Minnesota Sports Forum

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 8:42 pm

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 8:34 pm Out of curiosity if we take a look at the season as pre and post trade deadline how would we see Finch? Were we calling for his job before Julius seemingly single handily tanked the vibes and the season when he got butt hurt after the trade rumors/allstar snub?

It seems super obvious that Julius is the bad apple. Finch seemingly did everything in his power to keep the apple from spoiling.

I agree Finch should fall on a sword IF Julius is removed and the trajectory of the vibes and product on court doesn’t start trending up. But a standard of championship or bust leaves no room for error In an imperfect world.

This is pretty reasonable imo.
Only thing I'll is that whoever is responsible for making Randle the "most important player on the team" (Finches words) has got some splaining to do.

That team structure doomed the team from the start it would seem.

Important isn’t positive or negative. Oxygen is important. By itself, it is an inert gas, but if you don’t have it as a human being, you will die.

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 8:57 pm

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 8:42 pm

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 8:34 pm Out of curiosity if we take a look at the season as pre and post trade deadline how would we see Finch? Were we calling for his job before Julius seemingly single handily tanked the vibes and the season when he got butt hurt after the trade rumors/allstar snub?

It seems super obvious that Julius is the bad apple. Finch seemingly did everything in his power to keep the apple from spoiling.

I agree Finch should fall on a sword IF Julius is removed and the trajectory of the vibes and product on court doesn’t start trending up. But a standard of championship or bust leaves no room for error In an imperfect world.

This is pretty reasonable imo.
Only thing I'll is that whoever is responsible for making Randle the "most important player on the team" (Finches words) has got some splaining to do.

That team structure doomed the team from the start it would seem.

Important isn’t positive or negative. Oxygen is important. By itself, it is an inert gas, but if you don’t have it as a human being, you will die.

We're in agreement.
But if Randle is your source of oxygen, then you'll run out

Oh for sure we ran out of oxygen/julius. That’s my point. I don’t known of anyone could have “coached” Julius out of whatever took over his soul since the trade rumors. It ruined us.

"Cause coaches matter more than players…"

I thought beenlurkin was being sarcastic with this quote. Apparently not? That's crazy.

AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 9:51 pm "Cause coaches matter more than players…"

I thought beenlurkin was being sarcastic with this quote. Apparently not? That's crazy.

I was being sarcastic! Coaching only works if players allow it. You can coach as hard as you want and if a player tunes out there’s no point. And if the number two is tuned out and the number 1 is playing hurt and the structure of the team is wonky then man I dunno how you blame a coach….especially one who gets the team I just described to the second round of the playoffs three consecutive years….its crazy work to blame the coach here imo

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 10:01 pm

AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 9:51 pm "Cause coaches matter more than players…"

I thought beenlurkin was being sarcastic with this quote. Apparently not? That's crazy.

I was being sarcastic! Coaching only works if players allow it. You can coach as hard as you want and if a player tunes out there’s no point. And if the number two is tuned out and the number 1 is playing hurt and the structure of the team is wonky then man I dunno how you blame a coach….especially one who gets the team I just described to the second round of the playoffs three consecutive years….its crazy work to blame the coach here imo

So is it on Finch that the players very minimally listened to him and the staff and didn't "follow the gameplan". I would say some blame is on him for not getting through, it's his job to get through! Never the matter, it's not likely something that gets better next year. Unless your argument is it was "all Julius".

If your argument it's all Julius then maybe. But I somehow doubt it. I think leadership hasn't been good enough from Finch, or Ant as the teams best player. He is partially at fault for sure too.

I'm surprised more people are not adding DDV to the trade list. His salary is a nice potential add on to get a player who not injured and could help us win. Maybe people didn't read, you can vote for more then one option.

Even if he comes back late late in the year, he won't be 100%. That is for two years from now really. Guys never are themselves for 18 months to two years after that surgery. It just takes time to rebuild.

I love the guy too and how he plays. It just sucks and I'd be actively looking to move him if we can get a better package.

Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2026 9:05 am

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 10:01 pm

AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2026 9:51 pm "Cause coaches matter more than players…"

I thought beenlurkin was being sarcastic with this quote. Apparently not? That's crazy.

I was being sarcastic! Coaching only works if players allow it. You can coach as hard as you want and if a player tunes out there’s no point. And if the number two is tuned out and the number 1 is playing hurt and the structure of the team is wonky then man I dunno how you blame a coach….especially one who gets the team I just described to the second round of the playoffs three consecutive years….its crazy work to blame the coach here imo

So is it on Finch that the players very minimally listened to him and the staff and didn't "follow the gameplan". I would say some blame is on him for not getting through, it's his job to get through! Never the matter, it's not likely something that gets better next year. Unless your argument is it was "all Julius".

If your argument it's all Julius then maybe. But I somehow doubt it. I think leadership hasn't been good enough from Finch, or Ant as the teams best player. He is partially at fault for sure too.

It’s not “Just Julius”. It’s a domino that knocks over the next one though. If a team gets a new player who is expected to be the number 1 or 2 guy and that guy starts going rogue and not listening and being a malcontent then it starts to naturally affect everyone else. I’m sure the coaches tried many many many things to right the ship. The fault in my opinion lands more on Julius and Tim Connelly for failing to get rid of him when he tried mid season. Everyone else failed over time by not resisting human nature or lowering their own standards to match the gravity of “the most important guy in the team”. Jimmy Butler did the same thing but he did it as loud as he could to force his way out. Julius is a quieter introverted guy but he sank the team all the same.
I am fine moving on from Finch if we get evidence that he has totally lost everyone else when we see next seasons roster after Julius is gone. But let’s see if that’s the case first. The whole team got a big wake up call here. Let’s see who wakes up.

I voted Julius, Rudy, and Finch. This team needs a fresh start. As long as Finch was here and well liked there was no way to do that. Finch did great in his tenure here and will land on his feet. I believe this team needs a real system beyond “flow”, a pg, and a coach that believes in speed all the time and does’t disdain pick and roll when you get bogged down in the half court.