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Saunders Says He's Ready To Get Back To Coaching

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - It's been three years since Flip Saunders has manned an NBA bench, but don't tell him he hasn't been coaching.

"When I was at ESPN, I was coaching eight games a night," he said. "You're never really out of it, and you're always second-guessing coaches, and that's just part of what the business is all about. So, I'm excited about those dynamics, I'm excited about molding the team."

A year after taking over the front office, Saunders is no longer just responsible for assembling the talent. He's now also tasked with developing it, and as a coach at heart, that's what he's most excited for.

"One of the great things about having youth and young players as a coach, is that you really have a significant impact on them, on what they might be down the road," he said.

They're at the beginning of that road now, with training camp underway and the preseason opener just days away.

And Saunders is confident in how to navigate it.

"My success that I had recently in the past was geared on the fact of winning close games," he said. "And winning games down the stretch. Because we were an execution team and we demanded perfection in executing down the stretch, and we had a system. And so believing in that type of system hopefully will give us the opportunity to have success in close games and down the stretch."

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