Arena Met Center | Record 36–42 (.462) | |
Head coach Jim Harding (20–13)
Vern Mikkelsen (6–6)
Verl Young (10–23) Place Division: 4th (Eastern) Playoff finish Lost in the Eastern Division Semifinals | ||
The 1968–69 Minnesota Pipers season was the only season of the Pipers in Minnesota and second overall season in the American Basketball Association. The previous season, the Pipers had won the ABA Finals, but moved the team from Pittsburgh to Minnesota (which had just lost the Muskies) after the season. But the Pipers were not any more successful in Minnesota, and they moved back to Pittsburgh before next season. The team went through three coaches: Harding, who was fired after attacking the Pipers Chairman Gabe Rubin at the banquet of the All-Star Game. Mikkelsen (the general manager) took over for a while before Verl Young took the job permanently. Hawkins, Williams, Vaughn, and Heyman were nagged by injuries due to long practices, which affected the team, which fell in the Semifinals to the Miami Floridians. Minnesota would not have a pro basketball team again until 1989 with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Contents
Roster
Playoffs
Eastern Division Semifinals vs. Miami Floridians
Pipers lose series, 4–3
Awards and honors
1969 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 28, 1969)
Hawkins had been selected, but he was injured. Harding was selected to coach the team, but Rhodes replaced him after his firing.