Shortly before last season’s playoffs, the Denver Nuggets fired former head coach Michael Malone. Despite being a successful coach who led the Nuggets to a championship, a change felt necessary: Malone’s rotations were questionable and his voice waned in the locker room.
Assistant coach David Adelman stepped up and now appears to be one of the best coaches in the league. The Nuggets are currently third in the Western Conference and have gone an impressive 8-5 with Nikola Jokić out of the lineup. Of course, the Nuggets’ fantastic offseason moves played a role in this success, but Adelman also deserves a lot of credit for the team’s season. Many of the Nuggets’ young players have broken out under Adelman, including Peyton Watson.
Malone’s firing proved two things: no coach is untouchable, and that a coaching change can be very beneficial. The Minnesota Timberwolves could make a similar change with Chris Finch, who by all accounts has been the franchise’s most accomplished coach.
Much of the Wolves fanbase is pleading with the team to move on from Finch. I have remained fairly pro-Finch throughout this debate among Wolves fans. Still, Finch has obvious flaws, and if the Wolves make a coaching change, it could be for the best. Like the Nuggets, they have a clear successor for Finch in Micah Nori.
A coaching change could benefit the Timberwolves
Finch’s sub-patterns are a major point of contention among Wolves fans. His refusal to give Joan Beringer many minutes, despite the rookie proving he can contribute in two games against quality opponents, and his unwavering loyalty to the aging Mike Conley are the two main examples. Notably, Conley is averaging 19.3 minutes and 2.3 points while shooting 15 percent from the field during the Wolves’ recent four-game losing streak.
Besides his rotations, Finch’s offensive schemes lack creativity, and he gives players a little too much power. Can Nori solve these problems? It’s possible. Earlier this season, Nori took over late-game play-calling duties from Finch. That’s an interesting move to say the least.
Minnesota’s inconsistent energy and lax approach to certain regular season games can also be seen as a reflection on Finch.
The biggest factor in determining an NBA coach’s success is player satisfaction. To date, there is no sign of the Wolves being disconnected from Finch.
Things can change quickly, though, and given Finch’s other issues, it wouldn’t be surprising if they got rid of him at some point. Now, I don’t think anything is imminent, but if the Wolves’ recent struggles continue, I wouldn’t rule out a coaching change. Frankly, it has become commonplace in the modern NBA.
Likewise, if the Wolves fade early in the playoffs, it feels very possible that Finch will be let go. Finch has led the Timberwolves to two consecutive conference finals, but reaching another level may require a change in coaching.
Again, I don’t think any action will happen anytime soon, and it certainly wouldn’t be as drastic as what the Nuggets did (since they also lost their GM). Additionally, I’m not sure a coaching change is necessary, but the possibility should be discussed, and Finch’s shortcomings are notable.
Overall, firing Finch and promoting Nori (at some point) could benefit the Wolves in a similar way to how firing Malone helped the Nuggets.
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