Elephant in the room - Ryan Saunders

[Philo Beddoe]

Can the guy coach? It is risky putting a $120 million team together and then rolling out there with a guy that might not be ready to be an NBA head coach?

So many quality coaches out there that worked their way to the top. They got to the top because they were good coaches. Ryan Saunders got to the top because of his dad.

Rosas doesn't think this is a rebuilding year, he thinks this is a step forward into the playoffs year. If the Timberwolves come out of the gate poorly and everyone is healthy... all eyes will be on Saunders. How much of a leash will they give him?

I will say, in todays NBA, most of the players are their own little entities. They do not respond well to aggressive coaching, at least over the long haul. Saunders is more of a peer coach then a figurehead coach. I think it can work in todays NBA.... 20 years ago, probably not.

I am not sold on Saunders by a long shot, but at least he has 100 coaching games under his belt going into this year. I am cautiously hopeful that he will be at worst, an average coach.

[memyworld]

At the rate the NBA recycles coaches, apparently, there are only about 5 guys who can get it done. If he can manage the clock, timeouts, and guys want to play for him, that's all that matters. They have a whole bench of assistants who strategize for opponents and help draw up play sets. We all know it comes down to the MVP-caliber players who want it most.

I mean, here are your championship-winning coaches the last 20 years (and the generational players who helped):

Frank Vogel (LeBron, AD), Steve Kerr (3) (Durant, Curry, Thompson), Nick Nurse (Kawhi), Ty Lue (LeBron), Gregg Popovich (4) (Duncan), Erik Spoelstra (2) (LeBron, Wade), Rick Carlisle (Dirk, Kidd), Phil Jackson (5) (Kobe, Shaq), Doc Rivers (Garnett, Pierce, Allen), Pat Riley (Shaq, Wade), and Larry Brown

Runners up who didn't win a title:

David Blatt (LeBron), Scott Brooks (Durant, Westbrook, Harden), Stan Van Gundy (Prime Howard), Mike Brown (LeBron), Avery Johnson (Dirk), and Byron Scott (2) (Prime Kidd and Carter)

Of the lists above, the coaches I'm amazed actually squeezed a title or finals appearance out of their team: Pat Riley, Larry Brown, Stan Van Gundy, and Avery Johnson. Two of these guys are hall of famers, one is still getting gigs, and who knows with Avery Johnson.

[j2j]

He'll have this whole year. If they show progress, they'll keep him. If it's a complete trainwreck... then we'll see if they make excuses.

Rosas and Ryan get along. Ryan is Flip's kid. The whole minority ownership bit. Plus the close ties between the family and the team. Plus they just traded for Ryan's best friend, Rubio.

Lot of signs that he's not going anywhere anytime soon. For better or worse.

[weimy froob]

yep-he's got the year unless it goes totally pear-shaped. then it'll be time to see how big that elephant is. i still like the over bet.

[YBBR]

People are quick to call for his head but thnking back.on the season my admittedly poor memory is trying to think what his major transgressions are.

The Treveon Graham thing is the only thing that really sticks in my mind. I thought his OTAs were usually pretty good, execution not withstanding. I thought he manages the game pretty decently. Some of his substitutions in key spots in a game can be a little questionable.

That's kind of it.

[Oriole81]

Can the guy coach? It is risky putting a $120 million team together and then rolling out there with a guy that might not be ready to be an NBA head coach?

So many quality coaches out there that worked their way to the top. They got to the top because they were good coaches. Ryan Saunders got to the top because of his dad.

Rosas doesn't think this is a rebuilding year, he thinks this is a step forward into the playoffs year. If the Timberwolves come out of the gate poorly and everyone is healthy... all eyes will be on Saunders. How much of a leash will they give him?

I will say, in todays NBA, most of the players are their own little entities. They do not respond well to aggressive coaching, at least over the long haul. Saunders is more of a peer coach then a figurehead coach. I think it can work in todays NBA.... 20 years ago, probably not.

I am not sold on Saunders by a long shot, but at least he has 100 coaching games under his belt going into this year. I am cautiously hopeful that he will be at worst, an average coach.

That's the problem though.
Use KAT as an example, he's already got a max contract, huge endorsements, a reality show girlfriend...all while never having expectations of being an actual winning player.

That's his entity.
Good for him for getting to that point, but from a pure basketball standpoint he has a long ways of going to making us a winner.
Since he may not have the personal motivation on his own to get to that point, it is on the coaching to light that fire under him...and I really worry if Saunders can be that guy.

We may not end up with a very good record this year, but that's what I need to see from Saunders to justify him sticking around. Is he getting Towns and DLo to buy into playing two way ball, to becoming the best versions of themselves, and to be taking on leadership positions with the team. You can see that even if the wins aren't yet at where we want.

[shoteh]

I'd rather us get a more experienced coach but we will have to settle for Ryan at the moment. This year is his test, hoping for some good challenges but no meltdowns.

Saunders needs more experience. He's definitely earned friendships but not respect yet. He will need to win game using critical time management, rotations, changing tactics on the fly, and good drawn plays at the end of games in order to win respect from team.

[YBBR]

That's the major hurdle for Towns. Extremely talented player, but he has to push fame and stats aside and ask himself am I doing all I can to make us a winner? What can I do better on the court, in the locker room, in practice to elevate my teammates and this team?

That's his mission. And honestly it has been since like year 3. Will he rise to that challenge? We'll have to see.

[somuchyummy]

no one is expecting the wolves to be killer this season. the playoffs are a stretch. so i don't think that can be a realistic measure of saunders. but you can see progress or regression - and if we regress and he loses control of the team, he'll be gone.

[irishman89]

The one place teams can add when they're capped out is to their bench coaching staff. I wish they'd have added some more experience there. Need guys with rings so when they speak, the youngbloods listen to them and they bring that built in respect.

[HeHateMe]

I'm not married to Ryan as the coach -- I think Glen made a mistake when he fired Thibs though. He should have promoted Ed Pinckney to the interim coach and had Ryan continue on as the lead. Ryan wasn't the lead under Thibs, obviously. The coach they should have targeted IMMEDIATELY after firing Thibs was Monty Williams... and look who Ricky sings the praises of now. Putting Ryan in there as interim meant if you didn't keep him, he was going elsewhere. Reports at the time suggested he had plenty of options as an assistant elsewhere (maybe even the lead assistant). Ryan's resume suggests he's put in the time to be in that spot, the lead assistant, the interim coach etc... I just wasn't sure it was the right timing and right place here.

Stephen Silas, JB Bickerstaff and Mike Malone are all sons of coaches.. obviously there have been others... they've been around the NBA virtually their whole lives.

Ryan deserves the 2020-2021 season for sure... and at this point I think you attach him, Rosas, KAT and Russell all together for the next two years.

[j2j]

If this season is a dud open the vault for Kenny Atkinson.

[HeHateMe]

If this season is a dud open the vault for Kenny Atkinson.

I wouldn't mind Sam Cassell either.

[j2j]

If this season is a dud open the vault for Kenny Atkinson.

I wouldn't mind Sam Cassell either.

I'd want an experienced and proven head coach at that point, not another assistant who we hope can slide over.

[RubeTube]

He's not a NBA HC.

If he wasn't the Sanders boy, you all would have rode him out of town by now.

Should be a good lasagna dinner this year with Bricky back.

[Mplsfonz]

I'm not married to Ryan as the coach -- I think Glen made a mistake when he fired Thibs though. He should have promoted Ed Pinckney to the interim coach and had Ryan continue on as the lead. Ryan wasn't the lead under Thibs, obviously. The coach they should have targeted IMMEDIATELY after firing Thibs was Monty Williams... and look who Ricky sings the praises of now. Putting Ryan in there as interim meant if you didn't keep him, he was going elsewhere. Reports at the time suggested he had plenty of options as an assistant elsewhere (maybe even the lead assistant). Ryan's resume suggests he's put in the time to be in that spot, the lead assistant, the interim coach etc... I just wasn't sure it was the right timing and right place here.

Stephen Silas, JB Bickerstaff and Mike Malone are all sons of coaches.. obviously there have been others... they've been around the NBA virtually their whole lives.

Ryan deserves the 2020-2021 season for sure... and at this point I think you attach him, Rosas, KAT and Russell all together for the next two years.

Yeah, but that's the catch. We let him walk, he goes to a team, blows up and turns into a great coach. Keep him, and he falls flat.
Hopefully we did the right thing, because I for one am tired of all the asst coaches going elsewhere and doing well. Football, Bball etc. D Casey is a good example. I always thought we should have kept him.

[HeHateMe]

I'm not married to Ryan as the coach -- I think Glen made a mistake when he fired Thibs though. He should have promoted Ed Pinckney to the interim coach and had Ryan continue on as the lead. Ryan wasn't the lead under Thibs, obviously. The coach they should have targeted IMMEDIATELY after firing Thibs was Monty Williams... and look who Ricky sings the praises of now. Putting Ryan in there as interim meant if you didn't keep him, he was going elsewhere. Reports at the time suggested he had plenty of options as an assistant elsewhere (maybe even the lead assistant). Ryan's resume suggests he's put in the time to be in that spot, the lead assistant, the interim coach etc... I just wasn't sure it was the right timing and right place here.

Stephen Silas, JB Bickerstaff and Mike Malone are all sons of coaches.. obviously there have been others... they've been around the NBA virtually their whole lives.

Ryan deserves the 2020-2021 season for sure... and at this point I think you attach him, Rosas, KAT and Russell all together for the next two years.

Yeah, but that's the catch. We let him walk, he goes to a team, blows up and turns into a great coach. Keep him, and he falls flat.
Hopefully we did the right thing, because I for one am tired of all the asst coaches going elsewhere and doing well. Football, Bball etc. D Casey is a good example. I always thought we should have kept him.

KG wanted Casey OUT in favor of Randy Wittman.

On Ryan -- I would have been OK if he goes elsewhere and gets the head coaching job and starts coaching well. He would have felt the pull to come back here eventually.

[jffl_commish]

Ryan is destined to be the next Gophers coach.

[OliverMiller]

Yeah to be honest I have no idea what to think of Ryan. He's a likeable guy and I think he has some qualities that make up an NBA coach but I'm not sure those overcome his shortcomings.

[LordNu]

How can coaches work on their abilities in the offseason? Lots of NBA 2k sims?

I am happy to let him win me over.

[Thrillkill]

Spent his whole life learning from a legit innovative coach. In one year he fucked his legacy and destroyed his reputation and future. He is not the coach. He is the guy bending over and doing what he's told. He now is 100% tied to the idiot. He will not get another job ever. We were 2nd to last in 3% and took the 2nd most. Think about that. We had Towns shooting 41% and that was still the breakdown. We traded for Russell. Moved heaven and earth for him. And we want him taking more 3's. We even traded for Rubio so Russell can play some 2 and shoot more 3's. He is an average at best 3 shooter and THE BEST mid range shooter in the NBA.

That's your rent boy "coach" and your idiot.

[KATMANDUDE]

I've wondered about just how much control Ryan has.

He didn't get to pick his staff (although he was consulted).
Rosas also set Ryan up with his hand picked offensive & defensive coordinators.

Doesn't sound like he gets to run his own show to me.

[Subarudrivingsnowflake]

I mean compare him to Tib or Adelman!!

He hasn’t done worse in my mind. I’d say keep him around all things considered. He did about what they’re projected to do considering how tough the west is. If we were in the East we’d be perrennial contenders.

Remember when we all hated how SAM ran 3 separate lineups for entire quarters and then ran the whole bench during during crunch time in the 4th. Drove me insane.