Some things just don't seem to change. For the entirety of Julius Randle's two-year tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was completely immune to public criticism from the coaching staff. With Randle now a part of the Brooklyn Nets, you would think Chris Finch coming to his defense would be a thing of the past. But you would be mistaken.
In part 4 of The Chris Finch Interview with Britt Robson, Finch had this to say about Randle's tenure in Minnesota:
"I think we took Julius’ last 35 games from two seasons ago for granted, and we didn’t create enough easy stuff for him because we relied on him to try and create for everybody. That’s not fair, and that’s all on me."
Why does Finch continue to defend Randle?
If you've read my work, you'd know I've never been the most fond of Randle's playstyle and fit with the Wolves. He allowed his mood to dictate his performance too often; he was extremely inconsistent on both ends of the court, and he ultimately didn't live up to being the second option in the playoffs.
Despite this, Finch continued to defend Randle at every turn. When Randle had a bad game, he would point the finger at any outside factor except for Randle himself. But with anyone else, Finch didn't hesitate to call them out directly in post-game media press conferences. Some examples from this past playoff run include Finch refusing to call out Randle's lackluster defensive effort and Finch defending Randle's turnover problems by praising his ability to draw defenders.
Maybe that was due to Randle not responding well to public criticism; maybe there was some fragility there, but either way, Randle is gone now, so why does Finch continue to defend him?
I honestly don't really have an answer, especially given how sourly the relationship ended between Randle and the Wolves. In Game 6 of the second-round of the playoffs this past year, with the Wolves staring elimination in the face, Randle put up a complete dud, scoring three points and only making one field goal.
Then, following that, instead of owning up to the performance, Randle was the only player on the team who declined to show up for exit interviews. That lack of accountability following a disappointing showing didn't resonate well with the fans. By that time, I think just about the entire fan base was ready to move on and cut their losses.
If Finch wants to continue to maintain his relationship with Randle, that's fine. Regardless, I think I speak for the vast majority of Wolves fans when I say that I'm ready to leave the Randle era in the past and move forward with this new, exciting group.
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