Flip Saunders is a minority owner, President of Basketball Operations and head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before he was any of those things, though, he was a de facto Minnesotan.
Sure, he was raised in Cleveland. But he arrived in Minnesota for college and has spent most of his adult life here. That's 40 years now, and that gives him some pretty keen insight into the psyche of a Minnesota sports fan.
So when Saunders is asked how he thinks Minnesota fans feel about Kevin Love — one day before the Wolves are set to face their former player, albeit on the road, for the first time — Saunders' comments are reflective not necessarily of how he personally feels but of how four decades of life in Minnesota lead him to believe fans feel.
"Minnesota people are pretty loyal," Saunders said. "When you turn on Minnesota, they don't forgive you."
This is so very, very true. Minnesotans pick their villains, and when it comes to former players much of the reaction has to do with their perception of how it all ended. Chuck Knoblauch is a prime example. And Kevin Love will be another. Right or wrong, that's how we roll.
We're sure that most rational fans will understand that and either ignore the story entirely or understand that Flip is correct. We'll just take a peek into the ESPN comments to be sure and — OH NO! Here's a small taste — maybe not the hottest of the hot takes, the center of the hot takes sun, but the cleanest string we could find (click to enlarge):
