Ira Winderman

Now the pressure starts.

No, not the waiting in the green room, the stroll to the podium or the handshake from David Stern.

The real games won't begin for months for Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio and Hasheem Thabeet.

For the top prospects, Thursday's NBA draft is all about show.

But for several teams, the draft begins a crucial personnel period, one that could define them for years to come.

These are their stories.

Timberwolves: New general manager David Kahn has wasted little time with his scorched-earth approach, and now this team is poised for a very busy day.

The Wolves dealt guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Wizards on Tuesday for the No. 5 overall pick and three players, giving the franchise the fifth and sixth overall picks in Thursday's draft.

Add those two picks to the 18th and 28th overall picks, and Minnesota is set up for a very busy draft day.

The Wolves have shown they are willing to tear everything up. Franchise mainstay Kevin McHale is gone as coach. A willingness to trade anybody and everybody has become evident. Even Al Jefferson has been linked to a makeover.

With owner Glen Taylor finally putting his friendships aside, expect much of the McHale era to be vaporized. Sebastian Telfair does not appear to be long for the starting role at point guard. Kevin Love could find himself as a one-and-done in Minnesota after last year's blockbuster draft-night trade with Memphis.

Although additional youth might be overkill, there is the possibility of moving up, perhaps to get Thabeet as a bodyguard interior presence for Jefferson, perhaps to add much-needed flash in Rubio.

Beyond that, there is the opportunity to make the vacant coaching job more attractive.

Although Mark Jackson, Sam Mitchell and Mike Fratello are currently being mentioned, might a draft-night bonanza attract the interest of, say, a Jeff Van Gundy?

Wizards: Washington was in the same situation as 2004, when it also held the No. 5 overall selection, and when it also recognized the overriding need for a veteran presence instead of a neophyte.

That was when it traded the contracts of Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner to the Mavericks, along with the No. 5 overall selection, for Antawn Jamison. Dallas pounced on point guard Devin Harris with the pick.

The following season, Washington went from 25-57 to 45-37 and the franchise's first playoff berth in eight seasons.

Now, coming off a conference-worst 19-63 season, the Wizards are following the same blueprint: Washington traded the No. 5 overall pick, plus forwards Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov, to Minnesota for Foye and Miller.

The deal provides an immediate backcourt upgrade for the Wizards, who can't afford to be patient, especially with Gilbert Arena and Brendan Haywood back from injury and an instant opportunity to move back into the playoff race behind new coach Flip Saunders.

They were only going so far with DeShawn Stevenson as their starting shooting guard. Miller and Foye can address the defensive role Stevenson currently holds.

Grizzlies: The worst thing that could have happened for Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace was Pau Gasol’s winning a championship with the Lakers.

Now there is no debating what the team gave away two years ago. Now there had better be tangible results with the youth movement.

To his credit, Wallace is not shy about expanding his draft-night possibilities, as last year's acquisitions of O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur proved.

This year, Wallace could be at it again, with a No. 2 pick that could prove more attractive to other teams, as well as the No. 27 selection and oodles of cap space.

Memphis is in an uncomfortable position. After Griffin goes No. 1 to the Clippers, the next-best prospects on the board appear to be Thabeet and Rubio. Thabeet, however, would make little sense alongside bulky Marc Gasol. Further, the Grizzlies seemed to come around last season on Mike Conley at point guard when they dealt Kyle Lowry to the Rockets.

With questions at power forward, and with a lack of depth on the wing, an active draft night figures to ensue for Wallace.

Pistons: No team figures to be as active this offseason as Detroit.

Although other teams also pack ample cap space, most will wait for 2010.

Joe Dumars won't. Not with Rasheed Wallace off the books and Allen Iverson to become someone else's headache.

Draft night and the No. 15 overall selection will only be the starting point, but it will be interesting to see what direction Dumars pursues. Remember, this is the same draft spot where Dumars added Rodney Stuckey two years ago.

Draft night in Detroit also could show how extensive the overhaul might be. Not only is Wallace gone, but there is talk about moving the contracts of Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, with Ben Gordon and Carlos Boozer possibly to be summoned through free agency.

Kings: The lottery that was supposed to deliver the top overall pick dropped Sacramento to No. 4.

Slideshow   NBA draft: The top prospects A look at the top players available in the 2009 NBA draft. more photos

A coaching search that was supposed to revive the franchise only led to the retread doorstep of Paul Westphal.

The Kings have to come up with someone in this draft for a roster that otherwise features little more than the awkward release and stylings of Kevin Martin.

Rubio could be one answer. At least the losses would be fun to watch.

The Maloofs have seen their franchise go from those playoff shootouts with the Lakers to obscurity.

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images The Week in Sports Pictures The nation grieved for those hurt, killed and affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. After one of the suspects was caught on Friday — following a day-long lockdown and manhunt — sports returned to Boston over the weekend.

If draft night doesn't deliver hope, then nothing before next season's lottery probably will.

Knicks: A year from now, the free-agent class of 2010 well could look at New York and ask, "What's the attraction?"

If David Lee is lost in free agency due to cap preservation, what would be in place to tempt LeBron or Bosh or Wade beyond affable coach Mike D'Antoni?

Danilo Gallinari clearly was a misstep at last year's draft, when the ready-made available options otherwise included Eric Gordon or Brook Lopez.

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This time New York has to get it right, has to find a young star to make the franchise more appealing. It is why there has been such an all-out press on Stephen Curry, why there has been word of a play for Rubio, why this pick simply can't be squandered.