Minnesota Timberwolves: Gersson Rosas and Ryan Saunders' Long Game

The Minnesota Timberwolves may not have had much success this season, but new management is focused on playing the long game.

When Gersson Rosas took over as the Minnesota Timberwolves' President of Basketball Operations last May, he committed to being aggressive while also staying patient. Rosas talked a lot about building a "sustainable winning model," avoiding win-now moves that would hurt the franchise later on, and developing a culture of growth and improvement.

When Ryan Saunders was hired as the Wolves' full-time head coach weeks later, he preached about playing a modern NBA game around Karl-Anthony Towns. That meant more focus on shots at the rim, free throws, and threes; and even…