Timberwolves name Chris Finch new head coach
FILE - This Dec. 15, 2011, file photo shows Houston Rockets assistant coach Chris Finch during an NBA basketball media day in Houston. Chris Finch is the new coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team announced Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, after dismissing Ryan Saunders the previous night. Saunders was fired Sunday after the team with the NBA’s worst record this season lost for the eighth time in the last nine games. The team quickly hired Finch, who was in his first season as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors.[AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File]
After announcing the firing of coach Ryan Saunders on Sunday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a new head coach.
Monday morning, the team announced Chris Finch as the new head man.
"I am excited to announce Chris Finch as our next head coach," President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas said. "Chris brings a wealth of basketball experience from his time in the NBA, G League and Internationally. He is one of the most creative basketball minds in the NBA, has success maximizing players, and I am excited to see him bring our team to the next level and beyond."
"I would like to thank Glen Taylor and Gersson Rosas for this incredible opportunity to be the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves," Finch said in a statement. "I look forward to working hand and hand with Gersson to build and lead a team that Timberwolves fans will be proud of. We have excellent pieces in place and I can’t wait to get to work."
Finch, 51, has coached in the NBA and the G League for over 24 years, and coached the likes of some of the game’s biggest stars, including Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, James Harden, Nikola Jokic, Zion Williamson and Kyle Lowry.
Most recently, Finch was an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors this season. Previously, he was the associated head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans from 2017-20, an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets from 2016-17, and an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets from 2011-16. He also was the head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ G League affiliate, starting in 2009 and led them to back-to-back G League Finals appearances, compiling a 67-33 (.670) record in his two seasons.
The Timberwolves currently have a record of 7-24 this season, the worst mark in the league. They next play Tuesday night in Milwaukee.
The team will introduce Finch during a virtual press conference at 5 p.m. Monday, which can be viewed live on KSTP.com.