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Eric WoodyardESPN
The international experience and global perspective of new Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was what intrigued basketball operations president Gersson Rosas.
At Monday’s introductory press conference, Rosas welcomed the former Toronto Raptors assistant to try to turn things around after firing Ryan Saunders after Sunday’s loss to the New York Knicks.
“The things the coach has done around the world at different levels, these experiences, I think, are very relevant to our current game,” Rosas said. “We play a very international game in the NBA and Chris has experience, the perspective he has, the time he was head coach outside the NBA, assistant and in the NBA, I think these perspectives, these expertise are really important for our organization on both sides of the floor. “
In addition to Finch’s stops in Houston, Denver, New Orleans and Toronto as an assistant, he also served as head coach of the Rockets’ G League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers, which won the 2010 championship.
Internationally, he has coached in England, Germany and Belgium.
“I would like to be judged by victories and losses. That’s what it’s about,” Finch said. “It’s about winning and we hope we can win some victories over each other. Beyond that, we want to see the growth of our young players and we want to develop an identity. I think if we can achieve all three, that’s home, if we get two out of three, I think it’s a big step forward. “
Although the hiring schedule is not desirable, with Minnesota in the middle of a four-game skid, while in last place in the league standings at 7-24, Finch is trying to make the most of the situation.
“This is a less ideal situation for a coach and we don’t have summer, we don’t have pre-season,” Finch said. “We have a back-to-back, but this is life in some of the leagues I’ve coached, and those challenges have really sharpened my determination and ability to be prepared and I’m taking it as a big challenge right now. and we will realize as we move forward. We will slowly realize the changes we need to make. “
That being said, Finch is not bothered by the upcoming pregnancy.
“I think we can breathe some confidence in the list and these guys can find joy,” he said. “It’s hard when you lose. It’s a hard-to-win league. It’s very close, but we’re not a million miles away.”
Rosas described Sunday as “a crazy day for everyone involved.” He considered the choice to dismiss Saunders “tough”, but said the decision to make a change was made over the weekend.
The Timberwolves’ primary office went through the process of being available in the middle of the season, but was still unsure until Toronto gave permission to let Finch interview for the new role, which happened late Sunday afternoon. The decision to exempt Saunders came after the loss of Knicks.
The agreement was finalized on Monday morning.
“The decision to dismiss Ryan was not made until Sunday, and at that time we were already preparing for the game, and to be fair to Ryan, these decisions take time,” Rosas said. “We spoke with ownership and as we met with our management group, it was a process and a decision that was not easy and you have a team going through the season in a pandemic where there is no button. pause.
“There is no stopping option, there are shootarounds and games that need to be prepared. And we did everything we could in the weather conditions it offered us.”
Rosas said he looked at internal options such as David Vanterpool and Pablo Prigioni in the staff, but they were realistic about the league’s status. Rosas did not feel that he could achieve the real change they needed without being “bold and direct with this opportunity.”
“With Chris, we have a guy here who shares a vision, we share a philosophy and we feel very confident in his ability to influence this team,” Rosas said. “And, unfortunately, with our struggles over the last year and a half, the ability to change that narrative will be difficult from an internal perspective.”
“I didn’t listen to too many outside comments, just because it was a real 24-hour whirlwind for me,” Finch added. “I can say that I am very excited and I enjoy every day I have in the NBA. I live the dream.”
The Timberwolves will take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.