Timberwolves’ Flip Saunders unlikely to return this season, report says

Minnesota Timberwolves Coach Flip Saunders’ battle with cancer might keep him from returning to the court this season, according to a report.

Saunders, who was diagnosed in June with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, had been expected to be able to fulfill his duties as the team’s president of basketball operations and coach. However, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “things have changed dramatically since the team announced his diagnosis in August.”

“Since then there have been changes to the way his body handled the chemotherapy (and maybe how much cancer they’ve found) that have made it life threatening,” Zgoda said during a live chat Thursday. “Everyone involved has gone radio silent because of the family’s request for privacy and federal patient-privacy laws, etc., but between the complete silence, the lack of people visiting as far as I can tell apart from his immediate family and very inner circle while he remains hospitalized here in Minneapolis and the things I’m hearing second-hand, well, none of it is good.”

Training camps around the league have already begun, with the Timberwolves’ being led by assistant coach Sam Mitchell.

“I’ll just say this, and this is just my own opinion, if he pulls through this, I doubt very much he’s back this year. It’s probably unlikely he coaches again, just because of the stress inherent doing both those jobs and I think there’s a pretty good chance he doesn’t return full time to either job,” Zgoda said. “As far as the franchise goes, that will put them in a holding pattern for some time. I can’t see [owner] Glen Taylor allowing [General Manager] Milt Newton and Sam [Mitchell] to make a major decision until they know more about Flip’s future and Glen decides who will run his team for the long term. I wouldn’t assume it’ll be Milt and Sam going forward, that’s just for the short term until things become clearer.”

The team has not made any official announcements regarding Saunders’ availability for the regular season.

Saunders began his coaching career with the Timberwolves in 1995 and spent time with the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards before coming back to Minnesota in 2014.

Last season, the Timberwolves won just 16 games and had the worst record in the NBA.

Minnesota opens the 2015-16 season against the Lakers at Staples Center on Oct. 28.

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme