With the NBA draft on Thursday and the Timberwolves having the No. 26 overall pick, the next few days will be anxious ones for Troy Bell and his family in south Minneapolis.

"I would be the happiest dad in the world if Troy was picked by the Timberwolves," said Fred Bell, an MTC bus driver for 30 years. "I've already ordered 200 chicken wings from Lucille's Kitchen. We've got hot sausages, greens, five cases of pop and five cases of beer. We'll be fine."

Bell, a record-setting point guard from Holy Angels and Boston College, will be at home with his parents and friends Thursday evening when the Timberwolves make their pick. It could be Bell.

"I talked to Troy's agent (California-based Bill Duffy), but everything is so close-mouthed. Nobody is saying much," Fred Bell said. "The top 13 projected players in the draft have been invited to (draft headquarters) New York. Troy wasn't among them. So we'll do it here."