Rate Finch

[BeenLurkin]

Just because somebody makes it to the NBA doesn’t mean that they can be developed into a star player. Finch has developed three star players might not flamed out elsewhere. Dillingham looks like trash elsewhere which other prospects has he failed to develop in your opinion.

[Monster]

In his last email newsletter thing MLB Twins beat writer Matthew Leach mentioned Shelton supporting the Wolves and the Wild and said Shelton and Finch are friends and Finch is a baseball fan who attends Twins games.

[Wolvesfan21]

I'm sure you guys have heard the story, but I haven't seen it mentioned here. Finchy has said a few times that he thought his players were a little bored during the regular season, and he was looking forward to them playing up to their potential. After the first game against Denver, apparently he said in the locker room "you guys lied to me"...and not so nicely. Apparently they got the message, because we saw an entirely different Wolves team in Game 2. I think of Finchy as a nice-guy player's coach, but podcasters who are close to the team say he is a much tougher guy in private.

I guess that is my question. Can the coach and team just half ass a regular season year over year and still be a real NBA chip contender? The history would say that isn't a mark of a championship team. Hate to say it but you're a bit of a fake loser team to be honest. The we'll try when we want to try is garbage.

I get that you can't play 82 games like you play in the playoffs, but you can sure play a bit closer to playoff basketball and then maybe your next level is even higher. The we play half ass, then we turn it on, I don't see that as reaching the teams full potential or winning a championship.

[BeenLurkin]

I'm sure you guys have heard the story, but I haven't seen it mentioned here. Finchy has said a few times that he thought his players were a little bored during the regular season, and he was looking forward to them playing up to their potential. After the first game against Denver, apparently he said in the locker room "you guys lied to me"...and not so nicely. Apparently they got the message, because we saw an entirely different Wolves team in Game 2. I think of Finchy as a nice-guy player's coach, but podcasters who are close to the team say he is a much tougher guy in private.

I guess that is my question. Can the coach and team just half ass a regular season year over year and still be a real NBA chip contender? The history would say that isn't a mark of a championship team. Hate to say it but you're a bit of a fake loser team to be honest. The we'll try when we want to try is garbage.

I get that you can't play 82 games like you play in the playoffs, but you can sure play a bit closer to playoff basketball and then maybe your next level is even higher. The we play half ass, then we turn it on, I don't see that as reaching the teams full potential or winning a championship.

I would say I agree that it’s tough to turn it on or flip a switch but…they just did it? In front of your eyes they proved you wrong?
Not saying it will work every time. Or that this group of players is somehow magically different than everyone before them.
I am saying that nothing ever happens exactly to plan or how it happened before though. Plenty of teams do it all year. The playoffs is a test of adjustments, and a luck of the draw at who stays healthy. There are CLEAR benefits to resting in the regular season. Whether that’s by taking games off or playing light on defense sometimes.
But the brutal truth is that the regular season is too long, and it doesn’t matter to players who have a secure contract and place in their teams hierarchy. It also doesn’t matter to coaches I would imagine to win the regular season best schedule but not make attempts to try different things and use the regular season as a laboratory for how to get certain things out of certain players and situations.
Finch has shown a super hero level of ability to do this exact thing. He gets these guys to play differently based on different requirements and doesn’t force a rigid offensive model on them. Thats EXACTLY what needs to happen to win 4 straight best of 7 series against the best of the best. A+ or you’re lyin to yourself.

[AussieWolf3]

I have a working theory for the difference in RS and PS performance.

While effort is clearly a major part of it, and to be honest it's excusable in some ways and not so much in others. For example, I don't expect Jaden to stay glued to guys all year like he did Murray, you simply can't sustain that level of physical taxation for 82 games. I don't think Ant's regular season intensity is acceptable however and that's because there is evidence that it has set in as bad habit. No doubt he dials up for the playoffs, but he still falls asleep at times off ball and isn't consistently willing to fight through screen.

Anyway all that said, what I noticed in this last series and have realized was evident last year, is that the Wolves have shown that they can deploy a much more variable offense in the post season than they do in the regular season. Finch uses the levers at his disposal much more regularly and deftly once the playoffs roll in and I just realize that's much harder to do in continual run of one off games.

In a series however uses the roster in unique ways and is able to prepare players and game plan for that in a way that is just impossible during the RS slog

[Leado01]

Just because somebody makes it to the NBA doesn’t mean that they can be developed into a star player. Finch has developed three star players might not flamed out elsewhere. Dillingham looks like trash elsewhere which other prospects has he failed to develop in your opinion.

I would argue Josh Minott and Terrence Shannon had way too short of leashes. I also don't know we couldn't have made Leonard Miller more relevant

[BeenLurkin]

Just because somebody makes it to the NBA doesn’t mean that they can be developed into a star player. Finch has developed three star players might not flamed out elsewhere. Dillingham looks like trash elsewhere which other prospects has he failed to develop in your opinion.

I would argue Josh Minott and Terrence Shannon had way too short of leashes. I also don't know we couldn't have made Leonard Miller more relevant

Short Leash’s maybe, but chances they have had plenty. Minott had years to show he could play team defense. Can’t. Won’t? Whichever he washes out of a second winning team so I think that’s that. Leonard miller seems like there’s talent there sure, but I’d rather have Ayo.
And as for TJ he was set to be a main rotation guy this year till he got hurt early so you can’t blame Finch for that. And he got benched in game 5 for missing 5 or 6 straight defensive assignments. He gets publicly shamed and turns it on in game 6 when we needed him the most. Seems like a great coach can push the buttons on a player the way that they know will get the response.

[Coolbreeze44]

I have a working theory for the difference in RS and PS performance.

While effort is clearly a major part of it, and to be honest it's excusable in some ways and not so much in others. For example, I don't expect Jaden to stay glued to guys all year like he did Murray, you simply can't sustain that level of physical taxation for 82 games. I don't think Ant's regular season intensity is acceptable however and that's because there is evidence that it has set in as bad habit. No doubt he dials up for the playoffs, but he still falls asleep at times off ball and isn't consistently willing to fight through screen.

Anyway all that said, what I noticed in this last series and have realized was evident last year, is that the Wolves have shown that they can deploy a much more variable offense in the post season than they do in the regular season. Finch uses the levers at his disposal much more regularly and deftly once the playoffs roll in and I just realize that's much harder to do in continual run of one off games.

In a series however uses the roster in unique ways and is able to prepare players and game plan for that in a way that is just plduring the RS slog

I think you're hitting the mark here Aussie. The playoffs are a different animal. Jaden could probably play defense like this every night, but he would also miss a lot more games. Back in the 80's and 90's the first 3 and a half quarters of a regular season game was largely a show. The 3 pointer wasn't as prevalent so it was harder to build big leads. Then in the last 5 minutes of the game the players would bear down and give maximum effort. It was a better product than it is now. At least we have the playoffs to give us the best in basketball today, and Finch knows how to work in them.

[Monster]

Just because somebody makes it to the NBA doesn’t mean that they can be developed into a star player. Finch has developed three star players might not flamed out elsewhere. Dillingham looks like trash elsewhere which other prospects has he failed to develop in your opinion.

I would argue Josh Minott and Terrence Shannon had way too short of leashes. I also don't know we couldn't have made Leonard Miller more relevant

Short Leash’s maybe, but chances they have had plenty. Minott had years to show he could play team defense. Can’t. Won’t? Whichever he washes out of a second winning team so I think that’s that. Leonard miller seems like there’s talent there sure, but I’d rather have Ayo.
And as for TJ he was set to be a main rotation guy this year till he got hurt early so you can’t blame Finch for that. And he got benched in game 5 for missing 5 or 6 straight defensive assignments. He gets publicly shamed and turns it on in game 6 when we needed him the most. Seems like a great coach can push the buttons on a player the way that they know will get the response.

Josh Minott is now on his 3rd team and took a while to get minutes a team that won 20 games and likely wasn't trying to win down the stretch. He is still young enough to make it in this league in some way shape or form but as much of a fan of his as I was he really didn't make the most of his limited chances. I remember watching a game last year where he was basically getting a chance to play some legit regular minutes. I am pretty sure it was against he Spurs and he had like 3 straight possessions of poor plays including bad fouls. I was like...well that's probably why he hasn't played more.

Meanwhile last season part of the reason TSJ didn't get more opportunities was Jaylen seized his opportunities (unlike Minott) and deserved minutes. He wasn't as good this year which made it tougher that TSJ couldn't stay healthy. Does Finch not get credit for a guy like Clark playing well or Garza looking like a decent NBA player? What about credit for getting the best out of Bones Hyland who is actually younger than TSJ? For the most part it's often tough to see when some of the young guys kike Miller to even play. Heck Garza struggled to get minutes because the Wolves front count talent. NAW was 24 when he came to the Wolves and while I think he was already trending up in Utah he clearly developed under Finch's coach staff.

The idea Finch doesn't develop young players isn't altogether accurate and like it's been said what you player has gone on to be successful after leaving? Finch and Connelly has built a roster much closer to being a contender than playing young guys that take their lumps. I think it's telling that it's pretty clear the plan for Dillingham was to play him right away both seasons. He wasn't up to the task and his rookie year had some injuries at the wrong time to keep him from getting more opportunities. I absolutely do get frustrated when some of the young guys don't play more but the last few months have suggested Finch likely knows what he is doing if those guys aren't playing. The other problem is Connelly is kinda good at his job so the team has often had depth. Bones was basically at the end of the bench in most of our minds but he simply outplayed Dillingham and was a key contributor this season as a rotation guy. Most people here were upset he was signed as opposed to other guys. Last year one issue with Minott not playing was McDaniels played all 82 games.

For every team that fires one guy and hires someone else and has success...there are other teams that don't. There are good teams that have hired good head coaches and it didn't work out.

[AbeVigodaLive]

It's been noted by others... but the Wolves have largely been healthy the past couple of seasons.

And in the NBA, good veteran players are pretty much guaranteed a certain amount of minutes. You're not going to get much positive reactions from a vet when you say you want to cut his minutes to help out the younger player who might ultimately try to take his spot. They earned their rotation minutes so justifiably don't want to give it up. Also... they're vet players who have accomplished things in the postseason. None of them are in contract years (and two just got paid), so complacency is probably pretty common.

Bottom line: The Wolves under Finch (1) have outperformed expectations in the postseason for multiple years now. (2) The Wolves seem to have solid team chemistry/culture. Or, at least that's what we hear, which in itself a sign of a good organization. (3) Players seem to still respond to him when it matters most.

I know it's easier to rip coaches because they're the closest things to us while watching at home. For example, none of us reasonably compare ourselves to a guy who can shoot stepback 27 footers one trip and then power dunk over a guy the next trip. But second guessing some 50-something year old guy? That's at least something we can all do.

Finch is the best coach in Timberwolves history and it's no longer close at this point. But there'll be a day when his messages aren't working or his decisions don't pan out or something else. And the Wolves will move on and we'll all be fine.

Players decide NBA games. Coaches can help impact NBA games. Big difference.