http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/draft_lottery_in_a_week_070515.html Indeed, the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery is just a week away. Two years ago, Minnesota nabbed Rashad McCants. Last year? Randy Foye ended up in a Wolves cap. Who's next? Before we get there, we've corresponded with other lottery teams (such as Memphis, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and New Orleans) to answer three questions about the coming draft. Each team's web writer will address the following: 1) Team needs; 2) If the ___ finish in the top three of the lottery; and 3) Lottery luck. Before we release what the other teams are saying, here's one take on your Wolves... 1) Team needs: Minnesota's primary needs are two-fold: a low-post scorer who can rebound, and a slasher who can shoot. Despite having the league's best Windex Man in Kevin Garnett (12.8 per) and getting 5.1 boards in 18.7 minutes from second-round pick Craig Smith, the Wolves finished 21st in rebounding. Minnesota struggled to score in the paint and didn't run many sets out of the low block. However, there is a plethora of inside help in this draft: names like Greg Oden, Al Horford, Brandan Wright, Yi Jianlian, Joakim Noah and Roy Hibbert all look solid on paper. In other news, Minnesota finished 13th in the NBA in shooting from the field and 16th from three, but struggled to get to the basket (29th in FT attempts). An improved Randy Foye (last year's lottery pick) will help here, but an athletic slasher who can also knock down the three consistently -- think Kevin Durant or Corey Brewer -- would fit tight like Under Armor. Julian Wright is an enticing talent as well, but is not yet an outside threat. 2) If the Wolves finish in the top three of the lottery: No thanks. Who wants a top three pick in this talent-less draft? Oden and Durant in particular are terrible and have no upside...on opposite day. Come on now. Obviously, Minnesota would be excited to sneak into the top three in a draft some might compare to the '92 edition featuring Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning. But the fact is, there are several excellent players in this draft, and whoever is No. 3 on Minnesota's board could easily slip to seven, eight or nine on someone else's. Is there a huge difference between a Horford, a Brewer, a Jeff Green or either Wright? That said, there is an 18.3 percent chance the Wolves get into the top three, and a 5.3 percent chance for the top pick. With the buzz that would surely ensue from a top-two selection, the Wolves would have to ask the Hornets to swap names. 3) Lottery luck: Or lack thereof, in the Wolves case. Saying Minnesota has been lucky in the lottery is like suggesting that Halle Berry isn't attractive. The Wolves have literally never moved up in the draft, and have moved down more than once, most notably in 1992. That year marked the only time the Wolves owned the league's worst record, and both Shaq and 'Zo stood waiting at 1 and 2. Instead, Minnesota got Christian Laettner at No. 3. Ouch. Other Wolves lottery picks still in the NBA include Donyell Marshall, Garnett, Ray Allen (traded for Stephon Marbury on draft day), Wally Szczerbiak, Rashad McCants and Brandon Roy (traded for Foye). It'll be the third-straight lottery appearance for Minnesota, after a five-year hiatus from 2000-04. This year, the Wolves are sending Foye to do their bidding. Whaddya say, kid? --

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