Flip Saunders was in coma for six weeks, needed just one more treatment

Flip Saunders had one treatment left before he contracted pneumonia and passed away

The NBA lost one of the great men in the brotherhood that the league inherently creates on Sunday with the passing of Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations, Flip Saunders. Saunders had been battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lost his battle with cancer on Sunday. Saunders was 60 years old.

Losing a man, coach, and human being like Saunders hits home for everyone in the NBA and everyone who’s a fan of the NBA. He never came off as anything but genuine, and that genuineness was punctuated by his caring, warm presence that reached and touched players, peers, media members, and fans alike. Saunders’ passing is one that is heartbreaking for so many as he had impacted the lives of so many.

In the wake of his passing, the details only become more heartbreaking. As part of a column reflecting on Saunders and the coach’s death, Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune stated that Saunders had only one cancer treatment remaining at the Mayo Clinic. However, he then contracted pneumonia and eventually slipped into a coma. He was in a coma for six weeks before his passing on Sunday. He was so close to beating the disease, which only makes Saunders’ death sting even more.

Saunders’ passing isn’t something that will only be felt on the floor for the Timberwolves in the upcoming season. Because of his wide-ranging reach throughout the league, the NBA almost in its entirety is still mourning the loss of a colleague, mentor, and friend. Basketball starts back tomorrow, but now it’ll start with at least a tinge of melancholy undertones because, simply, Saunders won’t be there to watch.