Lottery night is here: Do you feel lucky?
Posted on May 19th, 2009 – 6:43 PMBy Jerry Zgoda
Within about an hour we should know whether the Wolves will beat the odds for the first time in their 20 seasons and win a draft spot better than they deserve. Stay tuned for the results and some analyzin’ once we know who’s picking where.
Update at 7:05 pm: Kevin Love is representing the Wolves in New Jersey tonight and appears to be Twittering all night, except for about now when he’s going up on stage to get ready for the big TV show. So far, he’s commented on how Larry Bird is walking around with a swagger. Does LL know something we don’t
33 Responses to "Lottery night is here: Do you feel lucky?"
I feel pretty lucky actually, but I do every year.
I would like the number 1 pick but would be happy with either Rubio at 2 or Thabeat at 3.
watch us get the first pick in a year where the top player plays the same position as the two best players on the roster. I wonder if the hive mind FO would take Rubio over Griffin
…Or Harden at No. 5.
If we drop to No. 6, 7 or 8… I’ll be happy with any of the raw, jaw-dropping athletes - Evans, Jennings, DeRozen.
There’s no way we’ll draft Jordan Hill.
If we don’t move up to the top-3, there seams to be very little separating Harden, Evans, DeRozen and Jennings. So if we don’t move up, I don’t really care where we wind up. Although, of course, the higher the better… I just don’t see a huge difference in value between the next tier of prospects.
I think Harden will be the best of this bunch, but would I be at all surprised 10 years from now if either Evans, Jennings or DeRozen wind up being the best player from this draft? No.
I’m predicting the #6 pick with the Wolves drafting DeRozen. Not what I’d do but the Hoiberg/Floyd connection will be the clincher.
if we don’t move up I’d like to find a way to land both Evans & Derozan. Maybe package the Miami pick + Foye to move back in the top 10?
I think having two super long / athletic perimter defenders could make up for a lack of size / defense in the post. If they can defend the perimeter / out rebound their opponent / and outscore them in the paint they should have a wiinning formula & the lack of a true defensive 5 won’t hurt as much.
jama - good idea… let’s all do our PRE-LOTTERY predictions. Not what we think should happen, but what we predict WILL happen.
I am saying we move up to No. 3 and take Thabeet. Everybody will either love the pick or hate the pick.
For some reason, my hunch is they get No. 3 again this year. Although No. 1 in a year when they already have two power forwards and no GM or coach right now wouldn’t surprise me a bit, given their weird lottery history
To get the No. 1 this year would be perfect irony. I would be thrilled, but it would still be ridiculously ironic.
So, Jerry, who would the pick be if we went to No. 3?
I think, depending on how the lottery falls, there’s a decent chance you get the third pick and still wind up with Rubio. I’ve got a feeling, depending on the team that gets No. 2, that Thabeet’s stock is going to climb as the draft approaches. Even in this changed game, NBA guys are hardwired to fall in love with size.
If Rubio goes second and the Wolves pick third, at this point I’ll bet they’d take Thabeet at No. 3 just like they did with Mayo last year because of value. Whether they keep him all depends on who’s making the decision. If it were McHale — and it won’t be — he wouldn’t take Thabeet because he still thinks the Love-Jefferson combo will work well enough not to warrant taking a guy who will only supplement those two that high.
Jerry - how serious is Rubio’s hip injury?
I actually think Thabeet will not be drafted in the top 3. The more people see of other players the more he will slide.
The Wolves are due for a little luck. There is a reasonable chance that if the Wolves fall in the lottery, that they will parlay one or both of their latter first round choices to move up.
HELLO… McFly! (sorry, had to drop that - Back To The Future. GREAT MOVIE!
I don’t know, Jama, I’ll bet he rises. He’s going to look good in workouts and that’s all scouts are going to see from here on out.
It’s going to be hard to move up I’d think because in this draft that 28th pick is going to have limited value. The 18th pick could be a crapshoot, the 28th really will be one. A high second rounder will have more value than that 28th because of the guaranteed money that goes with it. You possibly could do 18 and something else to move up some.
Hey, I did the Hello McFly thing yesterday!
I think the only way we move up is by packaging our No. 18 and a player. I think it is extremely unlikely that a team will take two guaranteed contracts (No. 18 and No. 28) for one guaranteed contract (some higher pick).
Sorry, Jerry, didn’t read all the messages yesterday…
So, what’s the word on Rubio’s hip?
I am going to have to agree with you Jerry in that Thabeet’s stock is going to rise, especially considering the complete lack of size in the draft beyond Griffin, Thabeet, Hill and Blair.
That being said, I staunchly agree with Kevin McHale in that we don’t need to draft Thabeet with Al and Love. Here’s hoping to Griffin, Rubio, Harden or DeRozan.
yeah 18 + Foye might get us back in the top 10. 18 & 28 would not.
[…] On the Wolves – […]
I want Tyreke Evans or Derozan and with the later pick then hope to get Maynor or package and move up to get him and go with:
Jefferson
Love
Gomes
Evans/Derozan
Maynor
SIX!
No irony here… just MORE bad luck.
Odds are on either Evans, Jennings, DeRozan… all good players.
We’ll actually have a shot at Harden falling to sixth though with OKC moving up. They were the most-likely team to take Harden before us.
I really like a lot of the options in this draft. Evens has grown on me and Harden as well while Derozan seems to have fallen behind these two at least on my list. I like many of the PGs.
I can see positive scenarios no matter how the lottery turns out. Hopefully they don’t screw it up again.
GRIFFIN DOOMED!
The Clippers will have a lot of talent again with Davis, Gordon, Thornton, Griffin, and Kaman with Camby off the bench and they will still lose 50 games, lol.
I think I am one of the few people that don’t want Harden, but I would LOVE Evans and be happy with Derozan. I thought it was funny that we won the coin flip with Memphis then they get 2nd pick, lol.
Harden choked in the NCAA’s. I would rather have Derozan
F the lottery. Those lousy sacks of sh@t Clippers have their 3rd #1 overall in twenty years. F that.
The Wolves have never been “fortunate” enough to get the coveted top pick even though they’ve had the worst record several times. F that.
What a rigged, smoking pile of dogsh@t.
F the NBA. F ‘em.
