Chris Finch's future has been a talking point among Minnesota Timberwolves fans all season long. After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in six games, which included three blowout losses, some fans are begging for a coaching change.
However, fans who want Finch gone will have to wait. Per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Finch will return for his sixth season. To me, this is the right call despite a disappointing end of the season.
It's fair to nitpick Finch's coaching both in the regular season and against the Spurs. Nevertheless, Finch has had enough success during his five-year tenure with the team to give him another chance, and the vast majority of the Wolves' problems in the second round were roster-based.
Chris Finch has proven enough to be given another chance
Listen, I had my frustrations with Finch throughout the regular season, and I wondered how secure his future was at various points. Nevertheless, the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets changed my mind, and I firmly believe that Finch should remain as the team's head coach.
Truly, how many coaches could secure a series-clinching win without two starters, including their best player, against a No. 3-seeded Nuggets squad? The answer is not many.
And how many coaches would beat the Spurs despite having a clearly inferior roster? The answer is probably zero.
Finch perfectly composed a game plan to expose the Nuggets' subpar defense and athleticism. He deserves credit for that. Throughout the past three playoffs, Finch has shown that he is one of the better game-planning coaches in the league.
By all accounts, he is the most successful coach in franchise history. Just as importantly, he has a strong relationship with Anthony Edwards.
One of the most common criticisms fans have of Finch is that his offense doesn't have much creativity. Given how poorly their offense has performed at the biggest stage in back-to-back years, I think this is a fairly valid criticism. Regardless, are we really going to argue that Finch has been dealt an amazing hand?
Yes, of course, he has a top-five player in Edwards, but the Wolves significantly lack secondary creation and ball handling outside of him.
This season, Finch referred to Julius Randle as the team's most important player. A label that baffled many fans. What I think Finch meant by this is that Randle is the Wolves' best source of extra creation and playmaking next to Ant. As we saw against the Spurs and last year against the Oklahoma City Thunder, this is a problem.
Perhaps Finch empowered Randle so much due to their long-standing relationship dating back to their New Orleans Pelicans days. However, the more likely and understandable explanation is that Finch empowered Randle out of necessity.
The Randle-Rudy Gobert frontcourt was always a clunky fit for floor spacing reasons. Again, it's fair to have issues with his offense, but the bigger problem is the roster. I'd love to see how different things would look with a more balanced roster. Finch's success with such an oddly constructed roster is nothing to scoff at (even if it didn't result in the Wolves reaching their ultimate goal).
Ultimately, while some fans might be upset that the Wolves aren't making a coaching change, to me it's absolutely the right call.
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