Wolves hire Finch as coach after firing Saunders
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday finalized the hiring of Toronto assistant Chris Finch as their new head coach, hours after firing Ryan Saunders with the team carrying the NBA'S worst record.
President of basketball operations Gersson Rosas made the change on the bench to the 51-year-old Finch, who was in his first season with the Raptors. They worked together in Houston, where Finch was an assistant (2011-16) and Rosas was a basketball operations executive.
“He is one of the most creative basketball minds in the NBA, has success maximizing players, and I am excited to see him bring our team to the next level and beyond,” Rosas said in a statement distributed by the Timberwolves.
Finch has 24 years of coaching experience, roughly half of that in Europe. The two-time NCAA Division III All-american at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania played for the Sheffield Sharks in the British Basketball League and later coached the same team from 1997-2003. Finch also coached Britain's national team in the 2012 Olympics.
His domestic experience began in what is now called the G League, winning the coach of the year award in 2010 for champion Rio Grande Valley. After his six seasons with the Rockets, Finch spent one year as an assistant for Denver and three with New Orleans. Considered one of the league's best offensive strategists, Finch has helped coach stars like Nikola Jokic,́ Zion Williamson and James Harden over his career.
The midseason move from one team's staff to another is rare, an obvious sign that Rosas had his former colleague in mind for awhile.