Minnesota Timberwolves Roundup: Chris Finch’s first week, Beasley, more…

One week has passed since the Minnesota Timberwolves fired former head coach Ryan Saunders and replaced him with Chris Finch.

The process and the move itself were unconventional for a number of reasons. Firing Saunders one game into a four-game road trip and in the midst of a stretch during which the Wolves were actually showing a few more signs of life was strange, even if Gersson Rosas and the Timberwolves’ front office would have gone the usual route and hired an interim head coach from Saunders’ staff.

But the weirdest part about the whole thing was that Rosas went outside the organization and hired Chris Finch off of the Toronto Raptors’ bench in, allegedly, a matter of hours.

Controversy surrounding Minnesota Timberwolves’ hiring of Chris Finch

The reasoning behind the move, of course, is that the Wolves conducted something of a wide-ranging search a little under two years ago when Saunders was hired initially.

That search included interviews with both Finch and David Vanterpool, the Wolves’ current associate head coach and defensive coordinator who was passed over for the head role this time around as well.

There’s plenty of perspectives out there on the decision, including the concern surrounding a lack of a true interview process this time around. Minority coaching candidates, including Vanterpool, apparently were not contacted. As expressed by The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears, that’s an obvious concern to the community.

Rosas’ counterpoint, as noted by Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (subscription required), is that he articulated in Finch’s introductory press conference is that he conducted a thorough interview process the last time around and did consider candidates such as Vanterpool and offensive coordinator/assistant coach Pablo Prigioni before offering the position to Finch.

Additionally, the front office assembled by Rosas since taking over in May of 2019 is exceedingly diverse, and that’s a point that the Wolves’ President of Basketball Operations wants to be sure to make.

The National Basketball Coaches Association spoke out as well, expressing concerns about the process.

The details on Malik Beasley’s suspension and impact on the Timberwolves

On Saturday, it was announced that Malik Beasley would be suspended for 12 games due after he pled guilty to felony charges that were issued in the offseason.

Through two games, the Wolves have replaced Beasley in the starting lineup with Josh Okogie. Jaylen Nowell has tried to replicate some of the high-volume shooting and dynamic scoring that Beasley provides, but the duo has fallen woefully short.

Additionally, ESPN’s Bobby Marks had an interesting note related to the salary cap implications of the suspension.

Remember, the Wolves also have an open roster spot after waiving two-way player Ashton Hagans following COVID-19 health and safety protocol violations in the G League bubble.

Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns joins Anthony Fauci to talk about COVID-19

Few people in the public eye have been impacted by COVID-19 than Karl-Anthony Towns. Over the past several months, he’s already used his platform in a positive way to speak out about the virus and the importance of protecting yourself and others.

Late last week, Towns joined Dr. Anthony Fauci as part of the Third Annual Dominicans on the Hill event to discuss the vaccine and COVID-19 protocols.

Good on Towns to continue to be involved. He doesn’t have to be as present in these discussions as he has been, and it’s no doubt painful for him. But he’s doing what he can to help the public get the information they need, and he should be commended for that.