The Minnesota Timberwolves were criticized by the National Basketball Coaches Association after their questionable head coaching hiring process saw them fire Ryan Saunders and then immediately hire Chris Finch away from the Toronto Raptors.
NBCA President Rick Carlisle claimed teams must establish a “level playing field” and provide equal opportunities for all qualified coaching candidates in his statement:
Saunders, the son of longtime Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, took over the role back in the 2018-19 season as Tom Thibodeau's replacement. Saunders went 43-94 overall and a league-worst 7-24 this season before getting fired over the weekend after a loss to Thibodeau's New York Knicks.
While many thought David Vanterpool would be elevated to at least the interim head coach, the Timberwolves quickly pivoted to make Finch the full-time head coach without going through any type of search. Minnesota did interview Finch in 2019 when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Finch's swift hiring raised many eyebrows, with Damian Lillard immediately calling out the Timberwolves for not giving Vanterpool the opportunity. Karl-Anthony Towns also spoke about the situation, and while he's looking forward to playing for Finch, he also knows Black coaches need more opportunities.
Amid the public clamor, only the Timberwolves truly know the rationale behind their decisions. Hopefully, the hiring of Chris Finch will turn out great in order for Minnesota to finally get back to relevance sooner than later. Things certainly didn't go well for the Timberwolves on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, but they'll try to get on track Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls and beyond.