Saunders gets well-deserved reward

After turning around the Timberwolves, he coached in his first All-Star Game.
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LOS ANGELES -- The goal was talked about over greasy hamburgers more than 10 years ago in La Crosse, Wis.
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders and assistant Don Zierden would meet after every morning shoot-around while coaching La Crosse of the Continental Basketball Association. Zierden's job was to stop at a local convenience store, buy a couple of newspapers and have the sports pages laid out on a table when Saunders arrived.
They would head straight to the NBA standings and look for the Timberwolves near the bottom of the Midwest Division.
"He would say we're going to get up there and turn things around," Zierden said.
At the time, the idea seemed far-fetched.
Background
Saunders was considered just another CBA coach who had hoped to reach the NBA maybe as an assistant. He spent five seasons in La Crosse and one in Sioux Falls, S.D., before getting the break he needed in 1995 when he became general manager of the Timberwolves and then coach seven months later.
Saunders has stuck by his word that he was going to turn things around. He has turned his back on coaching opportunities at Cleveland and Portland to lead Minnesota to seven consecutive playoff appearances and is the second longest-tenured coach in the NBA. Saunders' just due arrived Sunday when he coached his first All-Star Game.
"It's kind of funny how things worked out," Zierden said, laughing. "The 'wolves weren't good back then, and he's come in here and turned things around. That's a good story."
Although Saunders has managed to get a group of mediocre players to overachieve in years past, this season might be the best of his coaching career. His once injury riddled squad has the third-best record in the league.
Gained confidence
"Each year he's become more confident in everything he does," assistant Randy Wittman said. "Each year I think the respect level continues to go up. He's behind Jerry Sloan for being with one team longer. Players understand and see that."
Sam Cassell was surprised when he heard who was on the other end of the phone. Cassell, traded to Minnesota over the summer, started the season in a 'funk.' His slow start and reputation for being selfish with the ball had many fans calling for a new starting point guard.
"I called him and told him this is a learning process," Saunders said. "We're not judged how we do now. We're judged how we do over the course of a season. I told him I appreciate how hard he works, and I told him everything is going to pay off."
Saunders' reassurance wasn't new for Cassell, but it showed him what type of coach he was dealing with.
"Flip is a guy who understands where you're coming from," Cassell said. "When I first got here, I wasn't comfortable in his system. I didn't know how to fit in, I didn't know when to be me and when not to be me. He told me it's going to get better, and the whole season isn't going to be like this."
A players' coach
Saunders is considered a players' coach, one who will give you an earful when you mess up, but the first to pat you on the back when you've done something right. That wasn't always the case. Forward Kevin Garnett, who has played under Saunders since the day he entered the league, said Saunders has become more trustworthy.
"I think the first couple of years with the security of myself, Steph [Marbury] and Googs [Tom Gugliotta], he just coached," Garnett said. "As the team sort of disintegrated a little bit, he got a little edgy at times. He's regained that composure. He's a reaction coach, and that's the beauty part about him. He tries to think and take into consideration other players. He has given players room to sort of micro-manage ourselves."
But no matter what Minnesota does during the regular season, he is going to be judged by what happens in the postseason. Seven playoff appearances. Seven first-round exits.