Chris

Finch

While Finch, Houston’s Ime Udoka and Dallas’s Jason Kidd have all been mentioned as people of interest regarding the Knicks’ head coaching vacancy, all are expected to stay put in their current roles. Tuesday night, Charania reported that formal requests to speak with Finch and Udoka were denied by their respective franchises. As for Kidd, The Athletic reported that Dallas expects him to stay, with the head coach possibly looking for a contract extension with the Mavericks.

After taking over as Timberwolves coach during the 2020-21 campaign, Finch has led the franchise to the playoffs each of the last three seasons. The 2023-24 season was one of the most successful in team history, as Minnesota won 56 games and reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. Finch has worked well with the team’s stars, most notably franchise cornerstone Anthony Edwards.

The NBA injury report currently has all nine Minnesota players that were in league protocols listed as available, but it looks like even if they’re cleared, we won’t be seeing the return of many players tonight.

The injury report this morning had every Minnesota player listed as “available” for their game on Tuesday against the Knicks. This seems to have been an error, and the team will give an accurate update this afternoon. It seems like Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards have a chance to return, based on when they entered protocols and the league’s new 6-day quarantine policy.

The revelation comes as part of a complaint filed by Wolves shareholder Meyer Orbach, alleging that investors weren’t treated properly in the sale. Taylor said publicly that the deal would prohibit Lore and Rodriguez from moving the franchise to a new market, but in fact it would simply require them to present such plans to the NBA’s Advisory Board for “discussion.” Taylor has also referred to the NBA board of governors’ desire for expansion over relocation, and it’s worth noting that the board of governors still has to approve the sale before it’s final.

This will be the second straight day that the Timberwolves will play during the afternoon. The start time is being moved up in the aftermath of the police shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis, and the resulting protests.