Timberwolves coach Chris Finch to have surgery on knee after sideline collision, AP source says

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves will enter their second round playoff series against defending champion Denver with an unsettled bench — coach Chris Finch will be recovering from knee surgery.

Finch, who was hurt in a sideline collision with Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley, will have his ruptured right patellar tendon repaired Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the plan. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the team had not yet made the details public. ESPN first reported the news.

The surgery will leave Finch with only three days of recovery before Game 1 in Denver, and this type of procedure typically requires the leg to be immobilized for more time than that. He'll need crutches for awhile, too. The cramped space on an NBA sideline makes it difficult to envision Finch being able to be on the bench for the beginning of the series.

Assistant coach Micah Nori took the lead after Finch hobbled off late in the Game 4 win at Phoenix that completed the first round sweep. Nori also coached the team March 8 at Cleveland when Finch was ill. Filling any voids will be a team effort from a staff that has developed a strong sense of chemistry in the short time it's been together.

Conley was dribbling up the court near the boundary when Suns star Devin Booker bumped into him, sending him hurtling toward the coach. Conley tried to brace their fall, but the damage was already done by the impact. Finch immediately grimaced and grabbed his knee in pain.

Finch, who finished third in the NBA Coach of the Year voting, is 160-127 in 3½ years with the Timberwolves. He's 7-8 in the playoffs, having led the team there in each of his three full seasons. Finch took over for the fired Ryan Saunders in 2021 when he was plucked from Toronto's staff. He has also been an assistant with New Orleans, Denver and Houston.

With the Nuggets, he was hired by coach Mike Malone, his foe for the second straight postseason. Denver beat Minnesota in five games in the first round last year to spark the championship run.

Game 1 is Saturday, followed by Game 2 on Monday and then a three-day break before Game 3 in Minnesota on May 10.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

FILE - Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, right, and assistant coach Micah Nori watch in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 29, 2024, in Denver. The Timberwolves have two All-Stars in their lineup and the best defense in the NBA, but they likely wouldn't have secured the second-most wins in franchise history without a behind-the-scenes boost from a coaching staff led by Chris Finch that has forged a strong sense of camaraderie with each other and a clear level of trust with the players. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and guard Mike Conley (10) talk during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch directs his players during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Phoenix. The Timberwolves won 122-116, taking the series 4-0. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, right, tries to avoid Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, back left, after Conley was fouled by Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, left, during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Phoenix. The Timberwolves won 122-116, taking the series 4-0. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch holds his knee after colliding with Timberwolves guard Mike Conley during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Phoenix. The Timberwolves won 122-116, taking the series 4-0. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

A potential multibillion-dollar settlement of an antitrust lawsuit has cleared the first of a three-step NCAA approval process, with no change to a payment structure that would have the 27 college conferences not named in the suit cover the majority of a $1.6 billion portion of the damages.

The Division I Board of Directors finance committee on Monday night passed the proposed $2.77 billion settlement of House vs. NCAA to the full board with a recommendation to stick with the original finance plan.

The NCAA, Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference are defendants in the House case, a class-action lawsuit that seeks back pay for college athletes who were denied name, image and likeness compensation dating to 2016. The NCAA lifted its ban on athletes earning money for sponsorship and endorsement deals in 2021.

The Big 12 became the first conference to approve the settlement Tuesday, with their board of university presidents and chancellors voting unanimously in favor, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the conferences were not making any public statements about the settlement for now.

Moving forward, it will be the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and SEC carrying the financial burden in a proposed revenue-sharing system that asks each of its schools to commit upwards of $20 million per year to be paid directly to athletes. The overall commitment is expected to be about $300 million per school over 10 years.

The NCAA office is set to cover the damages portion of the case over 10 years through a reduction of operating expenses, insurance and reserve funds. Withheld distributions to its 352 Division I member schools would cover the rest. The NCAA distributes more than $700 million per year to its 1,100 member schools in three divisions.

The approved finance plan for the settlement calls for the NCAA to cover 41% of the $2.77 billion in damages, with the Power Five conferences accounting for 24% and the other five major college football conferences — the so-called Group of Five — covering 10%.

The conferences that compete in the second tier of Division I football, the Championship Subdivision, would cover 14% of the overall settlement and the non-football D-I conferences would be on the hook for 12%.

The conference commissioners from leagues that do not compete at the highest tier of Division I football, the Bowl Subdivision, have taken issue with the $1.6 billion in withheld distribution portion of the settlement. The 27 conferences not named in the lawsuit are expected to cover 60% of withheld distributions, with the other 40% coming from power conferences that are currently comprised of 69 schools.

The commissioners of the 22 non-FBS conferences sent a memo to NCAA leadership, proposing the finance structure be flipped so power conference withheld distributions cover 60% of the $1.6 billion.

Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said Tuesday the non-FBS conferences were holding out hope for reconsideration.

"We’re fighting uphill," he said.

The Big Sky is one of the most successful conferences in the Championship Subdivision, with schools such as Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington, Idaho State and Weber State.

The settlement proposal still needs approval from the Division I Board of Directors, which was scheduled to meet later Tuesday, and the NCAA’s Board of Governors.

The presidential boards of the other four power conferences, also known as autonomy conferences, are also scheduled to meet separately this week to vote on the settlement.

“We believe over 95% of the damages are going to go to A5 football and basketball players. For non-A5 conferences to pay for that is disproportionate. We’re asking for a more proportionate structure because our student-athletes are not going to see the money," Wistrcill said,

Plaintiffs' lawyers have given the NCAA and conferences until Thursday to respond to the settlement proposal, with parties on both sides sounding hopeful that it will be approved.

The conferences not named in the lawsuit did not found out about details of the settlement until two weeks ago through media reports, Wistrcill said. He said they are hoping the settlement can be approved with an opportunity for the NCAA financing plan to be readdressed.

Wistrcill said the formula for withheld distributions the NCAA is using, which is based on the percentage a conference received of overall NCAA distributions between 2016-2024, is projected to cost the Big Sky around $3 million per year over 10 years.

He said while power conferences will have a larger total distribution withheld on a per school basis, that revenue is a much smaller part of athletic department budgets that typically soar past $100 million annually. Big Sky school athletic budgets run about $20 million annually.

“The money is flowing to their student-athletes even though disproportionately (the settlement) is penalizing our institutions,” Wistrcill said.

__

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

FILE - Wisconsin's Traevon Jackson dribbles past the NCAA logo during practice at the NCAA men's college basketball tournament March 26, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. University presidents around the country are scheduled to meet this week in May 2024, to vote on whether to accept a proposed settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that would cost the NCAA nearly $3 billion in damages. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, the NCAA headquarters is shown in Indianapolis. University presidents around the country are scheduled to meet this week in May 2024, to vote on whether to accept a proposed settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that would cost the NCAA nearly $3 billion in damages. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)