Souhan; New Wolves Coach Has History With Front Office [PODCAST]

The Timberwolves introduced Chris Finch as their new head coach at a news conference Monday. Star Tribune Sports Columnist Jim Souhan joined me on WJON today. Jim says Finch worked with Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gerson Rosas in Houston. Souhan says Finch likes an up-tempo style which includes plenty of 3-pointers. He says the roster has been built with many of these strategies in mind.

The Minnesota Wild downed the San Jose Sharks 6-2 Monday night. Jim says the offense is looking good but keep in mind the Sharks defense isn't good. Souhan says the lines are playing well together but Zach Parise could be showing signs of age. Jim says because of Parise's playing style he is more susceptible to a decline while Ryan Suter's style won't show signs of a decline as quickly.

The Twins hold their first full squad workout today in Fort Myers, Florida. Jim says the Twins are likely to go with Matt Shoemaker as their 5th starter to open the season but injuries often play a role in what happens. He says it is also possible with many days off early in the season that the Twins go with a 4-man rotation.

The Gopher men's basketball team has 4 games remaining and is squarely on the bubble for a NCAA tournament berth. Jim says says there isn't a magic formula for the Gophers to make the tournament because they are competing with so many other teams for at-large berths. He says the amount of wins they need to get is contingent on how other bubbles play in the next 2 weeks.