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.
Eastern Division Semifinals vs. Miami Floridians[1] Pipers lose series, 4–3 1969 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 28, 1969) Hawkins had been selected, but he was injured.