Timberwolves followers have witnessed Saunders in the role of good cop for years. But how he handles moments that demand stern action was an important unknown entering this season, his first without the interim coach label.
“Don’t get it twisted,” Karl-Anthony Towns cautioned at media day. “He also has a side where he’s a dog, you know? He’s a dog, especially when it comes to getting things right, doing what he commands and asks of us.”
Saunders received ardent support from his players during the process of advancing from interim coach to landing the full-time gig.