on the SIDELINES

MINNEAPOLIS -- Kevin McHale shook up the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, firing longtime friend Flip Saunders and taking over the coaching duties for the rest of the season.\nMcHale, the team's vice president of basketball operations, called Saunders on Saturday morning to break the news.\n"We talked this morning, and it was very, very hard," McHale said. "We've known each other for a long time, but our last 32 games we're 12-20, and just not playing at a level that's acceptable, energy-wise.\n"Maybe a new voice will help. I'm going to do my best to get these guys competing at a higher level."\nSaunders, who had the second-longest tenure among NBA coaches, will be reassigned within the organization, the team said.\nMinnesota is 25-26 this season, a disappointment after last season's franchise-best 58-24 mark. Spurred on by Kevin Garnett's MVP season, the Wolves reached the Western Conference finals for the first time, creating optimism heading into this season.\nIt hasn't been as easy. Saunders has used 12 different starting lineups this season and bewildered his players at times with his substitution patterns, all in an effort to become successful again.\nBut nothing seemed to work. The Timberwolves dropped seven of their last eight, and McHale was frustrated with their listless play in the first half of the season.\n"Our effort level is just not there, and I said, 'Glen, it's on me,' and he said, 'Do something about it,'" McHale said, referring to owner Glen Taylor.\nSo the Hall of Famer called his old college pal and teammate from the University of Minnesota and delivered the news.\nIn more than nine seasons, Saunders was 411-326. He was hired on Dec. 18, 1995, taking over for Bill Blair and helped turn one of the NBA's most lackluster franchises into a legitimate contender. Last season, Saunders became the eighth person in NBA history to have coached his first 700 games with the same organization.\nHe led the Timberwolves to eight straight postseason appearances, but that included seven first-round exits before the breakthrough to the Western Conference finals last season.\nOnly Jerry Sloan, who has coached the Utah Jazz since 1988, had a longer tenure than Saunders among current NBA coaches.