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Reports: Sam Mitchell To Assume Interim Head Coaching Duties Of The Minnesota Timberwolves

By Aaron Mah

Mar 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach and former Toronto Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell gestures as the Timberwolves play the Raptors in the first quarter at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach and former Toronto Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell gestures as the Timberwolves play the Raptors in the first quarter at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Minnesota Timberwolves officially announced on Friday, their head coach and president of basketball operations, Flip Saunders, will take an indefinite leave of absence as he concentrates on his battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski also took to Twiiter and confirmed the said report yesterday.

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Over the summer, Saunders was diagnosed with the aforementioned form of cancer. However, en route to fighting in what the team termed as a “very treatable and curable” ailment, he initially intended to upkeep the entire capacity of his coaching and president of basketball operations duties.

But, in lieu of the recent turn of events, Sam Mitchell will alternatively assume the role of the Minnesota Timberwolves interim head coach.

Mitchell last owned an NBA head coaching position with the Toronto Raptors in 2008. In fact, he coached the team for four full seasons, where he accumulated a 156-189 record, before being relieved of his duties 17 games into the 2008-09 season.

The high point of his lone coaching tenure came in the 2006-07 campaign, when he led the Raps to a surprising 47-35 record en route to winning the Atlantic Division and was honored with the NBA Coach of the Year award during the process.

Thereafter, Mitchell would become the assistant coach of the New Jersey Nets in 2010.

After taking a 4-year sabbatical from coaching, Mitchell would reunite with Flip — of whom he played under during the twilight years of his career — by joining his coaching staff last season.

The Timberwolves are still holding out hope that Saunders make a return this year, however.

While there will come a time and a place where we analyze what this change will mean for the Wolves’ prospects this upcoming season; for now, all of us at Hoops Habit will have coach Flip Saunders and his family in our thoughts — wishing him a speedy and permanent recovery.

Perhaps, former Timberwolves swingman, Corey Brewer, has the perfect mindset at this specific point in time:

Next: Danilo Gallinari: The Rooster Crows Again

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