OT: Flip Saunders passed away

[speeds]

He was in a coma for the last six weeks?!

http://www.startribune.com/even-as-a-player-flip-was-a-coach/336974901/

 

[Boob-No-More]

McHale hired his friend 20 years ago. Like everyone associated with the Wolves, Saunders was seen as incompetent, but later he became known as an average NBA coach. He leapt from the bottom, the Wizards firing him, to the top, becoming Timberwolves President, in 16 months. Then he died.

http://prosportstransactions.com/basketball/Search/SearchResults.php?Player=flip saunders&Team=&BeginDate=&EndDate=&PlayerMovementChkBx=yes&Submit=Search

http://prosportstransactions.com/basketball/Search/SearchResults.php?Player=kevin mchale&Team=timberwolves&BeginDate=&EndDate=&PlayerMovementChkBx=yes&Submit=Search

Actually, given the fact he spent most of his coaching career in Minnesota, I'd say he was more than a mediocre coach. He led the Timberwolves to 7 straight winning seasons and 8 straight playoff appearances - the only 8 playoff appearances in the history of the franchise. Sure, he had KG, but so did the guy before him (Bill Blair) and after him (Kevin McHale) and neither of them could get the Timberwolves to the playoffs.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Saunders, Thompson, McHale? Must have been quite a college team.

RIP Flip.

Officially 0-27. Unofficially 24-3. They were banned from post season competition due to NCAA recruiting violations when Bill Musselman was coach (1971 -75. So, all their victories were vacated and they were barred from post season play for two years (1977-78).

BNM

 

[Duckhook]

That pic of Garnett got to me... RIP Flip... you left us too soon!

 

[Harry's Raincoat]

Sad for his family and team/org. Seemingly, ready to turn the corner as a Franchise finally. He won't get to see it through.
RIP Flip!!

 

[e_blazer]

Mychal Thompson on Flip:

"Everything you're going to hear about Flip Saunders is the truth: he was just a genuine human being, cared about everybody, cared about his players, treated everybody with respect and love, and was one of you'll ever have the chance to befriend and meet...It just does not feel right seeing a great guy like Flip — who had so much more to give, not only to the NBA, but to society, to young people — to see him taken away like this is just a major loss to America."

"Let me put it this way: He's the kind of coach that I would've loved my sons to play for."

Link

 

[Denny Crane]

Actually, given the fact he spent most of his coaching career in Minnesota, I'd say he was more than a mediocre coach. He led the Timberwolves to 7 straight winning seasons and 8 straight playoff appearances - the only 8 playoff appearances in the history of the franchise. Sure, he had KG, but so did the guy before him (Bill Blair) and after him (Kevin McHale) and neither of them could get the Timberwolves to the playoffs.

BNM

And this.

 

[Boob-No-More]

And this.

View attachment 6441

Yep, he suffered through some very lean years, talent wise, in both MIN and WAS, and still has a career winning record. It wasn't like he was Phil Jackson and always inherited teams loaded with superstars on the cusp of a championship. Like any coach, his success was determined largely by the talent he was given, but when he had the talent, he did pretty damn good.

BNM

 

[KingSpeed]

Cancer is the devil. Fuck cancer.

Part of me is happy he is gone. It hurts so much. Chemo sucks. The depression some patients have takes such a toll on family. The pain of seeing a loved one dying is so hard, especially for children. Fighting for your life is an experience I hope no one here has to have.

God bless, Flip and his family. Their loss is a sad one, I am sure, but as I said above, I am happy for him in a way because he is through with the pain.

Yes but they told him it was treatable and curable so I think not dying was a more attractive outcome.

 

[jlprk]

Officially 0-27. Unofficially 24-3. They were banned from post season competition due to NCAA recruiting violations when Bill Musselman was coach (1971 -75. So, all their victories were vacated and they were barred from post season play for two years (1977-78).

View attachment 6441

You guys are right. I just figured this board wouldn't want to go over the top in praising a Timberwolf.

 

[jlprk]

http://prosportstransactions.com/basketball/Search/SearchResults.php?Player=flip saunders&Team=&BeginDate=&EndDate=&PlayerMovementChkBx=yes&Submit=Search

The site added a "died" line since I posted that. I haven't seen them do that before.

 

[jlprk]

6 weeks ago, just after Sept. 13, he started fighting for his life.

Taylor said that “backing up seven weeks, I was talking to him and everything was, I don’t want to say fine or great, but it was what we expected. …. He was basically with everything [going on], guys coming in to practice, he was up to date on all that.”

What happened next “happened so fast,” Taylor said. “He got a fever and from that fever … within a day, all of a sudden he was in the hospital. Once he was in the hospital, his situation changed very rapidly. You take it over a three-four day period, one day he’s walking around talking to you and four days later, we have a serious condition going on.”
...
• Taylor said he “was certain” the team would have some sort of remembrance for Saunders before Monday’s home opener against Portland.

http://www.startribune.com/taylor-s...arply-over-a-few-days-in-september/337290741/

 

[Mediocre Man]

Yes but they told him it was treatable and curable so I think not dying was a more attractive outcome.

Of course it was. Who said differently?

Your post seems to be being sn argumentative prick again

 

[Natebishop3]

Yes but they told him it was treatable and curable so I think not dying was a more attractive outcome.

Apparently it wasn't the cancer that killed him directly. The cancer weakened his immune system and he contracted a case of pneumonia. The illness overwhelmed him and he was in a coma before finally succumbing to the pneumonia. So it's possible that they could have cured the cancer if he had been able to complete his treatment plan, but unfortunately his body was not able to fight off the illness that ultimately killed him.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

 

[Fun in the Sun]

RIP Flip