The Minnesota Timberwolves sacked head coach Ryan Saunders on Sunday night following the team’s 103-99 loss to the New York Knicks, the team said.
The loss was the T-Wolves’ fourth in a row, dropping them to an NBA-worst 7-24 of the season.
“We would like to thank Ryan for his time and commitment to the Timberwolves organization and we wish him the best for the future,” Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas said in a statement.
“These are tough decisions to make, but this change is in the best interests of the organization’s short and long term goals.”
The Timberwolves have said they will make an announcement regarding their next head coach on Monday. Minnesota are set to name Raptors assistant Chris Finch as their next head coach, according to multiple reports.
Saunders, 34, took over the Timberwolves midway through the 2018-19 season after head coach Tom Thibodeau was sacked. He went 17-25 in the home stretch, but the shortened 2019-20 season only saw the T-Wolves 19-45.
The team won the 2020 Draft Lottery and selected Anthony Edwards as No. 1, but this year’s campaign was partly derailed due to injuries and COVID-19-related absences from stars Karl-Anthony Towns – the No.1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft – and D’Angelo Russell – the second overall pick in 2015 that the team traded for last season.
Saunders, the son of longtime Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, ends his time in Minnesota with a 43-94 record.
