This afternoon’s first Final Four semifinal just might feature the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s draft. Considered a definite second to Kansas State’s Michael Beasley just two weeks ago, Memphis point guard Derrick Rose has played his team to its first Final Four since 1985 and he has played himself into consideration to be the first player taken in the June draft.

Given Al Jefferson’s low-post proficiency, that’d be some inside-out combination for the Wolves, but after that all these years, are Wolves followers even allowed to dream about lottery luck? Rose already abused Texas point guard D.J. Augustin in a regional final; now we get to see him against UCLA’s Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook.

If you were Kevin McHale — and judging by the love on this blog, who wouldn’t want to be? — just theoretically of course, who’s your pick?

Btw, the Wolves flew home Saturday morning from Phoenix rather than Friday night — they almost always come back the next day when they play in the Pacific time zone, which Phoenix now is when everyone else is on Daylight Savings Time — and took the rest of the day off to prepare for Sunday’s home game against Memphis, the first of two remaining meetings with the Grizz that will shape the draft lottery odds.

The Wolves presently have the league’s third fewest victories, but their 19 trail Memphis and New York by one. So in all probablity, they will have anywhere from a 15.6 percent to 8.8 percent of getting the No. 1 pick.

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