There’s a new laser-focused president of basketball operations in Minnesota, and Gersson Rosas is already pulling strings to bring philosophical alignment from the front office to the Timberwolves’ coaching staff and players.
On the court, Rosas promises that his philosophy is modern, meaning he’ll aim to pull the Wolves out of the dark ages and into the present day, where teams are efficient juggernauts that thrive with strategic pace and space on the floor.
“I always saw it as a sleeping giant, a place that values basketball, good ownership and resources,” Rosas said of Minnesota in an interview with Jim Petersen. “It’s just putting it together. To be fair, in this league it’s hard to win. It’s hard to line everything up.”
Rosas sees the modern game as “very impactful.”
“I say that because it impacts the roster, it impacts strategy, it impacts coaching. I love a fast and efficient, strategic game. The pace and the space. I think offensively, the way the game is structured now, there’s a lot of opportunity,” said Rosas, who has spent the past 16 years in the front office of the Houston Rockets.
Houston, led by MVP candidate James Harden, shoots more 3-pointers than any team in the league, taking nearly 600 more attempts (3,721) than any other team in the NBA. Minnesota was 26th in 3-point attempts, shooting nearly 1,400 fewer than Houston.
“We’ve gotta get guys that can play that system, or we’ve gotta develop our players here, so player development is going to be a big part of it,” Rosas said of turning Minnesota into a 3-point threat.
“Shot selection is something that’s important, but in a strategic way. We want to put our players in the best position to be successful, and part of that is understanding who they are and what are the areas that are most successful for them. But we also want to diminish their weaknesses. How can we make them more efficient? How can we make them more productive? And that takes time, but I do believe alignment and philosophy are going to help impact the way we play.”
That said, Rosas noted: “This is not going to be Houston North. This is going to be about Minnesota. We’re going to build our own identity.”
Will Ryan Saunders stay as head coach?
Ryan Saunders finished the 2018-19 season as the interim head coach of the Wolves, and Rosas is now in charge of Saunders’ fate, as well as that of general manager Scott Layden.
“The head coaching position is a critical and important part of that. I’m doing my due diligence,” Rosas said Monday. “I think Ryan and Scott have done a very commendable job considering everything that’s happened this season. I look forward now to sitting down and visiting with them and talking about the organization, but that’s a major objective that we want to address sooner rather than later.”
Gersson Rosas on Ryan Saunders' future as the @Timberwolves' head coach: "That's a major objective we want to address sooner rather than later." pic.twitter.com/2ALPvtzcp2
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) May 6, 2019
Rosas later added: “There’s going to be tangible change, and this market’s going to feel it.”
Owner Glen Taylor told Fox Sports North’s Marney Gellner that he expects Rosas to take his time before making major decisions, although the coaching decision needs to be made “fairly soon.”
