The draft lottery is Tuesday and I hate to say it because I’ve been wrong about it before, but it looks like this will be the week an announcement on the Wolves’ new basketball boss will come forth from Target Center.

Barring some late negotiating snags, Portland assistant GM Tom Penn will be your new leader of basketball operations, with Fred Hoiberg as his right-hand personnel guy.

The bigger question seems to be: What about Kevin McHale?

From all I’ve heard as this search has progressed, every candidate in the running for this thing — with Dennis Lindsey likely the lone exception — has been willing to accept McHale as coach next season if owner Glen Taylor insists, but all have been very reluctant if McHale gets a multi-year deal because of the long shadow he casts in an organization presumably trying to start over.

The way I read this: McHale wants to return, but for a big-money, multi-year offer. Taylor, a handshake kind of guy, presumably feels like he made a gentleman’s agreement with McHale for him to return to coach next season if he so chooses when Taylor directed McHale to the coaching bench in December.

As someone mentioned on the last thread, that disparity could be the out Taylor needs to finally cut ties with McHale, to whom he has been so unfailingly loyal these last 15 years. But given their relationship, I’ll believe McHale’s departure only when I see it.

If he doesn’t come back — and my money is that he will — my best guess for next Wolves coach is, in due time, Sam Mitchell, who’d be a Taylor-influenced pick.

I thought the Wolves might wait until after Tuesday’s lottery to make an announcement, but now I’m guessing it’ll come either Monday or Tuesday before the big drawing.

UPDATE: All these thinking about Tom Penn made me forget to mention that Hoiberg, Stack and the crew just spent a few days in Houston watching a group workout of draft prospects conducted by the Rockets. Sounds like it was for players expected to be selected in the teens and 20s, or where the Wolves will be picking with those 18th and 28th overall picks. The Rockets traded their first rounder this summer to Sacramento in the Ron Artest deal, but always could make a deal to get a first rounder back.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 16th, 2009 at 5:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.