New Wolves interim coach Sam Mitchell left the Raptors in 2008 after more than four seasons as head coach with the reputation of a man who demanded too much, but now at 52 he believes he is better prepared to replace Flip Saunders as coach, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes.
It was announced earlier in the week that Mitchell would take over as Saunders battles cancer.
The Wolves, as Zgoda points out, have a blend of youth and experience. Mitchell takes over a team built around consecutive No. 1 overall draft picks Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. The roster also includes veterans Kevin Garnett, Andre Miller, Tayshaun Prince and Kevin Martin.
Here’s more out of the Northwest division:
- In its season preview of the Wolves, Basketball Insiders lists Karl-Anthony Towns as the team’s best addition. The Wolves now have a dangerous one-two punch with Towns and Andrew Wiggins that they will be able to build around, the piece adds.
- Utah isn’t a destination place for A-list free agents, so the Jazz must keep adding help mainly from the draft, writes Shaun Powell in his 30 teams in 30 days series for NBA.com. The Jazz did that — and pretty much only that — this summer, Powell adds. When the season tips off, the Jazz starting five will all be under 25, as Powell points out.
I don’t see either Mitchell or Saunders as the right coach when the Wolves are ready to contend. What they need is someone patient enough to develop the young players and set the foundation for whomever that coach will be.