Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is expected to be with the team in Denver for the Western Conference semifinals that start Saturday, but where exactly he’ll sit is another matter.
Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori told reporters that Finch’s surgery to repair his ruptured patellar tendon on Wednesday went well and that he’ll travel to Denver if his initial recovery goes as planned.
“It went well. His spirits are remarkably high,” Nori said.
Now it’s logistics, Nori said: Where does Finch sit during the game?
Nori said it’s possible Finch could join the team on the bench if Minnesota can reconfigure the chairs in a way that would work; Finch will need to be out of harm’s way and keep his surgically repaired leg extended and immobilized. If that doesn’t work, Finch will be in the locker room before the game and at halftime and watch from a suite.
According to ESPN and NBA TV, Finch would be permitted to communicate with assistant coaches if he’s unable to be on the bench.
“In typical Finchy fashion, he’s like, ‘I don’t want to sit there and send text messages to somebody behind the bench,'” Nori said.
Finch suffered the injury in the final minutes of Game 4 at Phoenix in the Timberwolves’ first-round series when he collided with Minnesota point guard Mike Conley.
The Timberwolves travel to Denver on Thursday, but Finch, if he does go, would travel separately at a later date.
Finch, 54, was third in NBA Coach of the Year voting after leading Minnesota to a 56-26 regular-season record.
Denver split four games with the Timberwolves this season, including Minnesota’s 111-98 win on March 29 at Denver and an April 10 game on the same court that went to the Nuggets, 116-107.
