Words like family, together and us have been used frequently around Timberwolves’ headquarters since Gersson Rosas and Ryan Saunders took over in leadership roles.
Those words are always easy to say for teams, certainly. Every organization or business wants to have those values. But it’s all about practicing what you preach.
On Jan. 4 in Ohio, a member of the Timberwolves Mount Rushmore was being recognized.
Cuyahoga Heights High School named its court after the late Flip Saunders. Flip attended high school at CHHS and grew up in the Garfield Heights area. Flip averaged 32 points per game as a senior before attending the University of Minnesota,although he told Ryan that he’d average more than 40 points if there were a 3-point line back then.
Whenever Saunders was in Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers as a coach with the Timberwolves, Pistons or Wizards, he always made a trip back to the high school where it all began.
Now it was the late coach’s wife and son going back to honor his legacy. When the team boarded the plane to head to Cleveland that Saturday (the Wolves played the Cavaliers on Sunday), Debbie Saunders was on the flight. Karl-Anthony Towns, who is incredibly close with the entire Saunders family, made note of it.
Later that night, Ryan and his mom were headed to the high school to be there for the court dedication and to speak to the team and the community. There was a bus waiting to pick them up.
But before they left, players slowly started getting on. This surprised Ryan, who hadn’t told any of the team. He didn’t want to feel like anyone had any sort of obligation. This was a family matter, but of course, Flip viewed the Timberwolves as his family. It goes both ways.
Towns’ observation led to some investigating. After Towns did some digging and figured out what was going on, it led to a group message with the team.
“KAT got wind of it and rallied those guys,” Ryan said. “As we were about to leave, those guys came out. It was special to see.”
It was a no-brainer. The team was going to go support the Saunders family – a family that has given so much for the franchise. But also for their head coach, a leader the entire team supports.
“We ride for Ryan,” Andrew Wiggins said. “Nothing we wouldn’t do for him. We’d fight for him. (If) something’s going on with any of the teammates, we’ve got to be there for one another and show support. That’s what a team does. That’s what a family does.”
For Towns, Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng, it hits a little closer to home. The three are the only three players on the team with direct connections to Flip.
Dieng was part of a draft-night trade in 2013 to bring him to Minnesota when Flip was in his first year as the team’s President of Basketball Operations. A year later, the Timberwolves acquired Wiggins as part of the Kevin Love trade. And in 2015, Flip selected Towns with the first-overall pick. Flip coached both Wiggins and Dieng in 2014-15. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to coach Towns in 2015-16.
“He’s the reason we’re here,” Dieng said. “. . . (He) helped me a lot to be where I am today.”
These moments might not seem like much and they might not get attention externally. But these moments are the ones that turn teams into families and teammates into brothers.
That’s exactly how Flip would have wanted it.