Report: Tension exists between Sam Mitchell, Timberwolves players

With Flip Saunders having lost his battle with cancer back in October, Sam Mitchell has been thrust into the head coaching role with the Minnesota Timberwolves. And it is not going all that well.

The T-Wolves have won just six games since beginning the season with a somewhat surprising 8-8 record. They have lost an eye-popping 18 of their last 21, and tension is starting to build. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, some of the young players in Minnesota are not getting along with their 52-year-old coach.

Mitchell believes his approach is starting to pay dividends for his youngest players — 20-year-olds Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and LaVine, 23-year-old Shabazz Muhammad — who are tasked with rescuing a woebegone franchise.

But nearly half the roster of 15 players privately expressed concerns to The Associated Press about Mitchell that centered on three basic tenets: His outdated offensive system, his tendency to platoon his rotations and a lack of personal accountability for the struggles. The players spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to publicly criticize their head coach.

Kevin Garnett, the oldest player on the T-Wolves’ roster, actually played with Mitchell in Minnesota back in 1995. When asked last week about the criticism his former teammate has faced, Garnett simply said “next question.”

Earlier this year, Mitchell said he needed to go back to “basics” with his team because younger players aren’t getting the proper high-level basketball training they need when they play AAU ball.

“We went to the basics because what we realized is because they haven’t gotten it,” he said. “I’ve been doing slide drills since the eighth grade. AAU don’t do slide drills because the guy that owns the hardware store, he runs the team.”

Krawczynski reports that comments like that have been met with “eye-rolling” in the T-Wolves locker room, as players feel the blame for another disappointing season is being placed on their shoulders.

The more the Timberwolves lose, the more they will be at risk of players starting to completely tune Mitchell out.

H/T Pro Basketball Talk
Photo: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports