Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he announced on Tuesday.
The team said in an official statement that Saunders “is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment for what his doctors call a ‘very treatable and curable form of cancer.'”
“I am taking it step by step and day by day to understand how to best manage this process,” said Saunders of the diagnosis. “I want to thank (Timberwolves medical director) Dr. (Sheldon) Burns as well as my medical team at Mayo Clinic for their hard work in diagnosing my situation and creating a plan to help me achieve a cancer-free outcome. I am attacking this with the same passion I do everything in my life, knowing this is a serious issue. I also know that God has prepared me to fight this battle.”
The statement also mentioned that the 60-year-old will continue with both his duties as head coach and as team president uninterrupted.
Saunders was hired by the Wolves’ president of basketball operations in May 2013, his second stint with the team. He had previously served as the team’s general manager and head coach from 1995 to 2005. Saunders made his return to the sideline for Minnesota in 2014, once again adding head coaching duties to his responsibilities as an executive. The Timberwolves finished with a record of 16-66 under his guidance last year. Saunders holds a career head coaching record of 654 wins and 594 losses.
What Saunders has been able to accomplish in his second tour of duty in Minnesota is praiseworthy. Through smart drafting and the attainment of an outstanding return for a disgruntled Kevin Love, Saunders has assembled an insanely high-upside core of young players. With the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad, and Anthony Bennett (all 22 years of age or younger) on the roster, the future of the Timberwolves looks amazingly bright.
However, with the news of this diagnosis, one has to wonder if Saunders should consider stepping down from one of his two positions. There are simply not enough hours in the day to do an exemplary job at both, as we have seen recently with guys like Doc Rivers and Stan Van Gundy. Now with Saunders needing to focus on his health as well, perhaps removing one of his managerial hats would be in his best interest.
We wish him nothing but the best in his recovery.
