Rand: Saunders rebuilds Wolves for the long term

Flip Saunders was hired for the first time by the Timberwolves in 1995 — initially in the front office, then shortly thereafter as head coach in December, taking over midseason for Bill Blair.

He was with the team nearly a decade in that first go-round, guiding and riding the rise of Kevin Garnett to eight consecutive playoff trips and one trip to the Western Conference finals in 2003-04 before the franchise collapsed under its veteran weight the following season. Saunders was fired midseason — on Feb 12, 2005, exactly 10 years ago Thursday.

The milestone seems particularly significant now as a time to reflect on how those Wolves teams of the past were constructed — and how Saunders, back for a second stint with the team in a dual role as head coach and president, appears to be charting a different path while building, again, around a potential teenage superstar.

Garnett was still 19 when Saunders took over as head coach the first time; Andrew Wiggins is, too, for another couple of weeks.

The initial blueprint with Garnett — under the direction of Kevin McHale, though surely with input from his pal Saunders — was a youth movement. The Wolves' first playoff team in 1996-97 was built around Garnett and rookie point guard Stephon Marbury, with help from fifth-year player Tom Gugliotta. Two years later, Marbury had forced his way out and Gugliotta was gone.

Every subsequent attempt to build around Garnett was filled with veterans. Draft pick Wally Szczerbiak was a mainstay, but far more common were the likes of Terrell Brandon, Joe Smith, Kendall Gill, Troy Hudson, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell.

It worked to a degree, but even at its best it was not sustainable. After Saunders was fired, attempts to build around KG became more desperate, until it was Garnett who had to go.

What we don't know yet is just how good these young players will become. But if Wiggins is anything close to what Garnett became, Saunders will be wise to stick to that mantra instead of taking the organization back to the shortcuts that ultimately cost him his job a decade ago.