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Some of the improvement effort will come from within, be it expanding roles for young players or new responsibilities for established starters. And some of the actions toward trying to keep up with the Western Conference powers will come from the outside. "We know our competition is not going to sit still, and nor will we," Connelly said. "If we mess up, we'll mess up loudly. We're going to try to be as aggressive as possible."
But Connelly didn’t shy away from the disappointment he saw in the team this season as well. The Wolves never really found a groove in the regular season and described themselves as a moody group that often got caught up in individual concerns over the health of the team. “I think way more good than bad, but look, we were an inconsistent team,” Connelly said. “I think our emotional maturity has continued to be a thing that we have to get better at.”
“We have a lot of confidence in our guys. But it would be disingenuous to sit in front of this group and say we’re happy with the sixth seed, we’re happy with not being a homecourt playoff team, we’re happy that our last three closeout games have been lopsided,” Connelly said. “We have to be realistic about what we have, which is way more good than bad, but know that we’re not good enough right now.”
“Offensively, we were outside the top 10, which is not really acceptable for us. Defensively, outside the top five, also not really acceptable for us,” Finch said on Saturday. “So it’s a mixed bag right now.” Finch spoke about tweaking the offense to fit his personnel, finding ways to relieve some of the ballhandling duties from Edwards and prioritizing the building of championship habits during the regular season so they are more locked into the game plans during the playoffs. “I think that’s on us. It’s on me,” Finch said. “We’ve got to meet these standards better.”
Trading for a 31-year-old Antetokounmpo or a 34-year-old Kyrie Irving coming off a torn ACL could be considered risky, but that isn’t how Connelly looks at it. “I’d rather get fired for trying than sit here and just do the job in survival mode,” Connelly said. “So risky, I think, is if you’re a championship-level team and make a huge trade. I don’t know what level of risk there is when you’re bounced in the second round. I think we’re open to it. Certainly, we’re not driven by it.”
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Darren Wolfson: "There is a ceiling on this roster. The Wolves realize that. Tim Connelly realized it last summer making a push for Kevin Durant. I foresee roster changes coming. Nothing has changed on my front. We've talked about this for multiple months. They are not firing the head coach. Chris Finch has multiple years, two years left on his contract. First off, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are not cutting the big fat check to Chris Finch for millions of dollars to go away. But even so, those guys are big believers in Chris Finch. So roster changes need to come for this team to have a fighting chance the next couple years. Yes, they want to be in the Eastern Conference, but that's still a few years out if it even happens. So for the next few years, how do you compete with the Spurs and Thunder? You need another superstar. They would love to acquire Giannis."
Darren Wolfson: "Let's not forget, Phil, Giannis has the hammer because he's essentially in a contract year. There's that player option, but wherever he goes, he's signing an extension. I could certainly concoct a great package that the Portland Trail Blazers could put together for Giannis. But if Giannis through his representation signals to the Blazers, I'm not signing a contract extension, you're not giving up Scoot Henderson and a million draft picks. You're just not doing that. The word is, going back to February, Giannis has interest in a few places. I was told, I was led to believe that Minnesota is one of those places, that there is enough intrigue, Giannis teaming up with Anthony Edwards. So yes, I absolutely foresee Tim Connelly re-engaging the Bucks, maybe already has."
Jon Krawczynski: Tim Connelly says he is optimistic they will bring back Ayo Dosunmu: "Ayo’s our most important free agent. He’s a guy we thought we knew pretty well and we liked him from afar. Now seeing him day to day, we love him."
Jon Krawczynski: Wrote the day after the season ended that Chris Finch would be back. Tim Connelly today: “He was masterful in the Denver series. We’re not here w/o Finchy, the playoff success he’s had. I’m just thankful he’s a partner and thankful he’s our head coach.”
Tim Connelly and Matt Lloyd are two of the most respected executives in the league. Another season with them in charge should only help the Wolves’ efforts to close the gap on Oklahoma City and San Antonio, but there is work to be done. Connelly will be entering the final season of his contract, and Timberwolves ownership wants to get an extension done with him, team sources said. Finch has two more years left on his deal and will be back for his sixth full season next year.
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One bright spot for the Wolves is that they appear set to bring the front-office staff back next year intact. Connelly was a candidate for the top job in Dallas, but team sources told The Athletic that there were never any discussions between the Mavericks and Connelly before Masai Ujiri was hired.
Connelly and Lloyd are two of the most respected executives in the league. Another season with them in charge should only help the Wolves’ efforts to close the gap on Oklahoma City and San Antonio, but there is work to be done. Connelly will be entering the final season of his contract, and Timberwolves ownership wants to get an extension done with him, team sources said. Finch has two more years left on his deal and will be back for his sixth full season next year.
Michael Scotto: The Minnesota Timberwolves have expressed interest in extending team president Tim Connelly, league sources told HoopsHype.
The Mavs had preliminary interest in some current lead basketball executives of other franchises, particularly Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, sources said. However, the Mavs moved on in part due to doubts that the Timberwolves would grant permission to engage in discussions with Connelly, who has one season remaining on his contract.