Google the Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coaching history. Find the Basketball-Reference page with the list of their coaches, and you’ll see Chris Finch leads the way in all-time winning percentage and all-time playoff wins.
Despite this, many in the fanbase believe he isn’t the answer. The team has time to turn it around, but after we saw what happened with Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins last season, could the Timberwolves do something similar with Finch if the lackluster play continues?
Malone and Jenkins were let go very late into last season
With just three games remaining in the regular season last year, the Denver Nuggets shockingly decided to fire Malone. This occurred while Denver was 47-32 and had just won a title two years prior. Of course, Malone's Nuggets and Finch's Timberwolves were rivals.
Taylor Jenkins is the Memphis Grizzlies’ all-time winningest coach in franchise history. With Memphis owning a 44-29 record last season, the team decided to let him go with nine games remaining in the regular season.
Firing head coaches that late into the regular season had been unheard of up until last year. Has a trend now been started to make a head coaching change in hopes of jump starting a team heading into the playoffs?
The Timberwolves have fallen to 40-26 after a three-game losing streak and dropped to sixth in the Western Conference standings. Finch’s squad hasn’t even been competitive in the three losses, losing the games by a combined 66 points. That’s not exactly a good sign with the playoffs a little more than a month away.
Chris Finch's success is undeniable but it might be time for a change
It can be argued that Finch is the most successful coach in franchise history (either him or Flip Saunders). The Timberwolves had reached just one conference finals before Finch, and he led them that far each of the last two years. For a franchise that has experienced a lot of lean years, Finch has helped Minnesota become a perennial winning team.
Despite this, many in the fanbase would be in favor of a coaching change. There have been too many listless performances, and the Timberwolves have 13 games this season that they have lost by double digits. Many of those are outings in which the team hasn’t looked ready or inspired, which can be an indictment of the head coach.
The Wolves also have a head coach in waiting on their bench in assistant Micah Nori. The 51-year-old has been a candidate for previous openings such as the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. If Minnesota were to make a hasty move and fire Finch late into the regular season, they wouldn’t have to look outside the organization for his replacement.Â
It’s debatable if the late head coaching changes made by the Nuggets and Grizzlies have proven to be wise moves. I’ve always been skeptical as to whether making a seismic change so late into the regular season would pay immediate dividends.
New owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore have made it clear that they want to win at all costs, so if they believe it will, it shouldn't surprise anyone if a coaching change is made.
Finch and the Wolves hope to prove this three-game stretch is just a bump on a lengthy road. Getting back to winning ways would take the heat off Finch, at least until the playoffs, depending on how they perform.