"Hi everybody, you can feel the excitement in this room!"

That was Linda Koln's voice at the start of ESPN's coverage of the 2007 WNBA Draft, but she could just have easily have been talking about the Lynx War Room.

With the Draft set to begin at noon, we checked into the suite level of Target Center 15 minutes prior as Minnesota finalized its plan for the future. With ESPN's draft coverage on the tube and an open conference call with representatives around the WNBA in the background, the stage was all set around the boardroom table.

Present was a fully concentrated and excited Lynx brain trust including Chief Operating Officer Roger Griffith, VP of Business Development Angela Taylor, head coach Don Zierden and his three assistants.

Feeling pretty good about whom they wanted to take with the No. 4 overall pick, the Lynx were engaged in intense discussions about a potential blockbuster deal at the VERY top of the draft. And boy, did they ever pull one off, that in a chaotic situation no less. As Griffith was hanging up from a phone call with the Phoenix Mercury, holders of the No. 1 pick, WNBA President Donna Orender announced that the Mercury were officially on the clock.

Orender introduced Duke's star point guard Lindsey Harding as the top pick minutes later, having no idea that the Lynx had just acquired Harding in what was the WNBA's first ever trade for the top pick.

"It's really exciting to add a player of Lindsey's caliber to our roster," said Griffith. "When you have the opportunity to make a move and get the top player in the country, it's something you have to do to improve your team. She's going to be a tremendous asset to the Lynx." In the deal, the Lynx sent Tangela Smith -- whom they picked up in the dispersal draft after Charlotte left the WNBA earlier this year -- to Phoenix for the best pure point guard in the country.

As the War Room delegates exchanged excited glances and hand shakes, ESPN analysts Doris Burke and Nancy Lieberman were calling Harding the best player in college basketball this year, and saying that they expected her to be a great player for a long time.

The Lynx couldn't agree more. After that moment of elation, San Antonio selected Jessica Davenport from Ohio State, and Chicago took Armintie Price from Mississippi. Minnesota then had to pull the trigger on the No. 4 pick. The room was very happy to put the call in for guard Noelle Quinn out of UCLA, a three-time All-Pac-10 player who had dazzled the Lynx staff in predraft workouts.

"She can shoot, and for someone that scores so many points, she's a great passer," said Burke on ESPN. "It's a terrific pick. She's an outstanding player, and she's going to be a perfect complement to Seimone Augustus."

That Minnesota added two tremendously talented players to the backcourt is unquestionable.

"We believe Noelle has tremendous upside and growth as a player," said Zierden. "As a coaching staff, we really like her ability to pass the ball and score within the flow of the offense. She is an extremely talented player who knows the game. We look forward to adding her to our solid core of young players."

Already clear from observing the room was how much the Lynx brain trust respected one another's opinions, as nearly every decision was discussed with minds open towards the goal of building a championship franchise. Coach Z set forth the discussion on most topics, while Griffith was the man with the final say.

The collective focus swiftly switched to Minnesota's second-round picks, starting with No. 15 overall. With a few players that still ranked very high on Minnesota's Big Board still available as the pick approached, the War Room narrowed its choices down to two players, and again went around the room searching for consensus.

Sure enough, Minnesota again got its player when they selected Eshaya Murphy, a forward out of USC that averaged 17.9 points and 8.5 boards as a senior. The Lynx had Murphy rated much higher than 15th and were very pleased that such a quality player slipped to the second round. Eight spots later, Minnesota wanted to go big, and did so by selecting Brooke Smith (6-3) from Stanford and Kathrin Ress (6-4) from Boston College.

"We're very pleased with the talent we were able to add in the second round of this draft," said Griffith. "We were able to address a few areas of need with Murphy at the guard spot and Smith and Ress playing in the post."

Finally, a collective sigh was exhaled from the War Room. It was clear that Minnesota was quite happy with what they had done.

"I just want to thank the assistant coaches, Angela and Roger," said Zierden. "They did a fantastic job, and were very well-prepared coming into this. We are like the other 12 teams, we all feel like we had a great draft today. We're very excited about the players. Ideally, we made five great picks."

The bottom line was that Minnesota got a lot more talented in a hurry, showing promise for the up-and-down, pass-heavy type of basketball that Zierden's excited to teach.

"You have to have a vision as to what you're going to do with your organization," concluded Coach Z. "We made the decision that we were going to get as athletically gifted as we could this year, along with people that can pass the ball."