INDIANAPOLIS – Three years ago Wednesday, the Timberwolves replaced head coach Ryan Saunders with Chris Finch after a road loss on a Sunday night to the Knicks.
In the early hours of Monday morning, when the chaos of what had just happened had quelled, Finch said he texted Karl-Anthony Towns, the franchise tentpole with whom he would have to form a good relationship if his first stint as NBA head coach would be a successful one.
Finch sent the text with a tinge of uncertainty. He knew Towns and Saunders were close. Finch wasn't sure how Towns might welcome him, or if Towns might hold it against Finch for replacing someone with whom he had such a strong bond.