Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves pay tribute to Flip Saunders in opener
LOS ANGELES — In the moments before Kevin Garnett peeled off his warm-up shirt and began his typical, high-octane, head-banging, pregame ritual, he placed a hand across his chest and gave it three gentle pats.
The gesture was subtle, but deliberate, as Garnett began the first game of his 21st season in the NBA nursing the pain of losing beloved Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders.
Saunders died last Sunday of Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 60, having been diagnosed with cancer in August.
Over the heart of Garnett’s shirt, like that of all the Timberwolves players on their visit to the Staples Center to face the Los Angeles Lakers, the word "Flip" was inscribed in delicate print. “WE” was emblazoned across the front in larger letters, a nod to the spirit of collectivity that the former Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards coach stood for.
Garnett was perhaps as close to Saunders as anyone as the pair partnered on eight consecutive playoff runs in Garnett’s first stint with the organization, the finest times the Timberwolves have enjoyed since inception.
The 39-year-old has spoken little since Saunders’ passing, his messages poignant and symbolic, like when he posted a social media photograph of himself sitting in the coach’s empty parking spot.
The realization that Saunders’ energy and kind nature will be around no longer has hit the NBA hard. A variety of tributes will be rolled out over the coming days, with Minnesota set to add a patch to its jersey with the league’s full blessing.
“It is one way to show tribute to him,” general manager Milt Newton told the AP.
The Los Angeles Lakers played their part as well, with heads bowed during a moment of silence and wearing their own warm-up shirts with “Flip” on the front.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott, like other coaches in the league this season, wore a lapel pin bearing Saunders’ name.
“He was one of those guys that made you feel like you had known him for a while, even if it was only 15 minutes,” Scott said.
A lot of people felt that way about Saunders and nowhere was he more cherished that within the Timberwolves set-up. As the warm-up shirts were removed pregame and following half-time, several players placed them carefully by the bench, instead of flinging them in a pile as normal.
The tributes to Saunders will keep on coming and some will last under the end of the season. His legacy will stretch far longer than that.
PHOTOS: Flip Saunders through the years