Flip Saunders says he has lymphoma

MINNEAPOLIS – Former Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders, now the Minnesota Timberwolves’ president and coach, says he is being treated for cancer.

Saunders announced today that he has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He says his doctors are calling it “very treatable and curable.”

Saunders plans to remain as the Timberwolves’ head coach and top executive while being treated. He says he is determined to beat the disease, which is a cancer of the immune system.

The 60-year-old Saunders returned to the Timberwolves as team president in 2013. Last year, he replaced the retired Rick Adelman on the Wolves’ bench, and the team finished 16-66.

He coached the Pistons in 2005-08, going 246-176.

Saunders says he is taking the process “day by day” and doesn’t envision an interruption in his duties with the team. Even while undergoing treatment, Saunders remained active with the team, overseeing draft workouts, selecting Karl-Anthony Towns at No. 1 overall and trading for Tyus Jones on draft night in June. He signed players including Euroleague MVP Nemanja Bjelica and veteran point guard Andre Miller to supplement a roster teeming with young talent.

He didn’t attend the team’s trip to the Las Vegas summer league but has remained engaged and at the team’s new practice facility throughout the summer. Doctors have encouraged him to keep up with his daily business.

“Flip has kept me apprised of his cancer diagnosis and treatment,” team owner Glen Taylor said. “He has my support as well as my thoughts and prayers for him and his family.”

As team president, head coach and a minority owner, Saunders has carved out a nearly unprecedented amount of power within the organization. His influence can be seen from the construction of the roster, the return of franchise icon Kevin Garnett and the drum line occasionally used during pregame introductions.

The former University of Minnesota standout coached the Timberwolves for 10 years before being fired in 2005, leading the long-suffering franchise to its only real playoff success. Taylor brought him back as team president two years ago, to try to get the organization back on track, and he has helped infuse the roster with promising young players including Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad while convincing Garnett to sign a two-year contract.

The moves have energized a fan base that hasn’t had a team in the playoffs since 2004, and Saunders made it clear that he has no plans of slowing down.

“I am attacking this with the same passion I do everything in my life, knowing this is a serious issue,” he said. “I also know that God has prepared me to fight this battle.”