MINNEAPOLIS — Chris Finch seems like a happy guy. After years of coaching in Europe and as an assistant in the NBA, he is the head coach of a very good team. He earns a salary he once could have only dreamed about. The Timberwolves coach lives in Minneapolis, walks to the cool spots with his friends and works in an organization that values him.

Finch also frequently looks anguished. He wants to win a championship and is on the brink of being eliminated in the second round, following two Western Conference finals appearances. He doesn’t believe he or his players are treated fairly by game officials, so he spends most of his time on the sideline signaling his disgust.

He gives his players freedom to think for themselves and they are not thinking clearly enough, making Finch sound helpless when he complains about their inability to follow game plans.

Finch is by far the most accomplished coach in Timberwolves franchise history. He’s one of the best coaches in the world. He has also raised the bar high enough that one slip could precipitate a fall.

As the Timberwolves face the possibility of their earliest playoff exit in three seasons, do President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly and the Wolves’ owners believe Finch is the right person to lead the team to a championship, however unrealistic that demand may be?

The Wolves appear to be stagnating just as Oklahoma City is threatening to become a dynasty, and San Antonio is attempting to preempt an Oklahoma City dynasty.

The Wolves, as currently constituted, could play exceptionally well over the next five years and never be better than the third-best team in the West.

As the Wolves prepare for Game 6 against the Spurs on Friday night at Target Center, Finch is at the mercy of his players following instructions and making him look good while trying to delay the arrival of the Spurs as a superpower.

In the first round, against Denver, Finch’s skills were on full display, as he designed offenses that took advantage of the Nuggets’ lack of rim protection, and defenses that frustrated Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, leading to another playoff upset, even with key Wolves players injured.

Against San Antonio, Finch, like just about every coach in the league, has struggled to find antidotes to Victor Wembanyama’s unique brilliance and an excellent young roster. The Spurs are more athletic, more promising and just as tough as the Wolves.

Perhaps this series would look different if Donte DiVincenzo were healthy. He was the Wolves’ best all-around player in the first round before tearing his Achilles tendon. Anthony Edwards, playing on two bad knees, has been inventive offensively, but hasn’t had his usual explosiveness or stamina.

Do Finch’s bosses see those as legitimate explanations for a second-round exit?

A Game 6 loss would leave Connelly with three options:

I’d opt for No. 2. The easiest move to make is No. 3.

Two years ago, I introduced Finch to Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. They’re both intelligent and decent human beings whose offices were within walking distance of one another. I thought they should know each other.

Baldelli, like Finch, seemed to be in lockstep with his boss and friend, Derek Falvey. Baldelli, like Finch, was an important figure in a winning organization yet derided by fans who think they know more about baseball than someone with a remarkably high intellect who has lived the game.

When the Twins failed for a second consecutive season, in 2025, Falvey fired his friend, even though Falvey had given Baldelli the young hitters who choked two summers in a row.

The current Wolves owners did not participate in the hiring of Finch. Sometimes, new people want their own people.

I would be disappointed but not shocked if Finch soon found himself receiving a sympathetic text from Baldelli.

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