Who's The Greatest Coach In Minnesota Timberwolves History?

In this series, we’ll take a look at the illustrious list of head coaches in each NBA franchise’s history. To make a case for ‘greatest coach,’ we’ll look at win-loss record, player development, and (most importantly) team accomplishments under that coach’s tutelage.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are among the “younger” franchises in the NBA, as they’ve only been around since 1989.

On the one hand, they’ve been able to field squads that were quite competitive in the postseason. On the other hand, the Timberwolves have also been cellar-dwellers for significant stretches in their history.

As a matter of fact, there are only two Wolves coaches who can claim to have a winning percentage in the regular season. One of these individuals is the longest-tenured Wolves coach ever, while the other one happens to be the team’s current mentor. This is, without a doubt, a two-man race.

After enduring seven years of playoff futility after joining the NBA as an expansion team, the Wolves finally tasted postseason action in 1997. This was thanks to Flip Saunders, who clinched a playoff berth for the team in his first season as head coach. 

The Wolves put together a 40-42 record that season, but under Saunders’ watch, they would finish at .500 or better over the next seven years. In 2004, the Wolves went all the way to the Western Conference Finals, powered by that season’s NBA MVP Kevin Garnett. The growth of Garnett as a two-way menace, along with the development of the Wolves as a consistent playoff contender, can be attributed to the leadership of Saunders (who passed away in 2015).

After the Saunders era, turmoil and poor decision-making within the Timberwolves organization led to another lengthy playoff drought. From 2005 to 2021, the team made the playoffs just once and mightily struggled to achieve a winning percentage in the regular season. The winds of change, however, were blowing in Minneapolis when Chris Finch took over.

In each of the four full seasons that Finch has been at the helm, the Wolves have clinched winning records as well as playoff berths. With up-and-coming superstar Anthony Edwards leading the pack, Minnesota has made two consecutive appearances in the Western Conference Finals. Indeed, it wouldn’t be outrageous to suggest that the Wolves could be back in the conference finals this season, given the quality of Finch’s coaching.

Saunders gets the nod over Finch in this debate. His tally of 427 regular-season wins is Minnesota’s benchmark to this day, and he is the only head coach to have produced an NBA MVP during his stint with the Wolves.