Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett pays tribute to coach Flip Saunders
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett took to Facebook to pay tribute to Flip Saunders, the team’s president of basketball operations and head coach, who passed away from cancer at age 60 on Sunday.
Garnett posted a picture of himself sitting in front of Saunders’ parking space in the team’s parking lot, staring at his coach’s name on the wall. Underneath the picture, Garnett wrote a simple message: “Forever in my heart...”
Saunders coached 17 years in the NBA, joining the Timberwolves for his first NBA job in 1995–96, Garnett’s rookie season. The pair teamed up to make the playoffs in eight of their 10 seasons together in Minnesota, advancing to the conference finals in ’04.
Saunders was fired by the Timberwolves in ’04–05 and moved on to the Detroit Pistons and eventually the Washington Wizards, before returning to the Timberwolves last season.
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Saunders traded for Garnett last season, bringing the two together after nine seasons apart.
