Minnesota Timberwolves president and head coach Flip Saunders was diagnosed with a Hodgkin's lymphoma, the team announced in a released statement Tuesday in which they also discussed what he is going through and when the initial diagnosis happened.
According to the statement, the initial diagnosis was eight weeks ago after Saunders went through an examination by Timberwolves vice president of team medical services Sheldon Burns.
Burns then immediately started treatment on Saunders, who is now currently undergoing chemotherapy.
"I am taking it step by step and day by day to understand how to best manage this process," Saunders said in the statement.
The 60-year-old coach has never failed to attend to his duties as Minnesota's president of basketball operations and head coach before and after the diagnosis and while having treatment.
In the statement, Saunders also thanked Burns and his medical team at Mayo Clinic for coming up with a plan to help him be cancer-free.
"I am attacking this with the same passion I do everything in my life, knowing this is a serious issue. I also know that God has prepared me to fight this battle," Saunders stated.
According to the statement, Saunders will be continuing his duties with the organization.
Saunders' coaching stint with the Timberwolves is already his second after being the head coach from 1995–2005.
Last June 2014, he returned to the franchise after stops with the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards.
In Saunders' return as the Timberwolves coach last season, the team had the worst record in the NBA at 16–66 but the year showed flashes of future greatness with budding stars Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine demonstrating massive potential.
This season, Saunders will have the mix of youth and veteran leadership as Wiggins and LaVine will be joined by 2015 first overall pick center Karl Anthony Towns.
Meanwhile, veterans Kevin Garnett and Andre Miller are also on the roster and will surely provide leadership and direction to the team.
