Timberwolves sign 4-year contract extension with head coach Chris Finch

The Minnesota Timberwolves have hired a new head coach Chris Finch on Monday a contract extension for the next four seasons, the franchise’s best result in 20 years.

Finch led the Timberwolves to a 56-26 regular-season record, their second-best ever, before they reached the Western Conference finals, losing to Dallas in five games. The only other time in the 35 years since the franchise joined the NBA that the Wolves advanced past the first round of the playoffs was in 2004.

With a .557 winning percentage in 3 1/2 seasons, Finch (160-127) is the Timberwolves’ all-time best player. The late Flip Saunders (427-392), who led the team to the Western Conference finals in 2004, had a .521 winning percentage in 11 seasons. Saunders and Finch are the only two Wolves coaches with over 100 wins.

“I am proud of how we have established a great culture here at the Timberwolves, and I look forward to continuing to lead this organization and make our fans proud,” Finch said in a statement released by the team.

The Wolves led the league with 37 wins against Western Conference opponents and had the NBA’s best defense with a defensive rating of 108.4. Finch and his staff were also selected to coach the Western Conference team in the All-Star game.

“Chris is a wonderful coach and an even better person,” Tim Connelly, president of basketball operations, said in the statement. “We are thrilled to see him rewarded with a well-deserved contract extension. Under his leadership, the team has improved each year. He is the perfect leader for our organization.”

Finch was hired by Connelly’s predecessor Gersson Rosas on February 21, 2021, to replace the fired Ryan Saunders. He had previously received a contract extension on April 11, 2022. Finch, 54, was an assistant with Houston, Denver, New Orleans and Toronto before getting his big break in Minnesota.

The two-time NCAA Division III All-American at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania played for the Sheffield Sharks in the British Basketball League and later coached the same team from 1997 to 2003. Finch also coached the British national team at the 2012 Olympic Games.

NOTE: The original air date of the video attached to this article is May 31, 2024.