Minnesota Timberwolves Roundup: Vanterpool, another Saunders

Let’s take our weekly look at the world of the Minnesota Timberwolves, including new associate head coach David Vanterpool and the newest member of the Saunders family.

Despite playing exactly zero playoff games and not playing a game in more than six weeks, it’s already been a busy offseason for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lately, that’s meant filling out head coach Ryan Saunders’ staff.

First, there was new associate head coach David Vanterpool, who had interviewed for at least four head coaching roles around the league after spending seven seasons on the bench with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Vanterpool’s praises have been lauded by many, including former pupils and stars Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, as noted in Jon Krawczynski’s column at The Athletic (subscription required).

Lillard and McCollum spoke for themselves, as well, with heartfelt Instagram posts noting exactly how they feel about Vanterpool.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByYvAR4lYOW/

Additionally, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reposted a lengthy interview with both Blazers stars that included a visit from Vanterpool, as noted in the tweet below.

Both Lillard and McCollum credit Vanterpool with pushing them as young players and helping them get better over the course of their respective careers. It’s a fun listen and gives a bit of insight into exactly how Vanterpool has worked closely with young players — and specifically, young guards — in the past.

On Friday, the Timberwolves reportedly hired Pablo Prigioni to an assistant coach position. Prigioni was a player in Houston while new Wolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas was in the front office.

Most recently, Prigioni was the player development coach for the resurgent Brooklyn Nets this season. The Wolves have already pilfered Gianluca Pascucci, the former Nets director of global scouting, to be the general manager in Minnesota. Now, Priogini is following him to the Twin Cities.

The expectation, according to reports, is that Vanterpool will coordinate the defense while Prigioni focuses largely on the Wolves’ offense.

The player development role is typically a position that is something like a half-step beneath a full-fledged assistant coaching role, and is often an up-and-coming coach with little to no previous coaching experience. According to the above-linked article from The Athletic’s Krawczynski, former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Kevin Burleson is reportedly under consideration for that role.

Elsewhere, we’d be remiss to not offer congratulations to head coach Ryan Saunders and his wife on the newest member of their family.

https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1136650142617153541

Weird way for the team to announce that the Wolves are replacing Jeff Teague, but here we are. Didn’t take long, but Gersson Rosas is making major moves.

The Wolves will still have at least a slot or two to fill on the bench, so stay tuned for any additional news. As it is, however, the staff appears to be taking shape, and it is certainly a versatile group that Rosas and Saunders have put together.