The Minnesota Timberwolves Will Try to Fix Their Chaos in Time to Keep Karl-Anthony Towns Happy

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch sang Karl-Anthony Towns’ praises in late September on the team’s media day. Finch praised the work Towns put in to get in better shape and identified him as one of the best players in the league. 

That’s exactly what a head coach should do when referencing his star player. It’s also what Gersson Rosas did recently when he called Towns a top 10 player. But the surprising firing of Rosas as president of basketball operations just before the season is about to get underway illustrates the bigger problem that the organization has, even when people have said the right things during Towns’ tenure, the organization has failed to surround him with a stable front office and coaching situation. 

When Towns got to talk on media day, he addressed that chaos. And it could be a problem for Minnesota soon.

Even before media day, it was clear Towns was frustrated; he tweeted a simple “wtf” when news of Rosas’ firing broke. He expounded on that terse but fair initial statement to reporters later.

“You’re right, it’s been something that’s been very constant with my career here in Minnesota. At the end of the day, I have to continue being a professional. Being transparent, what happened last week, just add it to the list. It’s just the same thing every single time,” Towns told Fox 9 in Minneapolis. “I joked about it the day before, like man it’s been a real quiet offseason for Minnesota. That’s very different. Boom, made sure they had one left in the hat.”

Towns are coming off of a difficult nearly two years. He’s dealt with injuries, but more tragically, he’s seen firsthand the devastating impact of COVID-19. Towns has lost several family members to the virus, including his mother. He also contracted it himself and struggled to regain his mental and physical health. 

Still, Towns was able to play last season and averaged nearly 25 points and 10 rebounds per game. He’s a great perimeter shooter and versatile scorer who is difficult for any team to defend. Up until this point, he’s seemed content in Minnesota. But he’s lost there, a lot, and his comments suggest that he may be losing patience with the organization.

The Timberwolves also have a changing ownership situation, with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore taking over ownership of the team. Rodriguez doesn’t have local ties, so that has created some panic that he could look to move the team. At the very least, it should be expected that he’ll make changes beyond just removing Rosas. 

Change has unfortunately been a predominant theme of Towns’ career, though. He’s played for five coaches in six years, including joining the Timberwolves just before former coach Flip Saunders passed away. If the new ownership group makes another change, that instability could be too much for Towns, especially since Finch’s system actually seemed to fit him well last season. Finch is committed to putting Towns in the best situations to succeed.

“The best way that he can help us is to be the top-five-talent-level player that he can be, and also be that every single night,” Finch told the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. “That comes with the work he’s put into his body and his preparation from the physical stamina point of view. From that, everything will come, really.”

Finch’s coaching also got last year’s No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards going in the second half of the season after a slow start.

Even with ownership surely looking to make a splash and put their own stamp on the franchise, Finch finally gives Minnesota some potential for stability and forward momentum on the court. The Timberwolves would be wise to keep him in place and give him the chance to grow with the team.