Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Saunders: "Kevin Love Doesn’t Have Right to be Frustrated"

Is the toxic situation in Minnesota about to get worse? New Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders had some tough words for franchise player Kevin Love in a radio interview on Saturday.

“Just like I told Garnett, he didn’t have a right to be frustrated. Why does any player have a right to be frustrated? You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution,” Saunders said via KFAN 100.3 sports radio when asked if his superstar have the right to be frustrated.

Saunders went on to compare the situation with Love to then superstar Kevin Garnett, who was in the same situation before he was traded from Minnesota.

“I tell a story about – we were in the locker room when KG was in like his third year in the league, and Sam Mitchell was sitting in the locker room. KG was in there, and we had lost a couple games, and we were all sitting there talking. KG started going, ‘Hey, you’ve got to start doing more.’ And he’s talking to some of the bench guys. ‘You’ve got to start doing more.’ And Sam said, ‘Hey, hold it, hold it. Let me tell you something. You’re making all the money. Hey, it’s your responsibility. You make the money, you’ve got to live up to that.’ So, that was the mentality, and from that time, KG never ever from that point, he always took responsibility.”

Saunders’ statements serves as a challenge to Love, who still has a year left in his contract with the Timberwolves. There is a second year option for Love to stay but recent reports have stated that the star forward would rather explore free agency.

The Timberwolves have stated recently that they are not trading Love this offseason although rumours of deals with the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers have surfaced over the last few weeks.