Jim Petersen Bashes Chris Finch's Detractors: 'How About Some Gratitude?'

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has been a frequent target of criticism from fans over the course of this season, particularly during a difficult recent stretch where his team lost eight of 13 games. There is a vocal and growing subset of fans on social media who believe the franchise needs a new head coach in order to get over the hump and win a championship.

Jim Petersen, the Wolves' longtime television analyst, doesn't understand that sentiment. During the third quarter of Monday's big win over the Hawks, Petersen went on a bit of an unprompted rant against the criticism Finch has received.

"They figure it out," he said, talking about the Wolves' ebbs and flows this season and in recent years. "Chris Finch and his staff, they're too good. I've been a little disappointed with all of the hand-wringing and talk about Chris Finch. There's no gratitude for this guy that has brought us to the playoffs five years in a row and two Western Conference Finals. I mean, how about some gratitude?"

"It's shocking, honestly," play-by-play announcer Alan Horton said. "It is quite shocking."

"This guy's done so much for this team, I just can't believe (it)," Petersen added. "All the years we spent in the desert, not making the playoffs. Thibs (Tom Thibodeau) obviously did a great job of getting Minnesota into the playoffs (in 2018), but what Chris Finch has done to make this an elite-level team, where they're a contender each and every year..."

"He has brought us water in the proverbial desert," Horton said.

"Oh, he certainly has," Petersen said. "And I'm not going to take it for granted. It's the best staff, it's the best front office this team has ever had."

Jim Petersen’s message to Chris Finch skeptics: “How about some gratitude?” pic.twitter.com/CR1T8Vv1pz
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) February 10, 2026

There's a lot that can be said about those comments, on both sides of the argument.

To some extent, Jim Pete isn't wrong. The Wolves have typically figured it out under Finch, a coach who doesn't tend to overreact or ride the rollercoaster of the regular season in the same way many fans do. Last season, they were 32-29 before closing on a 17-4 burst and getting back to the conference finals. Since Finch's arrival, they're 242-182 in the regular season and 21-21 in the playoffs, which are both the best winning percentages of any coach in franchise history.

This is inarguably the golden era of Timberwolves basketball. And for that, Finch deserves more credit than some fans seem to give him. He's a good coach who has done a lot for the Wolves. The calls to fire him after every disappointing loss reek of overreaction and impatience.

Chris Finch and Anthony Edwards | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

With that said, let's address the other side of the equation. For starters, Horton and Petersen are employees of the team who have a relationship with Finch, which makes them (understandably) biased in their assessment. And for all the success the Wolves have had in his tenure, there are also legitimate reasons for fans to be frustrated with his coaching and with the team's inconsistency.

Broadly, it's difficult to determine just how much credit Finch deserves for the Timberwolves' success. It feels quite reasonable to say that the biggest reason why they're in this position is Anthony Edwards, not Finch. Because of Edwards' greatness, it's possible — though certainly not guaranteed — that the Wolves would've had at least this much playoff success in the last five years under a wide range of head coaches. Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and both Karl Anthony-Towns and Julius Randle (among other players) deserve a substantial amount of credit for Minnesota's ascension to contender status, as does president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

Finch's tendency to stick with his guns and not make major changes to his rotation is mostly admirable, but it can also be maddening at times. This season, he seemed like the only person in the world who didn't realize that Mike Conley's offense had completely fallen off a cliff. Continuing to play Conley over Bones Hyland for as long as he did is hard to justify.

Fans have also been irked by Finch's hesitance to play young players like Rob Dillingham and Joan Beringer, although that's a nuanced issue for a contending team. Another thing that's tough to sort out is how much the Wolves' recurring lapses with effort on defense and ball movement on offense fall on Finch versus Edwards, Randle, and other players.

The bottom line is that multiple things can be true. Finch is clearly a good coach who has played a significant role in the peak era of Timberwolves basketball. He's also an imperfect coach who has benefited quite a bit from being paired with Edwards. No matter how bleak things were for the Wolves between the Kevin Garnett era and Ant's arrival, the only thing that matters moving forward is winning a championship with Edwards. That means holding Finch to a very high standard. And if the Wolves fall short in this year's playoffs, Connelly and ownership would have a real case to make a change.

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