I asked a couple of the contributors to send me their gut reactions to the third pick.  Here's what we have:

Derok:  The Minnesota Timberwolves:  Where repeated kicks to the crotch happens.

College Wolf:  I'm devastated.  Seriously, it took me a few hours to even make my way back to the computer.  I have a million thoughts racing through my head and none are good.  I feel like I was tied to a tree for a week and anyone could come up and kick me in the groin as many times as they wish.  David Stern did so approximately no less than 4 thousand times.  Actually, I'm beyond devastated.  I didn't have my hopes up going into the lottery, but then when I  found out we'd be top 3 I was overjoyed.  I thought we were destined for a top 2 pick for sure.  Guaranteed.  Alas, no such luck.  We never have such luck.  I want to cry.  I'd rather have us slipped to 6th instead of 3rd.  3rd is almost the worst possible scenario because we were sooooo close, yet so far.  I don't know if I can stand a month of craptastic speculation regarding what clown we draft at number 3.  At least I can take solace in the fact that McHale will actually have to earn his paycheck this upcoming month rather than select Rose or Beasley.  Not much of a consolation feeling right there.

All I feel is devastation.

The Old Logo:  I felt somewhat like I did in January 1999 when Gary Anderson missed that field goal against the Falcons.  I went to NBA City to watch the draft and, since this team has left me with a pessimistic view, I tried not to get excited when the teams were announced for picks 14-7.  Even when the Bulls moved up, I still didn't mind too much.  When the Knicks got 6th, I clapped.  When the Grizzlies got 5th, I started pounding on the bar.  When the Sonics were fourth, I was yelling and hollering like everyone else.  The telecast went to commercial and the whole bar was full of smiles and possibilities.  ESPN returned from commercial and...BOOM.  Wolves, 3rd.  It was like a gut shot.  I liken it to expecting a Voltron at Christmas and getting a sweater.

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Expect the worst and hope for the best -- that seems to be the attitude of most Wolves fans coming into tonight's NBA Draft Lottery.  In the short history of the franchise, we have yet to move up in a draft lottery, but surely, there's a first time for anything...right?  Uh, right guys? 

Whelp, get out your lucky charms and buckle up, because this is gonna be a nerve-wracking evening.  And, by the way, thanks for following along with the live blog.

*About an hour ago, I started to get a funny feeling.  While it may have simply been the heartburn that resulted from the lunch buffet at Boca Chica, I think it's more likely an inkling that this is the year we finally get lucky.  I don't want to jinx anything, but I'm a bit more optimistic than I usually am about our chances at moving up in the draft.  We're overdue for some good fortune, dammit!

*If you need a quick history lesson on the many Draft Lottery misadventures in the history of this franchise, here's a great article from T'Wolves Blog contributor Jon Marthaler that's worth a read.

*Screw Jay-Z...Beyonce should have been the Nets' representative at the lottery.

*Avery Johnson's on the ESPN pregame panel -- pretty cool.  Reminds me of something I saw a couple weeks ago: I was browsing in a Borders, and noticed a book written by Avery in the "new releases" section of the store.  Talk about terrible timing to release a book; Cuban had just given him the axe before his book was shipped to stores.

Click "Read More" to continue.

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NBA DRAFT LOTTERY PREVIEW

I can only recall one period of time after my age reached double digits where a stuffed bear meant anything to me.  In the fall of 1991, at the age of 11, I asked for a  Kirby Bear when the Twins won the Western Division Pennant and I proudly displayed it on the desk in my room throughout and after the ALCS and the World Series.  I thought I would be done putting stock in a teddy bear, but apparently not.  Tonight, at 6:30 pm, I'm hoping our non-elected Mayor and his teddy bear can drop a little fortune on a franchise devoid of luck.

I have been following this team since its inception in 1989, and I can only remember two instances where I felt luck was on our side.  The first was in 1994.  Does anyone remember, back when the Wolves wore the beautiful old royal blue and green, that this team was sold to a group that planned on moving them to New Orleans?  Well, the first instance of fortune in this franchise's history was that the NBA Owners shot down the sale and the currently much maligned Glen Taylor "saved" the team.  The second was a more gradual process.  In 1995, the Wolves used their (again, lottery losing) fifth pick to select Kevin Garnett, a kid most people knew only as the high schooler on the cover of Sports Illustrated.  Like most NBA lottery prospects, Kevin had a lot of skills and a high ceiling above him.  The Wolves lucked out in that KG worked hard, did everything in his power to reach his ceiling, and made a city care about a team (at least for a while) that no one cared about at all.  So, in almost 20 years of existence, the team has had luck on its side twice.

I also remember the draft lottery day in 1992.  I was 12 and eagerly anticipating the end of 6th grade.  I had either the Strib or Press sports page (I don't recall which, it was 16 years ago...) and on the cover was Shaq and Alonzo Mourning.  We had the most chances, we ended up third and drafted Christian Laettner.  Like then, this is touted thus far as a two person draft.  One of the greatest statistical players in college history with all of the physical and skill tools to make an NBA player, and a point guard unfairly compared to a combination of Chris Paul and Deron Williams are the prizes.  So, can a Teddy Bear bring the requisite luck?  Is it enough luck?  Do we need a 4-leaf clover?  Maybe we can borrow a horseshoe from Big Brown.

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The Wolves percentage chance for picks:

1st - 13.8%

2nd - 14.24%

3rd - 14.54%

4th - 23.82%

5th - 29.05%

6th - 4.55%

Please check out the podcasts and the posts/forums throughout the day and this evening for TWolvesBlog reactions to the NBA draft.

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(Note: This article appeared in this space on April 17, but is being reposted today, for obvious reasons.)

There are several great truisms of life in Minnesota: it will always snow after you're ready for spring.  It will always rain the weekend you pick to go up to the cabin.  And the Timberwolves will always lose in the draft lottery.

After a 22-60 season, the Wolves are back in the lottery for the fourth consecutive year.  It's Minnesota's 11th chance to grab the brass ring, and things have not gone well in the past.  The stretch most fans remember runs from 1992-95, when the Timberwolves had the worst or second-worst record in the league every year, and ended up with a top-three pick just once.  A trip down memory lane:

1992: Minnesota has the league's worst record, but Orlando (second-worst) and Charlotte (tied for seventh-worst) come out of the ping-pong ball hopper before the Timberwolves.  Orlando gets Shaquille O'Neal; Charlotte gets Alonzo Mourning.  The Wolves are stuck with Christian Laettner.  Here's the thing: this is, by far, Minnesota's greatest lottery success - it's the only time they've "won" the lottery and been one of the top three picks.

1993: Minnesota has the league's second-worst record, behind only abysmal 11-71 Dallas.  Incredibly, Orlando (41-41 that year, out of the playoffs only on a tiebreaker) wins the first pick again, despite being tied for the league's 14th-best record.  Philadelphia (fifth-worst) and Golden State (sixth-worst) also come out of the hat ahead of Dallas and Minnesota, a result so patently unfair that the league changes the lottery system the following year to weight it more heavily in favor of the worst teams.

1994: Minnesota is tied with Milwaukee and Detroit for the league's second-worst record, behind only Dallas.  Milwaukee wins the first pick and gets Glenn Robinson; Detroit gets the third pick and drafts Grant Hill.  Dallas comes second, and gets Jason Kidd.  Minnesota ends up fourth and drafts Donyell Marshall... one spot ahead of Juwan Howard.  (Talk about nothing going right.)

1995: For the fourth consecutive year, the Wolves are bottom-drawer, finishing once again tied for the second-worst record in the league, this time with Washington.  Golden State, fifth-worst, wins the lottery; the Clippers, the worst team,  get the second pick; and Philadelphia, fourth-worst, gets the third pick.  With Washington winning the tiebreaker to pick fourth, the Wolves are left to pick fifth.  Luckily, that pick turns into Kevin Garnett.


Ultimately, the stats look like this: 10 trips to the lottery.  Zero first picks.  Zero second picks.  Zero times moving up in the draft.

Do you ever ask yourself, "What are the odds?"  By my calculations, using the historical probabilities available here , I examined Minnesota's odds of both never moving into the top three, and moving down at least two spots each year they belonged in the top three.  The results showed that the answer to the question "What are the odds?" is right around 40-1 against.

Heck, in their entire history, not only have they never moved up, they've managed to avoid moving down just four times (7th in 1991, 5th in 1996, 14th in 2005 - when they couldn't move down - and 6th in 2006).

Adding insult to injury: in 2007, Minnesota finished the season tied with Portland for the league's sixth-worst record, giving both teams the same chance of moving up.  The Blazers won the lottery and selected Greg Oden first.  The Wolves ended up picking seventh.

This year, the draft lottery is on May 20.  The Timberwolves will have the third-best chance of moving up to #1, along with Memphis.  Their chances of moving to #2 or staying at #3 are virtually the same. 

But ultimately, they have the best chance to move down, statistically speaking.  Knowing the team's history... I wonder who might still be left at #6? no comments

Join me Tuesday evening for a live blog of the NBA Draft Lottery.  Will the Timberpups get screwed over by the lottery, or will Lady Luck be on our side as the draft order is unveiled?  I, for one, cannot wait to find out the answer to that question.  See you Tuesday! no comments

I'm a bit torn, here.

As a Timberwolves fan, I want to see KG win a championship.  As an NBA fan, I want to see the Hawks complete an unthinkable upset on Sunday in Boston.  And as a sports fan, I want to see any team from Boston go down in defeat. 

Why?  In all honesty, I'm a jealous SOB...with an endless line of incompetent teams in Minnesota, it's nauseating to see Boston teams have some tremendous success.  I loved seeing the Patriots finish the 2007 NFL season 18-1, and admittedly, despite KG's 12 seasons as the face of the Timberwolves franchise, witnessing the Celtics lose in humiliating fashion would put a slight grin on my face.  I'll admit it...I'm little more than a bitter, frustrated Twin Cities sports fan.

What's a Wolves fan to do?  Well, as much as I appreciate KG's endless line of contributions to our favorite squad, it's impossible not to love the scrappy bunch of guys from Atlanta.

Going into the Celtics-Hawks matchup, I considered the series to be the equivalent of a first round bye for Boston.  I thought the Hawks might steal one of the games in Atlanta, but other than that, I was expecting a thorough domination by the Celtics.  Anyone who says they believed all along that the Hawks could compete with Boston is a dirty rotten liar - indeed, this was supposed to be one of the most lopsided playoff series in recent memory.

(Click "Read More" to continue)

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[image]
After the worst season in 14 years, Timberwolves fans can still find hope. [image2] 

Note: This article appears on www.DeROK.Net/wolves 

How do I even begin to summarize this past Timberwolves season?  I don't know what words to say.  You see, even though games were played and men ran up and down the court with the name across their chests, it just never felt like "Timberwolves basketball" to me. Something was missing, and I'm sure you all know who that "something" was. 

I know, I know.  The trade took place nearly nine months ago.  It's old news, and I should be over it.  I know that.  But as much as we all like to tell ourselves that this was "the best thing for our future", that KG is "better off", and that we've "moved on", there's no denying that the Target Center was a shell of its former self this year.  I only got to witness the experience via the television set, and even I could notice the emptiness.  And no matter how much we may try to mask the pain and deny it, that vacuum is a direct result of Kevin Garnett's departure. 

Kevin Garnett is just a man.  He throws on a pair of sneakers and puts a leather ball through a metal circle.  I'm not here to pass him off as some "savior" or some supernatural force that we should bow down and worship.  In fact, the point I'm trying to make has very little to do with Kevin Garnett, the man.  It has to do with Kevin Garnett, the ideal.  It has to do with what Kevin Garnett represented for this franchise and what this organization has become in the wake of his absence. 

Continue Reading...

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(Note: When not reliving painful memories here, Jon Marthaler can be found weeping over the past at TNABACG .)

There are several great truisms of life in Minnesota: it will always snow after you're ready for spring.  It will always rain the weekend you pick to go up to the cabin.  And the Timberwolves will always lose in the draft lottery.

After a 22-60 season, the Wolves are back in the lottery for the fourth consecutive year.  It's Minnesota's 11th chance to grab the brass ring, and things have not gone well in the past.  The stretch most fans remember runs from 1992-95, when the Timberwolves had the worst or second-worst record in the league every year, and ended up with a top-three pick just once.  A trip down memory lane:

1992: Minnesota has the league's worst record, but Orlando (second-worst) and Charlotte (tied for seventh-worst) come out of the ping-pong ball hopper before the Timberwolves.  Orlando gets Shaquille O'Neal; Charlotte gets Alonzo Mourning.  The Wolves are stuck with Christian Laettner.  Here's the thing: this is, by far, Minnesota's greatest lottery success - it's the only time they've "won" the lottery and been one of the top three picks.

1993: Minnesota has the league's second-worst record, behind only abysmal 11-71 Dallas.  Incredibly, Orlando (41-41 that year, out of the playoffs only on a tiebreaker) wins the first pick again, despite being tied for the league's 14th-best record.  Philadelphia (fifth-worst) and Golden State (sixth-worst) also come out of the hat ahead of Dallas and Minnesota, a result so patently unfair that the league changes the lottery system the following year to weight it more heavily in favor of the worst teams.

1994: Minnesota is tied with Milwaukee and Detroit for the league's second-worst record, behind only Dallas.  Milwaukee wins the first pick and gets Glenn Robinson; Detroit gets the third pick and drafts Grant Hill.  Dallas comes second, and gets Jason Kidd.  Minnesota ends up fourth and drafts Donyell Marshall... one spot ahead of Juwan Howard.  (Talk about nothing going right.)

1995: For the fourth consecutive year, the Wolves are bottom-drawer, finishing once again tied for the second-worst record in the league, this time with Washington.  Golden State, fifth-worst, wins the lottery; the Clippers, the worst team,  get the second pick; and Philadelphia, fourth-worst, gets the third pick.  With Washington winning the tiebreaker to pick fourth, the Wolves are left to pick fifth.  Luckily, that pick turns into Kevin Garnett.


Ultimately, the stats look like this: 10 trips to the lottery.  Zero first picks.  Zero second picks.  Zero times moving up in the draft.

Do you ever ask yourself, "What are the odds?"  By my calculations, using the historical probabilities available here , I examined Minnesota's odds of both never moving into the top three, and moving down at least two spots each year they belonged in the top three.  The results showed that the answer to the question "What are the odds?" is right around 40-1 against.

Heck, in their entire history, not only have they never moved up, they've managed to avoid moving down just four times (7th in 1991, 5th in 1996, 14th in 2005 - when they couldn't move down - and 6th in 2006).

Adding insult to injury: in 2007, Minnesota finished the season tied with Portland for the league's sixth-worst record, giving both teams the same chance of moving up.  The Blazers won the lottery and selected Greg Oden first.  The Wolves ended up picking seventh.

This year, the draft lottery is on May 20.  The Timberwolves will have the third-best chance of moving up to #1, along with Memphis.  Their chances of moving to #2 or staying at #3 are virtually the same. 

But ultimately, they have the best chance to move down, statistically speaking.  Knowing the team's history... I wonder who might still be left at #6? no comments

Forgive me if I go a little light on the discussion of the Wolves' season finale tonight - I've gotta talk about the memorable experience of getting press access for the game. 

Long story short, Timberwolves.com ran a contest called "Battle of the Bloggers" a little while back, where the winner would receive a press pass for a Wolves game.  Every week, myself, and a bunch of other Wolves bloggers (including College Wolf, Sonia, and Derok) responded to a Wolves-related question, and these responses were awarded points based on the arguments they made, how well they backed up their claims, etc.

Lo and behold, I came out on top at the end of the competition.  And I decided to utilize my press access prize for the Wolves' final match of the season, against the Milwaukee Bucks.

I arrived to the Target Center at about 5:30 and received my press credentials.  I hung out for a couple minutes in the media room before heading out to the court, where a couple players were warming up and hanging out.  As a lifelong fan of the Wolves, simply walking on to the Target Center court was amazing...and to be in the presence of guys like Michael Doleac, Mark Madsen, Corey Brewer, and Kirk Snyder was the icing on the cake.

Matt, an intern for Timberwolves.com, was kind enough to speak with the PR guys and score me a quick one-on-one interview with Madsen.  Mad Dog walked up to me and we shook hands...then, we walked over to some nearby seats to have a chat.

After spending ten minutes talking with Madsen, one thing became clear: You'll never find a nicer, classier guy in the NBA than the Dog.

(Click "Read More" to continue) 

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College Wolf and I recently exchanged some Q & A (the title of this post isn't just a clever name) with atthehive of the aptly named and superb N'Orleans Hornets blog: @ The Hive.  We square off against the Hornets tonight, looking to throw a little wrench into their #1 seed quest.

Again, I'd just like to thank atthehive and urge you guys to check out @ The Hive, if you don't already.  If you're looking to read a blog about a team that has something to play for besides the latest college studs, check it out.

Let's get to the Q&A... (Our questions for atthehive):

The Old Logo: Things in the Western Conference are tight, but most are presuming New Orleans will finish at or near the top.  What teams does the fanbase want to see in the first round, and if you could pick the one team that scares the fanbase the most for a first-round upset, which team is it?

atthehive: Yeah, it looks strongly like we will see one of Dallas, Denver, or Golden State in the first round. I think match-up wise, New Orleans is least likely to get upset by Dallas, which is ironic since Dallas plays far better D than the other two. Tyson Chandler's length allows him to play Dirk Nowitzki reasonably well, and the emergence and acquisition of Julian Wright and Bonzi Wells, respectively, gives us the ability to slow down Josh Howard. I really don't think much of Jason Kidd (and I don't think I'm in the minority in calling Devin Harris the better point guard), but Jason Terry will be a wildcard. Quick point guards like Tony Parker, Monta Ellis, and Terry have been difficult covers for New Orleans, and I don't expect that to change. I couldn't pick between Golden State and Denver because both are scary for the same reason- matchup problems. The Nuggets' size at every position save the 2 allows natural mismatches to occur all over the court. Don Nelson, meanwhile, produces "artificial" mismatches via screens and the like, that can be equally as deadly.

Please click "read more" for the rest of @theHive's answers, plus College Wolf and I answer some Wolves related questions.

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