Sam Mitchell Won't Return as Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach
Minnesota Timberwolves interim head coach Sam Mitchell won't return next season.
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Mitchell Relieved of Duties
Wednesday, April 13
The Timberwolves announced Mitchell was relieved of duties effective immediately.
The Timberwolves' search for a head coach will include a list of candidates featuring Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Later in the day, however, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported current Memphis Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger would be considered.
The players likely won't be happy with Mitchell removed. When asked if he would want Mitchell back next season, young star Andrew Wiggins said, "Definitely," before noting how much the coaching staff has helped him this season, per Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
"It’s been huge," Wiggins said. "They put me in positions to succeed. They’ve never steered me wrong."
Shabazz Muhammad concurred. "I think he’s developing us great," he told Youngblood. "I think Sam is a players’ coach. … He’s really been a teacher to us. We’re a young team. He’s really hands-on, which is good. I love Coach, and I hope he’s back next year."
Mitchell, 52, took over for Flip Saunders in September 2015, as the former head coach took a leave of absence due to his Hodgkin's lymphoma. Saunders died in late October 2015, and Mitchell was left with the task of guiding a young roster through that difficult time.
Mitchell is proud of how those inexperienced players have matured this season, as he told Fox Sports North:
Indeed, the Timberwolves (29-53) have shown promise this season under Mitchell. Wiggins has continued to grow in his second year in the league after averaging 20.7 points per game this season, while Karl-Anthony Towns will be the largely undisputed Rookie of the Year after a brilliant opening season (18.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG).
Mitchell also worked Zach LaVine into the starting lineup at shooting guard, where he has greatly improved this year. With Ricky Rubio, Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng also playing big roles, the future appears to be bright for Minnesota.
Ultimately, the improvements Minnesota showed under Mitchell wasn't enough, and it will be up to someone else to take them the rest of the way.
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