A look back at the Timberwolves' tumultuous week

The Wolves are coming off a week in which they fired and hired a coach, went winless on a four-game road trip—all against Eastern Conference teams — and lost their second-leading scorer to a suspension:

Sunday: A four-game road trip vs. the Eastern Conference began against former Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks. The Wolves lost their fourth in a row, 103-99. Afterward, they announced the firing of Ryan Saunders (final record of 43-94) and the hiring of Raptors assistant Chris Finch as his permanent replacement.

Monday: Finch, a first-time NBA head coach at age 51, and Timberwolves President Gersson Rosas spoke at an introductory news conference in Milwaukee. "Everything happens for a reason," said Finch, who interviewed for the Wolves job in 2019. "This is a place I really want to be."

Tuesday: The Wolves gave up a season high points in Finch's debut, losing 139-112 to the Bucks in Milwaukee. The Wolves attempted 54 three-point shots, making 19 of them. That made it five losses in a row and nine of 10. "I got to learn them. They got to learn me," Finch said.

Wednesday: Moving on to Chicago, the Wolves lost their sixth in a row, this time to the Bulls, 133-126 in overtime. Former Timberwolf and newly named All-Star Zach LaVine scored 35 points for the Bulls. The Wolves dropped to an NBA-worst 7-26. Earlier in the day, the National Basketball Coaches Association spoke out about how the Wolves failed "to conduct a thorough and transparent [coaching] search of candidates from a wide range of diverse backgrounds."

Thursday: The NBA dropped a 12-game suspension on Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley stemming from a guilty plea he entered for threats of violence outside his Plymouth home last fall.

Friday: The Wolves held a workout. "Just trying to know 'em as people," Finch said. "This is what we do. We don't coach basketball, we coach people. And it's important that I don't just come in here and try to coach basketball. It was a good window to get to know these guys, starting building some relationships."

Saturday: Playing without Beasley for the first time, the Wolves lost at Washington 128-112 and dropped to 20 games under .500. They have lost seven in a row.