 Head coach Don Zierden and the Minnesota Lynx have three picks (Nos. 3, 16 and 30) in this year's draft.
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The ping pong balls at the draft lottery weren't exactly kind to Minnesota, which tied for the worst record in the league last season at 10-24. The Lynx failed to land either the first or second pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, with them instead going to Los Angeles and Chicago, respectively. A tough break in a draft that features a pair of can't-miss, impact players.
But Minnesota isn't complaining, as it still finds itself in a favorable position with the third overall pick. Despite enduring a sub-par season in 2007, the Lynx possess young stars in Lindsey Harding and Seimone Augustus -- the last two No.1 overall picks -- and are poised to add another top player from this year's loaded draft. That is, if they decide to keep the pick.
WNBA.com's Mark Bodenrader talked with Lynx head coach Don Zierden about the team's options heading into the draft and what strategy his staff is bringing down to Tampa.
Q: What did you learn from last year's draft process -- your first as head coach -- that you will take into this year?
ZIERDEN: “Boy, I don’t know if I learned anything. Young players are young players. I learned that the talent pool is getting deeper and deeper each year.”
Q: Last year you guys made a splash by trading for the top pick -- Lindsey Harding. Any chance you consider going after the top pick again?
ZIERDEN: “I think there’s always a chance in everybody’s mind, every team. But the team that has the No. 1 pick controls that and I don’t foresee L.A. doing anything with that.”
Q: Assuming you guys stay at No. 3, it seems set in stone who the top two picks will be. Do you have a good idea of who you might take at No. 3 or is it wide open at this point?
ZIERDEN: “It’s really wide open at this point.”
Q: Are you looking for best overall talent, or to fill a need at a position?
ZIERDEN: “Right now we’re kind of evaluating both. Do you go by need or do you go by best available? Over the next three weeks that’s what the staff will narrow down.”
Q: How do you think the talent in this draft compares to previous years? Would you consider it a deep draft?
ZIERDEN: “This is only my second year and I do think this draft overall is deeper and a little bit more talented than last year’s draft.”
Q: Any hints for your fans as to which players you’re looking at?
ZIEDREN: “No, not at this point. Over the next three weeks we may do that. With my staff being out of town, until we get down to Tampa and really talk about things and interview some players, that’s when we’ll really have a good idea of what we want to do.”
Q: What areas are you hoping to address with all of your draft picks?
ZIERDEN: “When you go 10-24 you’ve got a lot of issues and areas to address. Part of it in our case is just going to be having young kids develop. Lindsey’s going to be a year older, same with Noelle Quinn and
Q: Since the Lynx are one of the younger teams in the WNBA, how much thought have you given to trading the pick, or any of your picks, for a veteran?
ZIERDEN: “Well, there’s been a lot of discussion on trading that third pick and I’m sure that will continue up until the day of the draft. There’s been some teams that are interested in that and we know that may help us get some experience. We were very pleased to get Anna DeForge in free agency, and we were very pleased to make a trade for Kristen Rasmussen. Those are a couple of veterans that we think will help with experience on our ball club. But any time you have a chance to gain a rotation player with experience, if that’s what it meant to give up the third pick, we’d certainly look at that.”
Q: Have the moves you made in the off-season altered the way you will approach the draft?
ZIERDEN: “I don’t know if it affects the way that we are looking at the draft because with the draft you look at the big picture of your team. For us making those moves it was important to add that kind of veteran experience that we didn’t have last year.”
Q: How has the scouting process been going? Have you been watching a lot of college games?
ZIERDEN: “Yeah, I got out early quite a bit. I think 30th is our last pick, so we’ve been trying to focus in on the top 30 players. Now between the conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament we can finalize we’re we are heading. When we go down to Tampa we’re going down a couple days early to meet as a staff, and that’s when we’ll finalize everything.”
Q: What do your new assistants -- Julie Plank and Jennifer Gillom -- bring to the table, and how have they helped in the preparation for the draft?
ZIERDEN: “Julie’s been in the league a long time and Jennifer’s been in the league as a player for a long time. It’s just been very good that way. They know a lot of people. They know a lot of college coaches. They’ve done a lot of background checks and research for us on that. They’ve really truly both been a blessing to what they’ve brought in our evaluation in the draft.”
Q: Have you gathered any input from players?
ZIERDEN: “You know what? We always listen to players. But at the end of the day the front office will make the decisions – (C.O.O.) Roger (Griffith) will make the decisions. We definitely take input and we appreciate that from our players. Sometimes they look at it with a different view than what we do.”
Q: Fast forward to the day after the draft. What are you hoping to have accomplished?
ZIERDEN: “Obviously, you made three picks that made your team stronger, or a trade and a couple of picks that made your team stronger and better immediately.”
