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Wolves win NBA draft tiebreaker with Grizzlies

By JERRY ZGODA and JUDD ZULGAD, Star Tribune staff writers

Last update: April 18, 2008 - 9:23 PM

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The Wolves Coverage isn't so good

Kevin Harlon was magnificent when the team was terrible the first time. Chad Hartmann was fantastic on the radio for all those years as … read more well. So I hope they go back to KFAN so Hartman can come back... heck I would take Sludge and Lake doing Wolves games over the duo that are doing it now. They aren't incompetent like Gladden and Gordon for the Twins, but they have no personality, no gel, no cohesiveness... of course it's probably not fun to broadcast a team like this now, but McKinney and the other guy are just dull. McKinney makes bad jokes, and the other guy is truly like listening to paint dry.

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More from Timberwolves

A franchise that never has found luck in the NBA draft lottery finally won something Friday when the Timberwolves prevailed in a tiebreaker with Memphis.

A blind draw determined the Wolves will select one pick before the Grizzlies in the June 26 draft if neither wins a top-three pick in the lottery. Both teams went 22-60 this season, tying for the league's third-worst record.

Friday's "luck" only will be relevant if the Wolves don't get lucky in the May 20 draft lottery and earn one of the first three picks allotted that day. Depending upon the lottery results, they can select no worse than sixth in the draft. The Wolves never have improved their draft position in the lottery.

On Friday, they won 138 chances out of 1,000 to win the draft lottery, one more chance than Memphis' 137. Miami has the best chance at the No. 1 overall pick (250 chances), followed by Seattle (199).

In the day's other drawing featuring lottery teams, the Knicks topped the Los Angeles Clippers to determine spots 5-6.

Two other ties, featuring playoff teams, also were broken; Phoenix (55-27) won a tiebreaker with Houston and San Antonio (56-26) won against New Orleans.

Wolves radio on move?

Gregg Swedberg, vice president of programming for Clear Channel Minneapolis, confirmed Friday that his company is in the "initial discussion period" with the Wolves about putting the team's games on FM talk-station KTLK (100.3) in 2008-09.

"It would be the best signal they've been on in terms of availability to hear it," Swedberg said. "We would have to work some money issues out and figure out clearance. We've discussed it but I would say it's not imminent."

The Wolves will be entering the final season of a three-year contract with BOB 106 FM -- their games also were added to KGBY (107.5 FM) during the season in attempt to improve coverage -- but have a limited window to explore their options. The Wolves and Clear Channel officials met Thursday -- one day after the team completed a 22-60 season.

Ted Johnson, Wolves' vice president of communications, attempted to downplay the talks. "We're not even to the point of negotiations or anything like that," he said.