About Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coach Chris Finch: History with Rosas
Finch and Gersson Rosas were together in Rio Grande Valley when Rosas was the general manager and Finch was the head coach.
They were together in Houston when Rosas was Daryl Morey’s right-hand man and Finch was first an assistant and then an associate head coach.
The duo apparently first met at summer league some years before but were linked for roughly five years in the Rockets organization. From the introductory press conference:
More Trust The pRosas fodder...
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) February 22, 2021
Gersson Rosas said he was introduced to Chris Finch randomly at Summer League 10 years ago.
The person who introduced the two? Sam Hinkie...
Remember, Finch was interviewed for the head coach job in Minnesota just under two years ago and was reportedly offered the associate head coach job, which he turned down to remain in the same role in New Orleans.
The Wolves hired Saunders and brought David Vanterpool in to be the associate head coach. Rumors abound as to what really happened, but there is plenty of chatter out there that Rosas preferred Finch as his top choice at one point in the process.
Also from the intro presser: it’s clear that Rosas and Finch operate on a similar wavelength in terms of the talent that they value.
Chris Finch on D'Angelo Russell:
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) February 22, 2021
"We studied D'Angelo a lot in the draft back in Houston."
Finch looked over at Gersson Rosas when he said this.
Interesting nugget that suggests Rosas had serious interest in Russell dating back to the 2015 Draft.
There’s a lot to like about what D’Angelo Russell may be asked to do in a Finch offensive system; look at how efficient and effective the Toronto Raptors duo of Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry has been this year utilizing off-ball movement. Look for Russell to even get involved screening for Towns in inverted pick-and-roll action.
The bottom line is, Finch is a creative coach. The Wolves have too much talent, especially on the offensive end of the floor, to be a bottom-three offense.
Now, just how quickly Finch implements his offense mid-stream this season will be interesting. If nothing else, the Wolves have brought in one of the hottest names on the hiring circuit, no matter how unconventional the timing and process may have been.