Fans Are Turning Up the Temperature on Wolves Coach Chris Finch

There is no indication that the Timberwolves are planning to fire head coach Chris Finch, but the latest series of underwhelming performances, coupled with Finch calling out Rudy Gobert for calling out his teammates, has turned up the temperature in Minnesota — and there's a lot of noise on social media from frustrated fans.

“At this time of the year, some 53 games in, 54 games in. I remember what George Karl told me once. You can’t air out your team more than five times in a year, because after that fifth time, they’re not listening," ESPN's Marc Jones said as Minnesota was being blown out at home by the Clippers on Sunday.

“You can’t air out your team more than 5 times in a year, after that fifth time they’re not listening”… It’s time for Chris Finch to hang it up… You can see it in every player.. He’s lost the locker room. Time for a new voice. #Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/T3xnE9T4MP
— “The Truth Lounge” (@TheFyreLounge) February 8, 2026

Finch compared the current woes — three losses in the last four games — to a stretch in late December when Minnesota lost three of four games, including blowout losses to Brooklyn and Atlanta.

After the Atlanta loss, Gobert notably questioned the Wolves' desire to be a championship contender. They responded by winning six of the next seven games, though the spark didn't continue as that winning stretch was followed by five consecutive losses.

"Just gotta stay positive," Finch said Sunday. "We know we’re a good team. We just gotta get back to playing good basketball.”

The problem is that 17 of Minnesota's 22 losses this season have come in five chunks where they couldn't get out of their own way, including losses in which they blew an eight-point lead to the Suns with less than a minute to go; blew a 10-point lead with three minutes left against Sacramento; suffered blowout losses to Brooklyn, Atlanta, Chicago, and Golden State; and most recently squandered an 18-point lead in a home loss to New Orleans, followed by the blowout home loss to the Clippers.

Oct. 24-29: Lost 3 of 4
Nov. 21-26: Lost 3 straight
Dec. 25-31: Lost 3 of 4
Jan. 16-25: Lost 5 straight
Feb. 2-8: Lost 3 of 4

Despite Finch's optimism that this is just another weak moment for an otherwise terrific team, fans have grown tired and are starting to grab pitchforks and torches.

I feel like getting called out publicly by a very important vet, making a bit of a mess of your response, and then having the team respond with their lowest compete level game of the season is very much not a good thing for a head coach
— Jake Paynting (@JakePaynting) February 8, 2026

Whether he deserves it or not is certainly debatable…but it sure seems we’re headed toward Chris Finch’s termination.
— All Things MN (@allthingsmn) February 8, 2026

I appreciate Chris Finch a hell of a lot, I've seen a lot of coaches and a lot of talent not be able to figure out in Minnesota. However, I think a new voice is needed
— Wolvesgarbage (@kstategarb72623) February 8, 2026

Chris Finch has had a very long lease with this #Twolves team over the last two years, but losing 2 games in a row to sub-500 teams is the last straw. This team sucks and since you can’t dump the team you need to fire the coach!
— Dayton Jenks 🇺🇸 (@C_Dayton_Jenks) February 8, 2026

Firing the coach of a team that is 10 games over .500 and has gone to back-to-back Western Conference finals would be an odd approach for an ownership duo that stressed the importance of continuity before the season began. Plus, firing a coach in the middle of a winning season doesn't always help a team turn the corner.

Last season, the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone when they were 47-32. They won the last three games of the season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where they were defeated by the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

More glaringly, the Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Adrian Griffin when they were 30-13 on Jan. 23, 2024. They finished 49-33 and lost in the first round of the playoffs, with former Bucks forward Jae Crowder recently saying that the decision to fire Griffin and replace him with Doc Rivers was the beginning of Milwaukee's downfall. The Bucks lost in the first round of the playoffs (again to Indiana) last season, and they're currently 21-29 through 50 games this season.

WE WERE 30-13 BTW. TO BRING IN DOC. THIS IS WHAT STARTED THE AVALANCHE https://t.co/BGh2ZaulRx
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) January 28, 2026

Trusting Finch has gotten the Timberwolves further than any coach has guided them in franchise history. Fans have every right to be frustrated with the ups and downs this season, but Finch is the man running the show, and the team just invested more by acquiring Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls. They've been in this position before, and Finch has always been there when they respond accordingly. There's no reason to think the recent stinkers are going to continue much longer, and this is still a team that is a true contender in the West.

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