결국 미네소타 감독 플립 손더스가 해고됐습니다.
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현역 감독 중 제리 슬로언 다음으로 한 팀에 가장 오래있던 감독이었는데.... 성적 부진으로 인해 결국 물러나고 마는군요.
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GM 케빈 멕헤일이 당분간 감독 대행으로 팀을 이끌고 갈 거라고 합니다.
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T-Wolves fire Saunders; McHale takes over coaching duties
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By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer
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February 12, 2005
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Kevin McHale shook up the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, firing longtime friend Flip Saunders and taking over the coaching duties for the rest of the season.
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McHale, the team's vice president of basketball operations, called Saunders on Saturday morning to break the news.
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``We talked this morning, and it was very, very hard,'' McHale said. ``We've known each other for a long time, but our last 32 games we're 12-20, and just not playing at a level that's acceptable, energy-wise.
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``Maybe a new voice will help. I'm going to do my best to get these guys competing at a higher level.''
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Saunders, who had the second-longest tenure among NBA coaches, will be reassigned within the organization, the team said.
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Minnesota is 25-26 this season, a disappointment after last season's franchise-best 58-24 mark. Spurred on by Kevin Garnett's MVP season, the Wolves reached the Western Conference finals for the first time, creating optimism heading into this season.
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It hasn't been as easy. Saunders has used 12 different starting lineups this season and bewildered his players at times with his substitution patterns, all in an effort to become successful again.
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But nothing seemed to work. The Timberwolves have dropped seven of their last eight, and McHale was frustrated with their listless play in the first half of the season.
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``Our effort level is just not there, and I said, 'Glen, it's on me,' and he said, 'Do something about it,''' McHale said, referring to owner Glen Taylor.
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So the Hall of Famer called his old college pal from the University of Minnesota and delivered the news.
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In more than nine seasons, Saunders was 411-326. He was hired on Dec. 18, 1995, taking over for Bill Blair and helped turn one of the NBA's most lackluster franchises into a legitimate contender. Last season, Saunders became the eighth person in NBA history to have coached his first 700 games with the same organization.
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He led Timberwolves to eight straight postseason appearances, but that included seven first-round exits before the breakthrough to the Western Conference finals last season.
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Only Jerry Sloan, who has coached the Utah Jazz since 1988, had a longer tenure than Saunders among current NBA coaches.
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McHale has been with Minnesota since 1993, serving as a special assistant to the coaching staff, broadcast analyst, and assistant general manager before becoming vice president of basketball operations in May 1995.
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Saunders' firing is the fifth coaching change in the NBA this season.
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Saunders has been mystified by his team's lack of energy and desire this season, and general manager Jim Stack said it just seemed like time for a change.
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``Flip's been here a long time and in the history of pro sports, sometimes when you're here for that long, your voice starts to fall on deaf ears,'' Stack said. ``I'm not sure if that's what happened here. It's an issue of underachieving.''
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McHale, the hard-nosed workhorse from the Celtics' championship teams of the 1980s, said he hopes he can infuse some energy and enthusiasm into a group that has so often lacked both this season.
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``There have been nights where it has been embarrassing to watch,'' McHale said of his team's performance, including a 29-point home loss to Phoenix. ``I have to do what I can do to get guys playing at a more confident level, and I thought I could do that better from the bench.''
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That said, McHale has no designs on being the permanent solution.
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``I don't want to be a long-term coach,'' McHale said.
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While he made the decision to replace Saunders, McHale was quick to say that the players also need to be held accountable.
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``This is a players league,'' McHale said. ``We have to get our players playing at a higher level.''
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Updated on Saturday, Feb 12, 2005 6:40 pm EST
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첫댓글 윽...저런 이건 아닌데...손더스...동네아저씨같애서 친근했는데...
GG.... GL~
감독탓인가 저게.... 미네소타 정말 .... ㅜㅜ 할말이 없다.
쩝 결국..
웁쓰.... 이 감독님 좋았는데.... 스프리웰,샘 카셀이 어떻게 되려나...
우리형님..토론토로..오세요..ㅎㅎㅎ
참나;;;
팀이 안나가면 감독부테 해임이니... 에휴...
맥헤일이 감독..?!
oh~shit~
플립..금방다른팀감독직을 수행할듯..
설마.. 감독탓아닌것같은데........
결국.. 감독이 먼저희생.
설마 GO LA??
좀 성급한 결정인 듯... 선수들의 정신상태는 생각도 안 해보나...?
감독을 바꿔서라도 선수들이 정신차리길 바라는 건가...
휴.. 선더스... 결국에는....
말도 -_- 안돼 -_- ㅋㅋㅋ 차라리 스프리를 해고 해야지 미친거 아니야?
불쌍한 플립-_-
뜨아...이게 다 스프리 땜시여..ㅠ.ㅜ
일단 팀의 성적이 부진하면 팀내에서 책임은 당연히 감독에게 먼저 돌아갑니다 . . 당연한 결과인듯 . . 선더스라면 충분히 금방 어디에라도 복귀할듯 . .
토론토로!!!!
레이커스로 오세요. ㅜㅜ
이건 마치... 빈스 맥마흔이 섬머슬램 메인이벤트 경기를 펼치는것과 마찬가지인...-.-a
선더스가 안됬지만, 이건 어쩔수없는거죠. 모든 nba팀들이 팀이 문제가 있으면 첨으로 짤리는 파리목숨이 감독이죠. 선더스 그동안 정말 수고하셨고, 곧 nba 무대에 다시 돌아오시길 바랍니다.