Just before Ryan Saunders takes to the Target Center court for pregame warmups on Thursday night, he will slip on a pair of customized, dark blue Nikes with silver swooshes on them. Above the swoosh on one side of the shoe is written “ASNF.”



It’s a reference to “Men of Honor,” the Robert De Niro-Cuba Gooding Jr. movie about the first black master diver in the U.S. Navy. Ryan used to watch the movie with his father, Flip, and one of their favorite moments is when the meaning of the acronym is revealed. “A Son Never Forgets.”



They are special shoes for a special night.



The Timberwolves will raise a banner for Flip Saunders on Thursday night before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers, a gesture meant to cement the late coach and executive’s place in the franchise’s history.



In the nearly two and a half years since Flip passed away, ASNF has become a mantra of sorts not just for Ryan, who remains...