Chip: Chris Finch gets another year with Timberwolves while higher-profile NBA coaches get fired. Here's why
The NBA's coaching carousel revved up again — predictably, since firing coaches serves as an annual rite of spring.
The names involved in this cycle move the conversation beyond just normal business. Mike Budenholzer. Doc Rivers. Monty Williams. Nick Nurse.
Prominent names. All accomplished coaches. Two of them — Budenholzer and Nurse — led their respective teams to NBA championships in recent years.
But for different reasons, all those coaches ended up unemployed after their teams fell short of expectations.
Within this firing frenzy, Timberwolves ownership and team President Tim Connelly decided to show patience by sticking with Chris Finch after an erratic season that was a bucket of cold water to the face.
I would have made that same decision. Between Karl-Anthony Towns' 52-game injury absence and the unconventional experiment involving Rudy Gobert, Finch faced challenging circumstances that weren't always in his control. Changing coaches again right now is not the move.
Next season? Different discussion, if the results don't change.
It has been an extraordinary firing season in the NBA. But Finch was is being given more time to turn the Timberwolves into true contenders. Is that the right move?
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Howl Wolves!!