Sam Mitchell took a lot of well-deserved heat for his coaching job last season. The interim Wolves’ coach was regarded as one of the worst in the league in his brief stint.
The poor coaching led to Mitchell being fired at the conclusion of the season. He was eventually replaced by Tom Thibodeau who has Wolves’ fans excited about the future of their young core.
While Mitchell’s firing was a long way coming, the former head coach was not pleased with how it happened. He elaborated on that in an interview with ESPN’s Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (h/t Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk for the transcripts):
I’ve known Glen Taylor a long time, and I have had the utmost respect for him. And my whole thing, Doogie, was, whether you thought I earned the job or not, that’s fine. That’s a decision that he has to make. But I felt like after 13 years of being in the organization, after being the captain, after having been the guy that was whenever there was things going on and they needed players to do things, being that go-to guy – I thought I always carried myself and conducted myself when I was in the Wolves uniform as a coach or a player. And after 13 years and being knowing Mr. Taylor for about 10 or 11, to be treated that way, that just did something to me.
It just left a bad taste in my mouth, and Doogie, to be honest with you, it’s something that I don’t know where to place it emotionally or mentally. It’s just tough, man. I don’t know where – still to this day, I don’t think about it or dwell on it, because I understand that the NBA is not fair, that life is not fair. Bad things happen to good people all the time, and good things happen for bad people all the time. I’m about to turn 53, and I understand that. But I’ve always held Glen Taylor in high regard. And just to be treated that way – a 30-second phone call – it just didn’t sit well with me. It’s something I don’t understand, and I’ve had a hard time trying to figure out, where do I place this?
Because, again, it would not have been easy to sit down with me and have that conversation. But I think after the years in the organization, that’s the least that you could have done for me.
Another thing: I’ve known Tom Thibodeau. Look, another disheartening thing is – and, again, I understand the NBA. Somebody offers you the job – someone offers my best friend who may be a assistant coach the job and you have the job, they’re going to take the job. They have to take the job, because there’s only 30. I understand that, Doogie. And I mean, once the decision is made not to hire you, then I’m OK with a friend of mine or someone I know getting the job. Because at the end of the day, it’s not like they’re doing anything behind your back to take your job. No one can take your job in the NBA. Either the owner doesn’t think you did a good enough job to retain you or, for whatever reason, they replace you. So, I understand that. It’s a big-boy league.
But even with Tom – all the years I’ve been knowing Tom and with Bill Musselman actually having helped Tom get on the staff as a player with the Wolves when I played for them because of my connection with Bill Musselman – the fact that he never called me saying a word to me, never sent me a message, never sent me a text. And that the new general manager Scott called me a month and a half later.
A month and a half later. So, at that point, why are you even calling me?
So, again, the way things were handled in Minnesota, I was totally shocked. I had always given the organization credit for how they treated people in the past and being a first-class organization. But to be treated that way after 13 years, I think I have a right to feel a certain way about it.
And again, not bitter. Not angry. I’m happy. I’m moving on with my life and doing other things, and I’m happy. But Minnesota was home for me for a long time. I had a lot of good friends there, and I just never thought I would be treated that way on my way out the door. But, again, that’s life and it is what it is, and you get better for it.
It was so disrespectful to even call me a month and a half later. I think when I realized it was him, I was hanging up the phone as he was talking. There was nothing really much to say. A month and a half later – you think a month and a half later, you think I haven’t read the tea leaves and understand what is going on? Especially, a month and a half before that, I talked to Glen Taylor. So, what was there to call me about?
I’m proud of the job I did there, and I always will be proud of it. I’m disappointed in how I was treated. Always disappointed that you weren’t retained and given an opportunity to keep the job, but I understand the business. A lot better coaches than I am have been let go and not retained. So, I understand that.
But in the manner in which it was done, I felt like because of the years I’ve been there, that it could’ve been handled better. But, again, that’s how they chose to handle it.
And Wayne Embry used to tell me this all the time. It’s not what people do to you that’s important. It’s how you handle and bounce back what was done to you. So, that’s the thing that I keep focused on. That’s what I think about. And again, like I said, I’m happy with my life, and I’m happy with the direction that it’s going in.
I respect Sam Mitchell for being this candid and open about his firing. It’s not easy to do and he has a point. While the NBA is a business, having a reputation as a cold organization that fires employees without much communication is not a good one. The Wolves already have difficulty getting free agents due to their location. Having the challenge of management’s reputation added is not great.
I don’t necessarily understand Mitchell’s gripe with Tom Thibodeau but I also don’t know the conventional protocol when one coach replaces another.
Regardless, this is an open conversation from Sam Mitchell. His response is a full one and whether it seems like his complaints are valid or not, it’s good to see such a candid answer.
