According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Minnesota Timberwolves have officially “dismissed” their head coach, Ryan Saunders.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have dismissed coach Ryan Saunders, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 22, 2021
The Timberwolves have also apparently already picked a replacement Raptors assistant Chris Finch.
The Timberwolves asked permission to the Raptors on assistant coach Chris Finch and are proceeding on hiring him as head coach to replace Ryan Saunders, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 22, 2021
Following the acquisition of D’Angelo Russell, the TWolves had high aspirations regarding the state of their roster. Unfortunately, the team has been unable to meet expectations this season, standing at 15th in the West with a 7-24 record.
The hope is that, with a coaching change, the team will be able to rally behind a new voice and finally turn things around. Finch, 51, was the NBA D-League’s Coach of the Year in 2010 and has won four championships coaching in the British and Belgium leagues.
But will it really be enough? D’Lo and Towns have played just a handful of games together, so there’s really no telling how dominant they can be on the court together. But, for now, starting with a new coach in the locker room is a good place to start.