--A franchise that never has done better than it should and often has done worse in the draft lottery finally won something: A blind draw with Memphis that slots the Wolves with the draft's third pick and the Grizzlies fourth. The teams tied in the regular season with 22-60 records after the Wolves won three of their final four games. The Wolves also won 138 combination chances in the May 20 draft lottery, one more than Memphis' 137.

--At a season-ending press conference, one reporter asked Kevin McHale if he would accept a championship ring from the Boston Celtics for handing them a title if they win it all this spring with Kevin Garnett on their side.

"I've already got three from them," he said. "They say Boston Celtics on them and they sit at home in my safe. Ray Allen had a pretty good year for them. Maybe they'll give Seattle a ring, too. Hell, no. I'm glad for Danny (Ainge), I'm glad for the Celts, I'm glad for (Garnett). But I'm worried about the Minnesota Timberwolves."

--Kevin McHale also was asked why he keeps on keeping on at a job many Wolves fans wish he'd leave.

"I love basketball," he said. "I'll be on my deathbed and I'll love basketball. I don't do it for any other reason than I absolutely love basketball. I want this team to be in really good shape. I want this team to be competitive, going for the playoffs and trying to put a championship-caliber team together that can make a run and keep it together."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"The lottery, if you're waiting on that, that's like going into the bingo parlor and putting your finger on B12 hoping that it hits." -- Kevin McHale, on the NBA's annual game of chance that never has been kind to the Wolves.

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