Chris Finch's reaction to Mike Conley leaving the Timberwolves says it all

Mike Conley left the Minnesota Timberwolves to sign with the Boston Celtics after three and a half splendid seasons. While the 38-year-old's on-court impact steeply declined this past season, he remained a vital part of the Wolves as a veteran leader, and his stabilizing playmaking still benefited the team at times. 

As such, it was clear that Conley's departure affected the Wolves at some level, and this is something head coach Chris Finch particularly understands. While appearing on Amazon Prime's broadcast during the Timberwolves' first summer league game, Finch talked about how hard it was to say goodbye to Conley. 

"It was very hard. Mike came to us at the exact perfect time. Helped Anthony a ton, helped Rudy a ton... He imparted so much wisdom to everybody who was still pretty young and trying to figure it out together. Has such a wealth of experience in his temperament. Yeah, and me personally, I leaned on him a lot, just like you would an assistant coach. It was hard to see, but happy that he gets an opportunity to keep continuing his career. And I know he has meaningful basketball left to play, and that's what you know he's committed to trying to do too," Finch said. 

Mike Conley was an important part of the Timberwolves' recent success

Again, Conley was no longer an integral part of the Timberwolves' on-court success, but it was clear how much he meant to the team behind the scenes. Furthermore, while Conley's most recent season was unproductive, he was a key part of the Timberwolves' back-to-back conference finals runs. 

The Wolves traded for him (and Nickeil Alexander-Walker) at the 2023 deadline, and as Finch noted, he helped maximize Rudy Gobert. With D'Angelo Russell running the show, the Gobert trade looked disastrous. However, Conley, who played with Gobert in Utah, knew how to involve him and helped not just salvage the Gobert-era, but turn it into a grand success.

Conley also helped a young Anthony Edwards develop as a professional, improving his habits both on and off the court. Look, Ant is obviously super talented, but it's clear that Conley helped him level up. 

In general, Conley helped the Timberwolves transform from simply a talented young team to a serious playoff threat.

Given his incredible leadership and high basketball IQ, Conley was an extension of the coaching staff. Finch essentially said this when he discussed how much he leaned on Conley. Additionally, Finch often sang Conley's praises, referring to him as "outstanding" or "great" even in games in which he didn't score.

While these comments are easy to mock (I did at times), the reality is that Conley is a coach's dream on and off the court. In short, this is why Finch continued to play Conley and a key reason why he was such a crucial part of the Wolves team. 

With Conley in Boston, the Timberwolves are left with a key leadership void that Edwards, Gobert, Jaden McDaniels and even the newly acquired LaMelo Ball will have to help fill. 

Nevertheless, Conley will be missed in Minnesota, and his tenure should be celebrated -- Finch's comments tell you everything you need to know about his importance to the team. 

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