All Together Now Wolves Fans, "Go Jazz Go!"

Yeah that's the spirit!

Not often as a NBA fan are you cheering for a division foe as they are looking to grab a spot in the playoffs.  Yet, that is just what I and, I assume, many other Wolves fans are doing right now.   The Wolves currently do not have a first round pick in this summer's NBA Draft.  Why?  Because we traded that pick to the LA Clippers for Marko Jaric.  

What the hell was Kevin McHale smokin?  I don't know, but I want some!  

Anyways, that has been lottery protected for years and years (and obviously the Wolves have always landed in the draft lottery so we've been keeping it) until this year.  Now the pick is no longer protected, nor is it owned by the Clippers.  They traded it along with a bunch of other dudes for Chris Paul.  Yeah it was this little trade that went down after the lockout was ended, you may not have heard about it, it wasn't that big of a deal.  So anywho, that pick is now in the hands of the New Orleans Hornets.  Hence the Wolves not getting a first rounder this year...

OR HENCE DO THEY HENCE HENCE............hence??!?!?!?!

See the Jazz traded us a lottery protected first round pick somehow back in 2009 in a trade for Darius Songalia.  So, we get that pick IF the Jazz are able to make the playoffs and therefore avoid that first round pick turning into a lottery pick.  The deck is stacked a bit against our new found pals from the city with a salty lake.  Going into tonight they are a game and half out of the eighth and final spot in the playoffs with seven games to play.

Wolves fans really need to cheer on the Jazz in these final couple weeks of the NBA season.  Without gaining this first round pick, the Wolves will have no first rounder, no second rounder of their own (Dallas got that for Nathan Jawai (wtf?) in 2009), leaving them with one second round pick of Oklahoma City's.  Yes, Oklahoma City is the best team in the Western Conference...so yeah that pick is the second worst pick in the entire draft currently at #59.  The 59th pick in the draft isn't going to push the Wolves from "cute team that had a nice run going until Kobe Bryant Black Mamba'd Rubio's knee" to making the playoffs.  The 59th pick rarely makes the team they are drafted by at all.

Another reason the Jazz need to make the playoffs and therefore give the Wolves one of their first round picks (they likely have another lottery pick from the Warriors) is so we can all pull out our hair as David Kahn trades his way back in the draft, passing up player after player that could help the Wolves like he always does.  Then after his yearly trade back spree, pick a player that needs an argument made for them for why they make any sense whatsoever for the Wolves to pick.  We can't miss that this year, and I am not entirely sure Kahn knows how to trade UP in the draft, so that is out of the question.

Here is the Jazz's remaining schedule:

Fri, Apr 13	New Orleans Hornets@ New Orleans	0 - 0
Sat, Apr 14	Memphis Grizzlies@ Memphis	0 - 0
Mon, Apr 16	Dallas Mavericksvs Dallas	0 - 0
Wed, Apr 18	Portland Trail Blazers@ Portland	0 - 0
Sat, Apr 21	Orlando Magicvs Orlando	0 - 0
Tue, Apr 24	Phoenix Sunsvs Phoenix	0 - 0
Thu, Apr 26	Portland Trail Blazersvs Portland	0 - 0

*schedule provided by Yahoo Sports.

4 out of 7 at home.

4 out of 7 against non playoff teams.

So I am saying there is a chance for the Jazz to catch either Denver, Houston or Dallas for the 8th spot.  Just when you thought the season was completely over for the Wolves and that you had nothing left to root for, other than against the Miami Heat and the new competitor for "biggest douche in the NBA" Dwight Howard, you were wrong.  

GO JAZZ!