Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is keeping General Manager Milt Newton on through the draft and into free agency. But the decision on the future of interim coach Sam Mitchell ultimately will rest with Taylor.
Talking before Saturday's game with Utah at Target Center, Taylor was asked if Newton's job would include a final decision on Mitchell.
"That's a good question — I think [he will be] part of the process," Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, said of Newton. "Certainly it starts with Milt. But I don't want to say it's his call. It's probably my call.''
Taylor said Friday that Newton will run the franchise in the lead-up to the draft, on draft night and during July free agency. But, given how difficult it is to judge a draft class right away, Taylor added some clarity to how he will evaluate Milton.
"I'll just keep communicating with him," Taylor said. "How he's going to go through the process, how he's going to do it. I mean, I know how Kevin [McHale] did it, I know how David [Kahn] did it. I know how Flip [Saunders] did it. So I'll have to see how Milt does it. I think a lot of it is not so much the result [of the draft] but the process he uses. Any judgment will be based upon that. He has the same staff that Flip had, so I'll be surprised if it will be greatly different. So I'll just watch the process.''
Asked if the timetable didn't put the team at risk of losing a season should Newton ultimately not be kept on, Taylor demurred.
"I don't want to answer that,'' he said.
Finally, Taylor said that he expects Newton to talk with people who have mentored him throughout his career but doesn't expect any consultants to be hired by the team.
