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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves best days came with Flip Saunders on the sideline. Now that the organization is shrouded in uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of star forward Kevin Love, Saunders is returning to the bench to try revive a franchise that hasnt made the playoffs in 10 years. With the teams coaching search complicated by Loves status, the Timberwolves decided the best course of action was to have Saunders, who was hired last season as president of basketball operations, step in for a second stint as coach until the situation stabilized, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not officially announced the move. A news conference was scheduled for Friday. Saunders previously coached the Timberwolves from 1995-2005. He won 411 games in 10 1/2 seasons in Minnesota and guided the Wolves to the only eight playoff appearances in franchise history, including the Western Conference finals in 2004. He has a career record of 638-526 in 16 seasons as an NBA head coach, a career that also includes stops in Detroit and Washington. Saunders is joining a short list in the NBA of coaches that also have final-say executive authority, one that includes newly hired Stan Van Gundy in Detroit, Doc Rivers with the Los Angeles Clippers and, to a certain extent, Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. Saunders will continue to work closely with GM Milt Newton in the front office while handling coaching duties. When Rick Adelman retired at the end of the regular season, he did so in part to try to help the Timberwolves move forward with a plan to show Love, a three-time All-Star who can opt out of his contract next summer, that there was a long-term plan in place for success. But Loves tenuous situation didnt help the search process, with trade rumours serving as a caution sign for several high-profile candidates. Saunders was in the market for a coach with extensive head coaching experience, either in the NBA or at a major college program, one that could command the respect of a young locker room and also handle the media scrutiny that comes with the questions surrounding Love. Names like Tom Izzo, Billy Donovan and Fred Hoiberg came and went without any traction. The Wolves hosted Memphis coach Dave Joerger for an interview two weekends ago, but Grizzlies owner Robert Pera sweetened his contract to keep him around. Sam Mitchell, Lionel Hollins, Scott Skiles and several others received consideration as well. Unable to find what they felt was the right fit for a delicate job, Saunders and owner Glen Taylor met this week to reassess the situation. Taylor said when he brought Saunders back as team president that he would not put him back on the bench. He fired Saunders as coach once before, in 2005 when Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, unhappy with their contracts, submarined the follow-up to the teams stirring run to the Western Conference finals. Saunders was also hopeful that he could find someone other than himself to take over the team. But with Loves status preventing them from pursuing the coaches they felt would fit best, the two decided that Saunders should take over for at least this season if not longer. The Timberwolves have not given up on convincing Love to play out this season in Minnesota and re-sign next summer to a contract that can pay him and extra year and about $26.5 million more than any other team. It was not immediately clear what the appointment of Saunders would do for Loves desires to stay or go. Love has yet to make the playoffs in his six seasons in the league and is believed to be growing impatient with the Wolves, who finished 40-42 and in 10th place in the West this year. Love created a stir when he spent last weekend in Boston, where the Celtics are rumoured to be making a run at trading for the 25-year-old power forward before the June 26 draft. Just how long Saunders will coach remains to be seen. There is the possibility that Saunders will add assistants to his staff who could be groomed to eventually take over. The Wolves were expected to reach out to Mitchell, a former Timberwolves player and Raptors head coach, and David Blatt, who has spearheaded Russias return to Olympic relevance and coaches in Israel, to gauge their interest in joining his staff. Authentic George Odum Jersey . Torres calmly stroked a 51st-minute spot kick down the middle with goalkeeper Romel Quinonez diving right to convert a penalty earned by Javi Martinez. Spain controlled play at the Sanchez Pizjuan but found it hard to convert against a well-organized Bolivian team before Iniesta charged forward to curl around Quinonez in the 84th to seal victory. 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That didnt stop them from completing a sweep of the rival Chicago Cubs. Beckhams tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning helped the White Sox beat the rival Cubs 5-1 on Tuesday night. Beckham was 1 for 6 in the White Soxs 3-1, 12-inning win Monday over the Cubs, but he matched a career high with four hits Tuesday. The fourth one, on a 1-2 pitch with two outs from Neil Ramirez (0-1), gave Beckham his first homer of the season and the White Sox the lead, one they held to sweep the two-game series at Wrigley Field before the teams start a two-game set Wednesday across town at U.S. Cellular Field. Entering Tuesday, Beckham was 3 for his last 17 and hitting just .167 on the season. But he took extended batting practice earlier in the day, and that paid off later. "It was great. I mean great night, completely blessed to have it and definitely comes at a good time," Beckham said. "Good win." The sweep was made more impressive by what the White Sox have been battling. Their best pitcher, starting third baseman, centre fielder and right fielder are all injured, and Adam Dunn was a late scratch and replaced in the lineup by Moises Sierra. Sierra had four hits, and the White Sox had their third straight win. "Theyre scrapping and finding a way to do it. Especially with all the injuries of guys going down you just kind of have to find your way sometimes and scratch and claw and take what you can get," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "Theyve been doing that, which is good." Theyve also been pitching well against the Cubs, who lost their third straight. Zach Putnam (1-0) had an 18.90 ERA in five games for the Cubs last season but threw two scoreless innings for the White Sox, who have won consecutive games against the North Siders for the first time since taking three in a row in 2012. The White Soxs starter had another good night but wasnt the beneficiary of Beckhams home run and the three ninth-inning insurance runs -- capped by pinch-hitter Jordan Danks two-run double off Pedro Strop -- that also gave the White Sox their third straight win after a four-game skid. Hector Noesi gave the White Sox their second straiight strong start against their crosstown rivals.dddddddddddd. One day after Jose Quintana took a no-hitter into the sixth, Noesi went five innings and allowed one run while striking out six. "Not very good (the past two nights)," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. It was also a departure from Noesis first start of the season, when he lasted just 3 2-3 innings and allowed four runs in an April 30 loss to Detroit. "I really would like to be a starter," Noesi said. "I feel comfortable." Like Noesi, Cubs starter Edwin Jackson saw one of his better outings end up in a no-decision. Jackson entered with a 5.24 ERA but went seven innings and gave up one run while striking out a season-high nine, following up Jeff Samardzijas nine-inning, one-run outing Monday. "That game yesterday ... Samardzija threw a hell of a game," Jackson said. "I cant lie and say that didnt give me some extra motivation today to come out and follow up that performance with a strong outing." The White Sox did, too, and finished a two-game sweep of the Cubs. "Its good. I mean we need to keep, no matter who it is, keep grinding out and getting some wins. Last three games has been good," Beckham said. "Weve found a way to win in some tight games and obviously pulled a bit today but its good team-building stuff." NOTES: Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said there have been no trade talks yet. "Teams have to have a sense that they cant fill a hole internally," he said. "People dont usually come to that conclusion in May." ... White Sox manager Robin Ventura said LHP Chris Sale (left arm) was feeling "good" one day after a 40-pitch bullpen session and that hell have another session "in the near future." ... Cubs RHP Jose Veras, on the disabled list since April 26 with a strained left oblique, threw a scoreless inning Tuesday during a rehab stint for Double-A Tennessee. ... White Sox 3B Conor Gillaspie (left hand) is eligible to come off the DL Wednesday, and Ventura said "youre hoping that hes back pretty soon." ... The Cubs will play a day-night doubleheader at Cincinnati on July 8 to make up the game from April 28, which was postponed due to rain. ' ' '