Getty Kevin Durant walks past Steve Nash and David Vanterpool.
After the Minnesota Timberwolves fired Ryan Saunders during the middle of the 2020-21 season, they opted to go outside of the organization for his replacement and hired Toronto Raptors assistant Chris Finch.
The Timberwolves went 16-25 under Finch and missed the playoffs in the rugged Western Conference. They also angered one of their top assistants, who now works for the Brooklyn Nets.
Nets’ David Vanterpool Was Confused and Angered
During an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Nets assistant coach David Vanterpool said he was shocked when the Timberwolves didn’t promote him to head coach after Saunders was fired. The Florida native thought he would become the coach and was “numb” when Timberwolves president Gersson Rosas told him that Finch was coming on board.
“I was told that Ryan was being let go and Chris was being hired. Natural order, yes, I thought I was being promoted,” Vanterpool said. “But when I was told what I was told, I was just in shock. I was numb, upset and taken aback completely. When I got to the room it was all on TV and social media. People were calling me for answers I didn’t have. I was still frustrated and angry. I was shocked. I didn’t understand at all.”
Vanterpool kept his job after Finch was hired despite being upset. However, the Timberwolves didn’t pick up his option for the 2021-22 season. The former NBA guard joined the Nets in the summer of 2021, reuniting with Kevin Durant and James Harden, whom he coached previously with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Vanterpool has come up short on being a head coach for nine years. However, Hall of Famer and Nets coach Steve Nash believes his time will come soon.
Nash on Vanterpool: ‘He Is a Guy That Is Going to Get an Opportunity to Be a Head Coach’
Nash is confident that Vanterpool will become a head coach one day. He told Spears that Vanterpool “has the pedigree in terms of his basketball IQ and experience.”
“He is a guy that is going to get an opportunity to be a head coach,” Nash said. “He deserves an opportunity.”
Vanterpool is also convinced that he has the skills to lead a team: “I am still going to be a head coach one day. I know I am. I’m qualified to do the job.”
The Nets were projected to compete for the championship this season since they have Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving. However, Brooklyn is in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The team has lost nine games in a row and Nash is on the hot seat in his second season at the helm.
If Nash gets fired this season or in the summer, it will be interesting to see if Vanterpool gets promoted to head coach. He has a strong rapport with Durant and Harden and it’s worth mentioning that Portland Trail Blazers superstar point guard Damian Lillard is a huge fan of him.
Vanterpool coached Lillard in Portland and developed a strong bond with the All-Star guard, so maybe the former can help recruit the latter to Brooklyn.