They are the closest of friends, and yet the first time their two teams met since the Timberwolves made a coaching change, there was no pregame hug or dap between Ricky Rubio and Ryan Saunders.



The reason was simple and heartbreaking at the same time. The forever bond that was cemented in 2015 between the point guard and the coach was forged under the crucible of some of the most painful grief a person can endure. And sometimes, with thousands of people watching their every move in an arena, with Ryan’s mother and three sisters sitting just a few rows off the court, the shared experience of losing parents to cancer just months apart can be a little too much for the two of them to confront when a game is about to begin.



“The other night, he wouldn’t come over and shake my hand during the game,” Saunders said. “We both know that when we see each other, we get emotional because we went through a lot of pain, a lot of painful...