CHICAGO – The leadership of the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) spoke on Wednesday of its “concern and level of disappointment” about the way the Minnesota Timberwolves approached their coaching change earlier this year, this week.
The statement came from NBCA Chairman Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks and NBCA CEO David Fogel.
“It’s always bittersweet when one coach is fired and the other is hired. But it’s not about individual coaches,” said their statement. “I would fail to acknowledge a deeper concern and disappointment with the recruitment process for the Minnesota head coach.
“The NBCA understands and respects the right of any organization to hire and fire whoever it wants and when it wants. But it is also our responsibility to point out that an organization does not thoroughly and transparently search for candidates from a wide range of diverse backgrounds. “
The Timberwolves fired Ryan Saunders on Sunday night and almost immediately struck a deal to hire Toronto assistant Chris Finch. Finch was formally announced as coach on Monday morning.
“There were other candidates, minority candidates that we are considering right now,” said Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. “Unfortunately, when you are in the middle of a season you are really at the mercy of the teams in terms of who can be available and who cannot. That was a challenge for us as we went through the process.”
Minnesota lost to Milwaukee on Tuesday-evening in Finch’s first game. The Wolves were in Chicago to play on Wednesday night.
Timberwolves assistant David Vanterpool has the support of several NBA players, many of whom expressed anger at not getting the job or at least appearing to be eligible for the job. Vanterpool is African American. Finch is white.
“During this off-season, we saw many NBA coaching openings where teams conducted searches that were diverse and transparent,” Fogel and Carlisle wrote in their statement. “This should be the norm. We need to ensure a level playing field and equal access to training opportunities for all candidates.”
They said they have worked with the league office “on a wide variety of initiatives that will improve the search for coaching in the future,” but they did not specify what might be included.
Finch was interviewed for the Minnesota job in 2019, before Saunders was promoted from interim coach to the full-time position, so the organization knew his style and credentials well. He also has a long career with Rosas; they worked together in the Houston Rockets organization.
Rosas is Latino, one of the few minorities in leadership positions in the league.
“Everyone who knows me knows how important diversity is to me and it is a big part of who I am and what it’s all about,” said Rosas. “Our employees and the diversity we have speak for themselves.”
Vanterpool is one of three black assistant coaches for the Timberwolves, along with Joseph Blair and Kevin Burleson. Star center Karl-Anthony Towns was one of the players who spoke out for the future of Vanterpool.
“I wouldn’t do justice to the world, to social justice, to the amount of amazing things that men of color do, not to mention that David Vanterpool is an incredible coach, with a great IQ, and he will be a incredible opportunity. Here soon, “said Towns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.