The Minnesota Timberwolves fired Ryan Saunders on Sunday, hours after the team with the worst record of the season lost its eighth game of nine in the NBA.
The club finalized plans to introduce Toronto assistant coach Chris Finch as its new coach on Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as Finch’s recruitment had not been officially completed.
ESPN reported that Saunders shot first, and The Athletic first reported Finch’s imminent arrival.
Saunders, 34, the son of veteran Minnesota coach Flip Saunders, was with the Timberwolves for three seasons, finishing 43-94. Minnesota has the worst record this season, 7-24, and is now 7 1/2 games behind in last place to reach the postseason of the Western Conference.
“We would like to thank Ryan for his time and dedication to the Timberwolves organization and wish him the best in the future,” said Gersson Rosas, the team’s president of basketball operations. “These are tough decisions to make, although this change is in the best interest of the organization’s short and medium term goals.”
It’s been a very disappointing season for the Timberwolves, who started 2-0 and haven’t had much to celebrate since then. Karl-Anthony Towns, the team’s top player, dislocated his left wrist in the second game of the season, missing six games, returning and retiring another 13 after testing positive for COVID-19.
D’Angelo Russell, the other lead player on the squad, had surgery on his left knee last week and could be out until April.
It didn’t look like the Timberwolves had stopped playing for Saunders. On Sunday, they trailed the New York Knicks by 21 points in the third quarter, but then took the lead in the closing minutes to lose 103-99.
Finch, for his part, has a history with Rosas, as he both collaborated with the Houston Rockets. He coached the team’s partner in what is now called the G League and won a championship with Rio Grande Valley before becoming an assistant to the Rockets. He then held assistant positions with the Denver Nugges, New Orleans Pelicans and was in his first season with the Raptors.