had a hand in choosing Karl-Anthony Towns No. 1 overall in the most recent draft, providing Minnesota with another building block amid a new era.
