Minneapolis ? Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders was fired Saturday and replaced by vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale.

Saunders, who had the second-longest tenure among NBA coaches, will be reassigned within the organization, the team said.

McHale will coach the Timberwolves for the rest of the season.

Minnesota 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 for this season.

It hasn’t been as easy. Saunders has used 12 different starting lineups this season and bewildered his players at times with his substitution patterns.

McHale has been with Minnesota since 1993, serving as a special assistant to the coaching staff, broadcast analyst and assistant general manager before becoming vice president of basketball operations in May 1995.