Ryan Saunders Has Been Fired - Chris Finch Hired!!!

[Worm Guts]

1. You don’t fire your current head coach before you have your next one lined up. What if negotiations fell through with Finch? Unless you are sure you want to hand the reigns to one of the current assistants you need your outside hire ready to go.
.

Actually that's normally how it works. Typically if you fire your head coach during the season, an assistant becomes the interim head coach until the offseason when you can conduct a full search. Hiring someone from a different organization during the middle of the season is super rare.

[jpatrick]

The timing is odd. Clearly this was premeditated. But no one should be that upset by this. Wolves have paid Saunders millions upon millions of dollars to do a job he was not qualified for. This is not firing a factory worker that now isn’t going to be able to pay the mortgage. Saunders is part of the NBA fraternity, he’ll get another job if he wants it.

It’s clear Taylor forced Saunders on Rosas. The interviews were a sham. Rosas knows his job is on the clock, especially with Taylor looking to sell. So, makes sense for him to want to get the coach he wanted to hire all along in as soon as possible.

[TheProdigy]

I was personally hoping for Miles Finch, but Chris Finch is a good consolation prize.

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[Merc_Porto]

1. You don’t fire your current head coach before you have your next one lined up. What if negotiations fell through with Finch? Unless you are sure you want to hand the reigns to one of the current assistants you need your outside hire ready to go.

2. You pay him enough to be comfortable firing him on the road. You don’t owe him a home firing, you do what is best for the team.

3. Rosas could care less about Ryan’s history with Thibs. Thibs deserved to be fired but Ryan did not deserve to be promoted. Ryan was likely a Glen mandate over Rosas strenuous objection. Rosas therefore has no obligation to spare Ryan’s feelings. Rosas probably wants to give Finch as many games as possible to get the team ready for next season.

1. Of course you do. Just put an interim coach while you are in negoatiations with the coach you want. If this decision was made in the end of January (doubt it) or last friday you fire Ryan in that exactly moment. If you dont see a future with Ryan in the end of January or whenever that decision was made you dont drag the situation.

2. Thats the classy part im talking about it. Especially Saunders, he deserved more.

3. Same as the point number 2. Rosas or Glen, whatever. You just dont do it like that.

[Heimdal]

I've been following the Jazz and Suns a lot the last 4 seasons, and going from Quin Snyder and Monty Williams to Ryan Saunders is a soul crushing experience. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

[Worm Guts]

It’s clear Taylor forced Saunders on Rosas. The interviews were a sham. Rosas knows his job is on the clock, especially with Taylor looking to sell. So, makes sense for him to want to get the coach he wanted to hire all along in as soon as possible.

That might be a little aggressive. I don't know if Taylor "forced" Saunders on Rosas, but he for sure knew that Saunders was the guy Taylor wanted and that carries a pressure of it's own. Truth is, this actually might buy Rosas a little more time. If Rosas had picked his own guy first, it would have been much harder to scapegoat the coach.

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[Merc_Porto]

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This makes so much sense.
Why the hell we want to improve right now?
Everybody knows that with a different coach we would probably had 2-3 more wins (no more than that) but that is still a bottom-3 team.

Rosas / Taylor want to full complete the fiasco trade of Russell by giving a higher chance of the Warriors getting that draft pick?

And dont come with the idea of starting winning more games to start building a "winning culture"
We are not going anywhere with this roster, we need to add talent and that is through the draft pick or by trading the draft pick.

[Dewey]

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Basically... Rosas had some liking to Finch when interviewed, and looking back, he prolly wishes he woulda hired him and left Ryan as an assistant. I’m glad we did not do an interim role with a current assistant this time around. Media never talk about the “assistants and their role/accountability” in these scenarios ... so yes, it’s good to bring in a fresh view and hopefully a stronger voice.

[winforlose]

1. You don’t fire your current head coach before you have your next one lined up. What if negotiations fell through with Finch? Unless you are sure you want to hand the reigns to one of the current assistants you need your outside hire ready to go.
.

Actually that's normally how it works. Typically if you fire your head coach during the season, an assistant becomes the interim head coach until the offseason when you can conduct a full search. Hiring someone from a different organization during the middle of the season is super rare.

Let me clarify. With more than half of the season left if you don’t seriously intend to hire from within what value is there in naming an interim coach who won’t run the same system as the guy you plan to hire. This season is clearly over, but the time remaining is valuable for development and getting ready for next season. Firing Ryan and letting someone like DV run the team for two weeks is just not practical. Much better to line things up and make the transition to Finch as seamless as possible.

[Heimdal]

1. You don’t fire your current head coach before you have your next one lined up. What if negotiations fell through with Finch? Unless you are sure you want to hand the reigns to one of the current assistants you need your outside hire ready to go.
.

Actually that's normally how it works. Typically if you fire your head coach during the season, an assistant becomes the interim head coach until the offseason when you can conduct a full search. Hiring someone from a different organization during the middle of the season is super rare.

Let me clarify. With more than half of the season left if you don’t seriously intend to hire from within what value is there in naming an interim coach who won’t run the same system as the guy you plan to hire. This season is clearly over, but the time remaining is valuable for development and getting ready for next season. Firing Ryan and letting someone like DV run the team for two weeks is just not practical. Much better to line things up and make the transition to Finch as seamless as possible.

Also, Rosas is probaby going to trade half the roster in a few weeks, so if Chris Finch is the choice he better be around asap.

[UnFadeable21]

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Ryan knew he was getting fired. Dudes voice was cracking snd shaking the whole post game

[UnFadeable21]

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I said after the loss Friday that Ryan Saunders would get fired.

Fade’s elite basketball mind strikes again!!!

This loss should seal the deal for Ryan Saunders. How many 4th quarter leads do you have to blow this season? Wolves lead the league with Worst 5-7 record with blown games in the 4th quarter.

Vs the Pacers and Toronto tonight, the Wolves had a lead in the 4th and Ryan Saunders blows it.

You don’t run any action to KAT in the post with Stanley Johnson guarding him.

Even Jim Pete said Ryan Saunders has blown multiple games this season. The Wolves should have at least 5 more wins this season but basic ineptitude and bad coaching has costed this team.

[Baseline81]

It's not too often that I agree with Jedzz, but this is one of those occasions. Between the roster Rosas gave Saunders and his style of play he forced Saunders had an uphill battle, but then add in the KAT injuries/illness and that hill turned into a mountain.

Don't get me wrong, Saunders had less than ideal circumstances, but, as others stated it always felt like the Wolves were a step behind in the coaching battle -- halftime adjustments, rotations, handling of timeouts, it was always something.

[thinktank]

Mercgold is steaming.

A lot of homers are upset and that is entirely to be expected.

[beeshma]

As a Bulls fan who has followed the Timberwolves for many years, I offer my congratulations! We are very happy now that Jim Boylen was fired and replaced by a competent coach. Only starting now... the Wolves can truly begin to evaluate their roster, and build a foundation from which to improve.

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Raptors Beat Writer

[Norseman79]

My guess is that Jim Pete and maybe the players, at least Kat, had a heads up that this was coming. I actually think Ryan was told before as well. "Look Ryan, we have to make a change. We are going to give you the option of continuing to coach until we find a replacement or can let you go immediately. What would you prefer?" That I could see Rosas doing as a way to let Saunders try to show some growth maybe as a type of audition for other clubs. But also, it stops the danger of David V being interrum coach and us winning with him. Then Rosas wouldn't have gotten his boy....again

[packforfreedom]

I think Jim Pete was critizing him more openly than Thibs.