Three days after losing their leader to cancer, the Minnesota Timberwolves are making sure everyone knows that Flip Saunders is still with them.
Flip Saunders, whose 17-year NBA coaching career included successful stops with the Timberwolves and Pistons, died Sunday of cancer at age 60.
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According to ESPN, the Timberwolves unveiled a new shooting shirt for pregame warm-ups in their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The gray shirts have "WE" written in big, block letters, with "FLIP" written over the heart.
The "We over Me" concept is something Wolves GM Milt Newton and Saunders discussed starting last year and planned to instill as the mantra heading into the season. It was all about driving home to a young and impressionable core the importance of valuing team achievement over individual statistics.
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The NBA granted the Wolves permission to wear the shirts for the first month of the season while they mourn Saunders.
"It's one way to show tribute to him," Newton said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
"When him and I talked, we always talked about getting us some 'we' players," Newton said of his conversations with Saunders, who was the team's president of basketball operations, the coach, and a minority owner. "There were times last year he came into my office and noticed it was turned to 'ME.' He said, 'Yeah, you got that right.'"
"Then there were times he came in the room, and I would have it turned to 'WE.' And he said, 'Yeah, we played well last night. We shared the ball.'"
The Lakers also made a gesture of their own, wearing gray warm-up shirts with "FLIP" in gold and the old Minneapolis Lakers logo.
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