At this point, it's fair to say that Chris Finch's future with the Minnesota Timberwolves is up in the air. With the playoffs nearly upon us, the Wolves are spiraling, and all season long, they've been highly erratic. If things continue to go south, it's easy to see Finch getting fired.Â
And if the Wolves do fire Finch, they'll now have one less option as former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone (shockingly) accepted the head coaching position at the University of North Carolina.
In all fairness, injuries have played a role in the Wolves' recent struggles, and you can't blame close to everything on Finch. Nonetheless, a team that appears so disconnected throughout the season indicates that coaching could be a problem. Furthermore, Finch's lack of offensive structure has been a key schematic issue.
Recent trends around the league show us that if a team underwhelms, the coach will be fired, and Finch could suffer from this fate.
Malone would have been a candidate for the Wolves' possible open head coaching job
It's up for debate whether Malone would be the right coach if the Wolves move on from Finch. Nevertheless, there's no denying that the Wolves would at the very least interview him.
On the positive side, Malone is a championship-winning coach who could have helped the Wolves get over the hump. Plus, his time with the Nuggets showed that his offense has more structure than Finch's do. Regardless, it's fair to wonder how the Wolves would respond to Malone's old-school style of coaching.
While this isn't super relevant now that Malone has taken the Tar Heels' job, it's interesting to think about his hypothetical fit with the Wolves.
The Wolves still have other options if they decide to fire Finch
Luckily, even with Malone off the market, if the Wolves fire Finch, they'll have plenty of other viable options. Micah Nori is an obvious in-house candidate. He is one of the league's most respected assistant coaches and has gotten several head coaching interviews in recent years. Steve Kerr's contract is up after this season, and there are some rumblings that he might leave. Given his experience as a championship coach, Kerr would be a dream target.
Former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins could be another option. Reuniting with former player Sam Cassell or rolling the dice on hotshot assistant Johnnie Bryant could be two outside-the-box candidates.
Again, this is all contingent on the Wolves firing Finch, which is far from a certainty. By all accounts, Finch is the franchise's most successful coach, and until there's credible reporting behind it, I'm simply speculating.
One thing is for sure, though: Plenty of Wolves fans would be delighted to see a coaching change, and Malone's new job changes the trajectory of Minnesota's possible coaching search.