Chris Finch opens up about one of the hardest decisions of his career

It's no secret that Chris Finch is fond of Mike Conley. Finch made this clear by continuing to play Conley despite declining production. Not only that, but he repeatedly praised his impact when talking to the media. Eventually, Finch removed Conley from the rotation after the Minnesota Timberwolves added Ayo Dosunmu and Kyle Anderson. Recently, though, Finch admitted this was an extremely difficult decision. 

"It's been one of the hardest things I've ever done in coaching, to be honest with you... Particularly with who he is as a person and a professional, and everything that he's done for us. Feels like a crime against humanity," Finch said. 

At the surface level, removing Conley from the rotation was a no-brainer basketball move. On the season, he has averaged just 4.1 points and 2.9 assists while shooting 31.9 percent from the field. Conley's combination of poor shooting and advantage creation made it difficult to justify playing him. Simply put, it was clear at 38 that Conley's best days were behind him, and that he was no longer a consistent rotational player on a team looking to contend for a championship. 

Nevertheless, from a human perspective, it's clear that Finch and Conley have a special relationship. Perhaps more importantly, since arriving in Minnesota three years ago, Conley has uplifted the team with his leadership and maturity. He was a massive part of the Wolves' back-to-back conference finals runs. Considering this, along with Conley being originally traded at the deadline, it's understandable that Finch found this decision to be difficult.

Was it really such a difficult decision?

Listen, a lot of things can be true here. Removing Conley was an obvious basketball decision; his leadership is still vital, it was difficult for Finch on a personal level, and finally, Finch was playing up just how challenging a decision it was when talking to the media.

Finch saying not playing Conely feels like "a crime against humanity," seems very tongue-in-cheek to me. I mean, there's no way he can believe this, right? It's also worth noting that Finch was smiling when he made the crime against humanity point. 

My personal read on the situation is that Finch is aware of how his handling of Conley earlier in the season landed with the fan base, and he is playing into the joke to some extent. 

Again, I'm sure this was somewhat of a tough decision for Finch. Regardless, his comments made it seem like he had to trade a franchise legend or bench an all-time great player. 

Conley's self-awareness throughout this process can't be understated. Upon returning to the Wolves after being traded twice and eventually waived at the deadline, Conley spoke openly about embracing a more limited on-court role. He returned to the Wolves (turning down opportunities elsewhere), knowing this would be his role. 

As such, this almost felt like more of a mutual understanding rather than a painful move that Finch was forced to make.