The Minnesota Timberwolves fired coach Ryan Saunders.
The team announced the decision shortly after several reports of his dismissal Sunday night.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, they are hiring Toronto Raptors assistant Chris Finch to replace Saunders. Finch will join the Timberwolves as his full-time coach, and not provisionally, according to the report.
Minnesota Timberwolves are hiring Toronto Raptors assistant coach Chris Finch as the new coach on a multi-year contract, sources said @TheAthletic @Stadium.
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 22, 2021
Hobbled Timberwolves have the worst NBA history
Saunders, 34, was in his third season training the Timberwolves. He is the son of former Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, who has coached the team for 11 seasons over two seasons, including a 10-year run from 1995-2005 during the Kevin Garnett era.
Saunders compiled a record of 43-93 (0.316) in more than two seasons with the Timberwolves, who are out of the worst 7-24 league at the start of this season. Minnesota played several games this season without its two best players, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell. Towns lost time after contracting COVID-19, while a persistent knee injury limited Russell before he opted for surgery last week.
Saunders coached Minnesota during a Sunday afternoon loss to the New York Knicks.
Finch, Timberwolves executive Gersson Rosas, have worked together before
Finch, 51, joined the Nick Nurse’s Raptors team in November, after assistant Nate Bjorkgren left for the Indiana Pacers. He has been an NBA technical assistant since 2011 at the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Raptors.
Finch has a relationship with the president of Minnesota basketball operations, Gersson Rosas, from his time together in Houston. Rosas was a staff member of former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey when Finch was an assistant in Houston from 2011-16.
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