Wolves Update and Draft Position.....

Fine.

You may recall in my last post that I prognosticated the rest of the Wolves season from that point. So far, it's gone just about as I predicted, with losses to Phoenix, Utah, and Miami. What WASN'T anticipated were the two collapse losses against the lowly Sonics. So, let's update the Wolves' remaining schedule, shall we?

April 1st @ Orlando - I'm moving this into the "Probable Loss" category.
April 3rd @ Cleveland - Probable Loss
April 6th @ New York - Push
April 7th vs. New Orleans - This game could be huge in terms of draft position.....still a push though.
April 9th vs. Toronto - I'm moving this into the "Probable Loss" category
April 11th vs. Dallas - Sure-fire loss
April 13th vs. San Antonio - Sure-fire loss
April 15th @ Golden State - Probable Loss
April 16th @ Denver - Probable Loss
April 18th vs. Memphis (Season Finale) - Probable win

So let's predict some more, shall we? We'll assume the Wolves will lose their 2 sure-fire losses; then we'll assume that the Wolves will lose 4 of their 5 probable losses; then, let's say that they'll win 1 of their 2 Push games, and win their only probable win. With 10 games left, that would mean they'd go 3-7 from here on out, giving them a final record of 33-49.

For those of you who aren't savvy as to the Wolves' draft situation this year, I'll inform you: part of the Sam Cassell-Marko Jaric deal of a few years ago was we traded a "protected" 1st round draft pick; protected meaning that if our pick was to be in the top 10 of the draft, we wouldn't have to give it up. Last year we were 6, and this year we're hovering around that point still. If the Wolves were to, say, go 6-4 and 5-5 through the last 10 games, they might end up out of the bottom 10....and then the nightmare scenario of missing the playoffs and not having a 1st round draft pick would occur.....*shudder*. But, with the way the Wolves have been playing lately, we probably won't have to worry about that.

So, what does it all mean? Here are the "Reverse NBA Standings" as of today, with the Wolves nestled in the 9th spot. However, you'll notice a cluster of teams around the Wolves' record of 30-42, including Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Philly, and Indiana. Depending on how the Wolves do, you could see significant changes in draft position. Let's say the Wolves do worse than expected and go 2-8 through the last 10.....depending on how everyone else does, you could easily see the Wolves at a 5 or 6 pick in the draft. I already pointed out what might happen if the Wolves surprise everyone and do well....*shudder*. The good news is, once the Wolves are mathematically eliminated from the playoff race (which probably will be in the next 3 or 4 games, but I'm not sure), they'll start playing the young guys a lot more, thus decreasing the chances of victory. I'd like to see how the young guys do anyway, with a more substantial role.

So let's look forward to the draft and see a few of the players the Wolves would likely be looking at to draft.....

(By the way, this is still VERY tentative. None of the top guys in everyone's mock drafts, like Oden or Durant, have officially declared yet, so take this with a grain of salt. Let's assume, for fun's sake, that EVERYONE declares.)

Joakim Noah - Junior Forward, Florida

This guy has been all over the place in mock drafts, with some having him as high as 3, and others having him barely in the top 10. I actually like him for the Wolves: we need someone who would bring a lot of energy, get offensive rebounds, and clog up the paint.

Spencer Hawes - Freshman Center, Washington

I didn't manage to catch much of this kid on TV, so I'm basically just having to go on what other people say about him. I've heard him compared to Brad Miller and Vlade Divac, and while it sounds tempting, I'm not sure that's what we need right now.

Yi Jianlian - Forward, China

Obviously none of us have really seen Yi play, but from the videos I've seen, he seems like an athletic, slasher type forward who also has a soft shooting touch. Very intriguing.

Roy Hibbert - Junior Center, Georgetown

He seems somewhat immobile, but his size is just so tempting. At 7 foot 2, this guy could wreak some havoc in the paint. An interesting prospect.

Of course, there are others, but I'm lazy and want to go eat some more cereal. I'm sure I'll go through more draft stuff as it approaches, so sit tight.

Ciao everyone.