Sitting at 7-24, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the worst record in the NBA, which prompted the firing of head coach Ryan Saunders after the team’s loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Timberwolves replaced him with Toronto Raptors assistant coach Chris Finch, who's getting the job on a full-time basis.
The team’s decision to hire Finch, however, generated different reactions from current and former NBA players, with some suggesting other candidates for the job. Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard questioned why Timberwolves assistant coach David Vanterpool wasn’t given a chance given that he was already on the team’s bench.
Before joining the Timberwolves, Vanterpool was previously an assistant coach for the Blazers from 2012-2019, and Lillard’s suggestion was supported by his backcourt partner in CJ McCollum, Los Angeles Lakers guard Quinn Cook, and former player Isaiah Thomas.
Jamal Crawford had another coaching candidate in mind: former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson.
Jackson, who coached the Warriors from 2011-2014 and helped turn the team around before they won three titles under current head coach Steve Kerr, has not coached since his stint in the Bay Area. The former player has been considered as a coaching candidate several times since, but he has not been hired since coaching Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in Golden State.
Former player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, meanwhile, advised assistant coaches in the league to work under Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, while also praising the Knicks and head coach Tom Thibodeau for beating the Timberwolves and prompting a coaching change.
Following the loss to New York, the Timberwolves will play the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, which could also be Finch’s first game as head coach. Minnesota looked into hiring Finch in 2019, and now he's finally in place as head coach.