Lone Ranger

McHale has consistently preached the benefits of “smash-mouth basketball,” a style that emphasizes physical toughness at both ends of the court. On offense, the plan is to score from “the paint” area close to the basket, often with bruising physical effort. On defense, the job is denying opponents access to the paint through rugged jousting and dedicated teamwork.

For all their virtues, neither Saunders nor Garnett play this style of game. Saunders prefers an offense designed to create shots from outside via crisp passing and a defense built on guile and strategy. Garnett shuns physical contact as much or more than any front-court star in the league.

So why did McHale hire a coach with a philosophy of play he thought could not win? Actually, he didn’t. People assume that because McHale and Saunders were college teammates, even roommates, McHale got his buddy through the door. In fact, Taylor reveals that Saunders independently contacted him about a front office job, and Taylor hired him just after he hired McHale. When then-coach Bill Blair got off to a bad start in 1995, Saunders succeeded him, presumably with McHale’s blessing. But the longer Saunders was on the job, the more the two bickered over how to play.

A similar difference of opinion existed with respect to locker room chemistry. McHale believes in a tight ship, with respected veteran players—or, failing that, the coach himself—exercising aggressive verbal leadership and discipline. But Saunders was conflict-averse, and KG preferred to lead by example. (Both Flip Saunders and Kevin Garnett declined interview requests.)

McHale doesn’t throw people under the bus, but if you listen carefully, you can hear him driving over the toes of Saunders and KG. Over lunch one afternoon, he spends ten minutes wondering why the Wolves always cast themselves as the underdog in the playoffs against teams that had won only a few more games over the course of the season. Translation: Saunders style was to deflate expectations rather than instill his troops with “swagger” crucial to success.