Flip Saunders was fired as the Timberwolves coach in February 2005. That was something of a surprise, since it came following what remains the only actual playoff run in franchise history, to the 2004 Western Conference finals.
Owner Glen Taylor has stated regret for allowing that firing, and he brought back Saunders as the team president in 2013. Flip would make himself the coach for the 2014-15 season with one goal in mind: to get as many pingpong balls as possible for the 2015 lottery.
That was a tank job that worked — a 16-66 record that was the worst in the NBA and a victory in the lottery.