Flip Saunders: Kevin Love has no right to be frustrated.

[Regular_P]

This is rich

President, part-owner and new coach Flip Saunders said Saturday that star forward Kevin Love has no right to be frustrated over the Minnesota Timberwolves' lack of recent success.

"Just like I told (Kevin) Garnett, he didn't have a right to be frustrated," Saunders said during an interview with KFAN 100.3 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. "Why does any player have a right to be frustrated? You're either part of the problem or part of the solution.

"Should the team be frustrated? Yeah, the team can be frustrated. But I don't think any one individual should be frustrated."

Saunders pointed to a moment early in Garnett's career that stood out to him.

"I tell a story about -- we were in the locker room when KG was in like his third year in the league, and Sam Mitchell was sitting in the locker room," Saunders said. "KG was in there, and we had lost a couple games, and we were all sitting there talking.

"KG started going, 'Hey, you've got to start doing more.' And he's talking to some of the bench guys. 'You've got to start doing more.' And Sam said, 'Hey, hold it, hold it. Let me tell you something. You're making all the money. Hey, it's your responsibility. You make the money, you've got to live up to that.' So, that was the mentality, and from that time, KG never ever from that point, he always took responsibility."

Sources reiterated to ESPN.com on Thursday that Saunders' move back to the bench will have no impact on Love's determination to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent in 2015.

Saunders and Love have built a good relationship since Saunders replaced David Kahn as Minnesota's lead decision-maker, but sources say Love is determined to play for a contender after missing the playoffs in each of his first six NBA seasons. His concern, sources say, isn't who's coaching but the state of the roster.

Saunders was introduced Friday as the Wolves' coach, a position he held previously from 1995-2005. He won 411 games in 10½ seasons in Minnesota and guided the Wolves to the only eight playoff appearances in franchise history, including the Western Conference finals in 2004. He has a career record of 638-526 in 16 seasons as an NBA head coach, a career that also includes stops in Detroit and Washington.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/1...berwolves-says-kevin-love-no-right-frustrated

Bring up Kevin Garnett's frustrations when the franchise hasn't made the playoffs since he left, brehs.

 

[Ritzy Sharon]

sounds like Love's camp is ratcheting up the pressure to get him moved to a glamour-market and Flip is preparing Minny fans for the inevitable.

 

[Hammer]

KG on the Twolves seems like forever ago

 

[SwagKingKong]

The Minny franchise is pathetic... if KG didn't carry them during the late '90s and '00s they would've been finished.

Think about this for a second, the franchise haven't made the playoffs without KG. They've played 13 seasons in the NBA without KG and never even sniffed the playoffs. This year was the first time they won 30!!!!! games without KG.

And he dragged them to 8 consecutive playoff appearances and they won 51 games in '03 with a starting 5 of Troy Hudson, Anthony Peeler, Szczerbiak, Garnett and Nesterovic

They got no respect from me.. wasting away KGs career like they did and managed to put an ok team around him ONCE in 12 years. He would've been ever higher regarded if he played on good teams during his prime but their inept front office couldn't do it.

Kevin Loves would commit that if he had to play with the trash KG played with. He atleast got an OK cast around him and still can't do shyt.

 

[The War Report]

:lolwut:

 

[who_better_than_me]

sounds like Love's camp is ratcheting up the pressure to get him moved to a glamour-market and Flip is preparing Minny fans for the inevitable.

Is this what happened wih melo?


On the real though, statements like that aren't going to endear player to Saunders and definitely won't attract good players to want to play for him.

Even Kobe reached out to management to bring in some help. No wonder kg left.

 

[FAH1223]

They will move to Seattle in a couple years.

 

[BLAZO da GAWD]

He sounds like a slave owner.

 

[MikelArteta]

A horrible franchise.

 

[Mr swag]

Flip is right. There was a reason the wolves refused to give him the max.

 

[Street Knowledge]

They will move to Seattle in a couple years.

 

[Akata Man Bromo]

i agree

 

[Swagnificent]

well he is right. if you're really a superstar, you should be able to make it to the playoffs....once. just once. if you can't do it, then you are part of the problem and have no right to be frustrated.

 

[Tookalossfellbackcameback]

If you watch Sam Mitchell on NBA TV or listen to him on the radio you could totally see that nicca checking KG like that in the lockeroom. KG trying to tell everybody else to step up and old man Sam was like

 

[mrken12]

What kind of arrogant closeminded thinking is that?

If the front office isn't giving a "star" player the proper cast to help improve the team's chances of winning a championship, there's only so much that one person can do.