MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves best days came with Flip Saunders on the sideline. Jim McIlvaine Jersey . Now that the organization is shrouded in uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of star forward Kevin Love, Saunders is returning to the bench to try revive a franchise that hasnt made the playoffs in 10 years. With the teams coaching search complicated by Loves status, the Timberwolves decided the best course of action was to have Saunders, who was hired last season as president of basketball operations, step in for a second stint as coach until the situation stabilized, Saunders said in a text message Thursday. The official announcement will come at a news conference on Friday afternoon. Saunders previously coached the Timberwolves from 1995-2005. He won 411 games in 10 1/2 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, where he coached the Pistons to three straight Eastern Conference finals, and Washington. Saunders is joining a short list in the NBA of coaches who also have final-say executive authority, one that includes newly hired Stan Van Gundy in Detroit, Doc Rivers with the Los Angeles Clippers and, to a certain extent, Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. Saunders will continue to work closely with GM Milt Newton in the front office while handling coaching duties. When Rick Adelman retired at the end of the regular season, he did so in part to try to help the Timberwolves move forward with a plan to show Love, a three-time All-Star who can opt out of his contract next summer, that there was a long-term plan in place for success. But Loves tenuous situation didnt help the search process, with trade rumours serving as a caution sign for several high-profile candidates. Saunders was in the market for a coach with extensive head coaching experience, either in the NBA or at a major college program, one that could command the respect of a young locker room and also handle the media scrutiny that comes with the questions surrounding Love. Names like Tom Izzo, Billy Donovan and Fred Hoiberg came and went without any traction. The Wolves hosted Memphis coach Dave Joerger for an interview two weekends ago, but Grizzlies owner Robert Pera sweetened his contract to keep him around. Sam Mitchell, Lionel Hollins, Scott Skiles and several others received consideration as well. Unable to find what they felt was the right fit for a delicate job, Saunders and owner Glen Taylor met this week to reassess the situation, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team was not publicly discussing the search process. Taylor said when he brought Saunders back as team president that he would not put him back on the bench. He fired Saunders as coach once before, in 2005 when Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, unhappy with their contracts, submarined the follow-up to the teams stirring run to the Western Conference finals. Saunders was also hopeful that he could find someone other than himself to take over the team. But with Loves status preventing them from pursuing the coaches they felt would fit best, the two decided that Saunders should take over for at least this season if not longer. The Timberwolves have not given up on convincing Love to play out this season in Minnesota and re-sign next summer to a contract that can pay him and extra year and about $26.5 million more than any other team. It was not immediately clear what the appointment of Saunders would do for Loves desires to stay or go. The Timberwolves planned to meet with Love to see where he stands now that the head coaching vacancy has been filled. Love has yet to make the playoffs in his six seasons in the league and is believed to be growing impatient with the Wolves, who finished 40-42 and in 10th place in the West this year. Love created a stir when he spent last weekend in Boston, where the Celtics are rumoured to be making a run at trading for the 25-year-old power forward before the June 26 draft. Just how long Saunders will coach remains to be seen. There is the possibility that Saunders will add assistants to his staff who could be groomed to eventually take over. The Wolves were expected to reach out to Mitchell, a former Timberwolves player and Raptors head coach, and David Blatt, who has spearheaded Russias return to Olympic relevance and coaches in Israel, to gauge their interest in joining his staff. Dale Ellis Jersey . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. Dick Snyder Jersey .com) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to win two straight games for the first time since mid-January on Monday night as they play host to the struggling New York Islanders. https://www.supersonicsjerseys.com/1180s-walt-hazzard-jersey-supersonics.html . Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto. Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Kerry, Im in the middle of watching the Oilers-Predators game Tuesday night where we saw a puck that entered the net called no goal by the ref behind the net. After over a minute of continued play which included an Oilers penalty, the play finally stopped and the refs were able to review the goal (it was a good goal). The broadcasters said that they would have to bring the play back to the moment in time when that goal happened, so I was surprised to see Mark Frasers penalty stand from the end of the play. My question is as follows: What would have happened if Nashville had scored a goal as well? They had some good sustained pressure after the Hall goal. They let the penalty at the end of the play stand, but would they have also let a Nashville goal stand? Thanks. Aaron Deblois,Edmonton Aaron, Once video review was instituted to determine the scoring of legitimate goals, including those that are undetected by the referee during the course of play, Rule 78.6 was included in the rule book to cover the situation that occurred in Tuesday nights Oilers-Predators game. Interestingly, I was called to rule upon the identical situation the first very time it occurred in an NHL game. Current executive VP and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell was behind the bench that night as coach of the NY Rangers for a game in Pittsburgh. The Rangers scored an undetected goal and play continued for another minute until I blew my whistle for a Ranger penalty. While assessing the penalty, a horn sounded to signify the play was placed under review by the video goal judge located in the Pittsburgh Arena. Video review confirmed that the puck had indeed entered the net for a Ranger goal. I instructed the timekeeper to re-set the clock to the time of the goal and place two minutes on the Rangers penalty clock. I explained the strange turn of events that resulted from this new rule application to Coach Campbell at the Rangers bench. While pleased with the award of a goal for his team, the coach was somewhat miffed that the penalty should stand given the difference inn game time that had occurred. Spencer Haywood Jersey. Nonetheless, Campbell trusted my knowledge of the rule and the Rangers killed off the minor penalty. This initial situation was handled "on-site" by the referee and the video goal judge. Currently all video decisions are made "off-site" in the Situation Room in Toronto under the direction of former coach, Colin Campbell who received some basic training that night in the Igloo. Aaron, I provide points from Rule 78.6 that address various scenarios and answer your specific question. • Any potential goal must be reviewed during the next stoppage of play. No review can take place after the puck has been dropped.• If an apparent goal is confirmed by video review, the clock is re-set to the time the goal was scored.• Only one goal can be awarded at any stoppage of play. Had Nashville subsequently scored to stop play after Taylor Halls undetected goal, the Preds goal would not stand.• If review determined that the undetected goal by Taylor Hall was scored illegally (i.e. distinct kicking motion), the goal shall be disallowed and since the play should have stopped, no subsequent goal scored by either team can be awarded on the same play. The clock (including penalty time clocks, if applicable) must be re-set to the time of the disallowed goal by Hall.• Any penalties (Mark Fraser) signaled during the period of time between the apparent goal (scored by Hall) and the next stoppage of play shall be assessed in the normal manner, except when a minor penalty is to be assessed to the team scored upon (Nashville), and is therefore nullified by the scoring of the goal. If the penalty to be assessed (Nashville) was a double minor, one of the minors would be nullified with the scoring of the goal.• *If an infraction happens after the first stoppage of play following an apparent goal (i.e. infraction committed by Mark Fraser or a Preds player occurred after the whistle) by either team, it is assessed and served in the normal manner regardless as to the decision rendered by the Video Goal Judge. Whenever this unusual play occurs in a game, Rule 78.6 provides the necessary check-list for the referee and video review to follow. ' ' '