Derek Shelton Reveals Connection to Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach

Derek Shelton Reveals Connection to Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach

Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton does not watch many NBA games, and he will be the first to tell you that.

But when the Timberwolves closed out their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Shelton caught himself yelling at the television like a lifelong basketball fan.

He laughed about it afterward.

A Connection That Started in the Offseason

Shelton cared that much because of his friendship with Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch.

The two got to know each other over the winter while both were living in Florida, and their conversations about the grind of coaching stuck with both of them.

In a recent story by The Star Tribune, Shelton talked about how the relationship developed.

"When you meet with someone and you talk to him, you talk to him about leadership and you talk to him about the different challenges you go through, you kind of develop a little camaraderie," Shelton said. "They've been playing and he's texted me throughout, and I've texted him throughout, so it's kind of cool."

Things clicked even more when they realized they were practically neighbors.

Finch, who grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania as a die-hard Phillies fan, has lived in the St. Petersburg area for years and regularly attends Twins games at Target Field when the team is home.

"We found out we both live in the same place in Florida," Finch said. "We both live in St. Pete Beach. He actually used to live right across the water from me, but he moved a little bit further inland after the hurricane."

Where Both Teams Stand

Shelton's Twins sit at 15-20 through the first five weeks of the season and have not been able to string together wins in the American League Central.

Finch's Timberwolves had a much smoother ride, finishing the regular season at 49-33 and locking up the sixth seed in the Western Conference before opening the playoffs against Denver.

Target Field and Target Center sit right across the street from each other in downtown Minneapolis, and Finch has made the most of that.

One day after the Timberwolves wrapped up their first-round series, Finch was in the stands for the Twins game on May 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays and received a loud ovation from the crowd when he popped up on the videoboard.

Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark was also there that night.

Neighbors

Shelton has made a habit of shouting out Minnesota's other pro teams during his daily press conferences, often wearing Timberwolves and Wild gear to the podium.

That is who Shelton has been since he got to town, and his connection with Finch fits right in.

The Twins and Timberwolves are in very different places right now, but their coaches share a zip code in Florida, swap texts during each other's seasons, and show up at each other's games when they can.