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Andrew Lopez, ESPN
MINNEAPOLIS — One day after having surgery to repair the ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was back leading his team through practice on Thursday.
In the portion of practice open to media, Finch was walking around on crutches and interacting with players.
“Finch is obviously a leader and a super tough guy,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said on Thursday afternoon. “I have a ton of respect for him bouncing back so quickly. He’s chomping at the bit to get back out there. He’s really excited about the series and it’s great to have him back.”
Connelly said that Finch led the team in film and on the court.
The Wolves will travel on Thursday evening ahead of Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals matchup against the second-seeded Denver Nuggets. It’s unclear if Finch will travel Thursday but the plan is to have him in Denver for Game 1.
“I’m not sure, that’s up to Chris,” Connelly said. “I’m not his acting physician but he feels great right now.”
Connelly said the team will go with whatever Finch is “comfortable with.”
After Finch was injured at the end of Game 4 in Phoenix, assistant coach Micah Nori took over and will be the acting head coach while Finch is out.
“Obviously anytime you have your leader in the building and you’re able to conduct practices, conduct film rooms, conduct meetings,” Nori said. “So the more that we can stay in the norm and closer to just the rhythm that we’ve had all year, it’s great.”
On Wednesday prior to Finch’s return to practice, Nori said they were several options on the table for how Finch could still coach including being in a suite and conducting the pregame and halftime meetings. The Wolves could also clear out space around the bench to make it easier for Finch to sit with his leg extended while it remains in a brace.
Connelly added that he had full faith in the staff moving forward.
“Micah is going to make a great head coach when some smart team hires him,” Connelly said. “The whole staff is really connected. I think Finch empowers those guys. So it’s a collective, it’s not just about one person. We have next man up with players and it’s the same with coaches.”
Finch finished third in the NBA’s Coach of the Year voting and led Minnesota to a 56-26 record and the No. 3 seed. It was the second-most wins in the team’s 35-year history and the sweep of the Phoenix Suns was just the third playoff series win in franchise history behind the 2003-04 Wolves who advanced to the conference finals.