Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has said he'll make a decision interim head coach Sam Mitchell after the regular season ends Wednesday against New Orleans at Target Center. What Taylor has not done is offer an indication of how long that decision will take.
Mitchell was elevated to the position after Flip Saunders succumbed to cancer shortly before the season began.
While they won't be the ones making the decision, the players who talked with the media after Tuesday's practice were unanimous in praise of Mitchell and the coaching staff and said they hoped he would return.
And while that's not exactly surprising, in at least two cases the responses seemed immediate and heartfelt.
"Definitely," said Andrew Wiggins when asked if he'd like Mitchell back as head coach next season. He then talked about how much Mitchell and the staff have helped him. "It's been huge,'' he said. "They put me in positions to succeed. They've never steered me wrong.''
Wiggins and Mitchell worked together a lot during Wiggins''s rookie season, when Mitchell was Flip Saunders' top assistant.
"I talked with him the most out of all the assistants," Wiggins said. "And this year he was the head coach, so I already had that relationship with him. So it's good.''
Shabazz Muhammad had a similar response. "I think he's developing us great,'' he said. "I think Sam is a players' coach. … He's really been a teacher to us. We're a young team. He's really hands-on, which is good. I love coach and I hope he's back next year.''
