Flip Saunders will take head coaching duties

Dewey · Post #301 » by **Dewey** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 12:17 pm

Flip is a good coach ... glad he took the job. He's a basketball junky, hates drama queens, and merely wants players who love the game. I'm all for it ... get the whiny malcontent players and fans the F out of here and play basketball for god sake.

NewWolvesOrder · Post #302 » by **NewWolvesOrder** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 1:49 pm

Saltine wrote:I'd rather have Blatt as coach and Karl as GM...

Why?

Post #303 » by **Klomp** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 3:05 pm

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DerekJamesNBA/status/483974328749686784[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/APkrawczynski/status/483983983647395840[/tweet]

As well as his coaching experience, Saunders brings an analytical background to the Wolves coaching staff. He is the co-founder of an in-game analytical program, Gametime Concepts, which focuses on in-game analysis and statistical probabilities. Gametime Concepts is used by a number of NBA and NCAA teams.

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/wo ... tant-coach

Biff Cooper · Post #304 » by **Biff Cooper** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 5:37 pm

So they ignored analytics and drafted LaVine and then 5 days later they hired a guy who helped found an analytic computer program. At least a little ironic.

Dewey wrote:Flip is a good coach ... glad he took the job. He's a basketball junky, hates drama queens, and merely wants players who love the game. I'm all for it ... get the whiny malcontent players and fans the F out of here and play basketball for god sake.

I have a problem with how Saunders weaseled his way into doing both the President of Basketball Operations and the coaching jobs. He wouldn't have been my first choice, but I am ok with him being coach or President, but there isn't a chance in heck anyone would've hired him for both jobs. Somehow he got back in and is using Taylor's weakness against us.

Post #305 » by **Klomp** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 6:29 pm

On the surface, this hiring looks and feels very nepotistic. This organization is known for going with the familiar rather than the outside help on most occasions, and bringing in the coach’s son to be on the coaching staff certainly goes with the familiar. However, this is not your typical nepotistic hiring in the NBA.

I asked around the league, both with people who have covered the Washington Wizards’ organization and with those relatively close to the situation. The resounding sentiment regarding Ryan Saunders is he’s legitimately qualified to be given this position. Milt Newton’s comments about his work with John Wall and Bradley Beal shouldn’t be overlooked. He legitimately helped the most dynamic, young backcourt in the league get better by all accounts. The biggest thing he helped with Beal and Wall was their ball-handling. Multiple “sources” (that sounds so official!) told me John Wall had never really worked on his dribbling before he got to the NBA. A lot of what he did was based on feeling and instincts when he played in high school, AAU, and college.

http://www.awolfamongwolves.com/2014/07 ... n-staying/

Mattya · Post #306 » by **Mattya** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 6:42 pm

Klomp wrote:
On the surface, this hiring looks and feels very nepotistic. This organization is known for going with the familiar rather than the outside help on most occasions, and bringing in the coach’s son to be on the coaching staff certainly goes with the familiar. However, this is not your typical nepotistic hiring in the NBA.

I asked around the league, both with people who have covered the Washington Wizards’ organization and with those relatively close to the situation. The resounding sentiment regarding Ryan Saunders is he’s legitimately qualified to be given this position. Milt Newton’s comments about his work with John Wall and Bradley Beal shouldn’t be overlooked. He legitimately helped the most dynamic, young backcourt in the league get better by all accounts. The biggest thing he helped with Beal and Wall was their ball-handling. Multiple “sources” (that sounds so official!) told me John Wall had never really worked on his dribbling before he got to the NBA. A lot of what he did was based on feeling and instincts when he played in high school, AAU, and college.

http://www.awolfamongwolves.com/2014/07 ... n-staying/

Sounds like a good hiring. For those that were worried that Flip wouldn't care about analytics, I think he can at least see the use of them with this hire.

AQuintus · Post #307 » by **AQuintus** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 6:46 pm

Mattya wrote:Sounds like a good hiring. For those that were worried that Flip wouldn't care about analytics, I think he can at least see the use of them with this hire.

My biggest hope with this hiring is that Ryan can talk Flip out of doing the GS deal (or at the very least talk him out of taking back Lee and/or giving up extra value to get Barnes).

Post #308 » by **Klomp** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 6:47 pm

From 2011:

Recently, while John Wall was going over game film, Wizards assistant Ryan Saunders pointed out that the No. 1 overall pick was walking nonchalantly into his jump shots instead of consistently stepping into them and jumping. Saunders also noticed that Wall displayed a defeatist attitude -- frowning, tugging at his jersey and rolling his eyes after poor plays. Saunders showed Wall so many instances that eventually a fed-up Wall asked Ryan to have Coach Flip Saunders fine him any time he does those things. And from there, it was established that Wall would pay $50 for every time he visibly expressed his frustrations, with Wall believing that negative reactions from a team captain would cause his teammates to lose focus and confidence.

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2011/1/20 ... -assistant

Mattya · Post #309 » by **Mattya** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 6:49 pm

Sounds like Ryan could be really helpful for Ricky.

Post #310 » by **Klomp** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 6:54 pm

Ryan Saunders vividly remembers listening to former Timberwolves veterans like Sam Mitchell and Kevin Garnett talk hoops in the Target Center training room when he was younger. Those moments, listening to two NBA standouts discuss strategy and preparation, are still engrained in Saunders’ head as he continues to develop his path as an NBA coach.

On Tuesday, the Wolves announced Saunders would be joining the Timberwolves as an assistant coach under his dad, Flip Saunders. He’s reuniting with an organization that once helped him develop a passion for the game that began so long ago. He'll be joining Mitchell, who is also an assistant coach, as well as Sidney Lowe and David Adelman on Flip's staff.

“I’ve always known,” Ryan Saunders said about wanting to become a coach. “I love the game of basketball. It might sound cliché, but I really do. And I’ve always known I wanted to stay in basketball, and this has been a good way for me to do that. And so I knew at a young age that I wanted to coach, and I knew I had a lot to offer as I moved, got older and older. And I just understand the game and being able to relate to people and things like that. So yeah, a lot of those experiences really did help.”

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/ry ... -minnesota

Post #311 » by **C.lupus** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 7:14 pm

I'm liking what I'm reading about Ryan. Really wish they would have kept Sikma around to help Gorgui's development. The lack of a big man coach is my main concern with this staff. Should be good for Rubio's development, though.

Wolves_Nation · Post #312 » by **Wolves_Nation** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 7:15 pm

These recent posts on Ryan Saunders make me much happier than I was before (Which was rather indifferent.)

theGreatRC · Post #313 » by **theGreatRC** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 7:30 pm

With the coaching staff that we have, do people pn here really believe were going to rebuild?

Swish4 · Post #314 » by **Swish4** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 7:42 pm

I think Flip is as good of a pure basketball guy as there is. Give him 100% control and stay out of his way, and he'll put winning teams on the floor.

AQuintus · Post #315 » by **AQuintus** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 8:06 pm

theGreatRC wrote:With the coaching staff that we have, do people pn here really believe were going to rebuild?

Nobody thinks we are, just that we should.

Or at least that we shouldn't sacrifice the future for a win-now pieces.

Post #316 » by **Klomp** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 8:11 pm

Personally, I feel the Chicago offer is the best blend between the "win-now" GS offer and the "rebuilding" BOS offer. Some may think that is called treadmilling, but to me there's enough hope for the future by getting young guys that it wouldn't be.

Nitroglycerin · Post #317 » by **Nitroglycerin** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 10:36 pm

i wouldnt be suprised he was the coach in waiting

Krapinsky · Post #318 » by **Krapinsky** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 10:37 pm

Klomp wrote:Personally, I feel the Chicago offer is the best blend between the "win-now" GS offer and the "rebuilding" BOS offer. Some may think that is called treadmilling, but to me there's enough hope for the future by getting young guys that it wouldn't be.

Haven't seen a good chicago offer yet, have we? Last I heard it was Gibson + Snell + picks.

AQuintus · Post #319 » by **AQuintus** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 10:40 pm

Klomp wrote:Personally, I feel the Chicago offer is the best blend between the "win-now" GS offer and the "rebuilding" BOS offer. Some may think that is called treadmilling, but to me there's enough hope for the future by getting young guys that it wouldn't be.

I agree. Gibson is the only older win-now piece in the deal, and at 28, he should still be a solid role-player for the length of his contract. Butler is a win-now guy, but he's also 24, so he's got longterm upside. Mirotic is essentially like getting a top 8 pick. He's only 23 and he's got a ton of longterm upside.

Krapinsky · Post #320 » by **Krapinsky** » Tue Jul 1, 2014 10:42 pm

AQuintus wrote:
Klomp wrote:Personally, I feel the Chicago offer is the best blend between the "win-now" GS offer and the "rebuilding" BOS offer. Some may think that is called treadmilling, but to me there's enough hope for the future by getting young guys that it wouldn't be.

I agree. Gibson is the only older win-now piece in the deal, and at 28, he should still be a solid role-player for the length of his contract. Butler is a win-now guy, but he's also 24, so he's got longterm upside. Mirotic is essentially like getting a top 8 pick. He's only 23 and he's got a ton of longterm upside.

I'm not clear what "offer" you guys are referring to. Just the one we made up here that we like?