http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_5596329 The Timberwolves will have a full staff at the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational today, evaluating prospects in preparation for the NBA draft June 28. With little hope of the team making the playoffs, one of the big questions becomes whether the Wolves will finish with a top-10 pick. That would guarantee them a first-round selection in potentially one of the deepest drafts in years. Finishing with something other than a top-10 pick would mean the Los Angeles Clippers would get Minnesota's selection to fulfill the 2005 sign-and-trade deal that sent Sam Cassell and a conditional first-round selection to the West Coast in exchange for Marko Jaric. The NBA lottery May 22 determines the final draft order, and the Wolves might have to wait until then to know whether they will have a pick. The Wolves have eight games remaining, but if teams drafted according to win/loss percentage as of Wednesday morning, Minnesota would pick 10th. Vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale and assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg are scheduled to evaluate the 64 college seniors at Portsmouth. General manager Jim Stack, assistant general manager Rob Babcock and director of player personnel Zarko Durisic were there Wednesday for the first day of the tournament. The NBA predraft camp will be held in Orlando, Fla., in late May and early June. Whether a top-10 pick would make a major difference for the Wolves depends on several factors. "That's going to be the thing is how many underclassmen come out," Hoiberg said Wednesday. "There's a lot of talented players, and a lot of them are underclassmen and a lot will depend on how many of those guys decide to put their names in the draft." Freshmen Greg Oden of Ohio State and consensus national player of the year Kevin Durant of Texas are considered the top two picks in the draft and potential franchise players, if they make themselves available. Where the Wolves pick might be the difference between getting a solid player or a potential all-star. They won't have much chance of getting the top pick if they stay on their current track. Their chances would improve only slightly for winning the second or third pick. The team with the league's worst record, currently the Memphis Grizzlies, has only a 25 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick. "I think because of so many players coming out early, especially with big men - and big men being at a premium - it has a chance to be one of the better drafts in quite some time," said draft analyst Chris Monter of Monter Draft News. The Wolves might not be able to expect much if they pick near No. 10, Monter said. But, if they declare for the draft, centers such as Georgetown's Roy Hibbert, Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet and Washington's Spencer Hawes still might be available, which would give the Wolves more size, something they have lacked since they waived Eddie Griffin this season. "I think that's something that at least gives you a little hope if you're a (Wolves) fan is that there are big men with size," Monter said. "They're not really ready to play (as a rookie), but their size might give them more opportunity to play right away rather than a 6-3 guard just because there's such a premium on size." --

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