Toronto general manager Bryan Colangelo was on his way to the draft lottery Tuesday night when he gave a hint into the Raptors' most pressing need.

"We need a one [point guard] or a five [center]," Colangelo told ESPN.com as he made his way to the NBA's Secaucus, N.J., studio.

If that's the case then maybe the Raptors will select Texas sophomore center LaMarcus Aldridge at No. 1. The draft is still nearly five weeks out and Aldridge might be the leader in the clubhouse based on the Raptors' need.

Or maybe not, since Colangelo wasn't about to give a stern commitment to whom the Raptors would select prior to the announcement.

"I think there are about five or six names that could be there," Colangelo said.

Colangelo said the two locks on the Raptors are Chris Bosh and Charlie Villanueva, two forwards. Picking Aldridge would form a formidable frontline and give them a solid shot-blocking frontline. In discussing some of the top picks earlier in the day he pointed out Aldridge's slight frame as a potential negative.

Colangelo also downplayed a rumor floating around that the Raptors were looking to select Andrea Bargnani of Benetton Treviso (Italy) to go along with the possible hiring of Bargnani's current boss -- Benetton executive Mauricio Gherardini -- as his second in command.

"It's not possible to plan a package deal," Colangelo said. "Would I like Mauricio as assistant GM?"

Colangelo finished by saying that Gherardini would be a good fit for the Raptors. He said that any inference that the Raptors had to draft Bargnani because of a shift toward international players in Toronto isn't true. He said he simply said that Toronto is an international city and foreign players might adapt quicker.

Colangelo didn't rule out trading the pick if the Raptors received the No. 1 selection. Now that they have it, expect them to be a bit more private in the coming weeks as they spend an exhaustive amount of time on whether to choose Aldridge, Bargnani, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison or maybe even LSU's Tyrus Thomas.

Let the politicking, lobbying and poker-face games begin.

His hero growing up was Larry Bird, and he plays a lot like "The Hick from French Lick in many respects ... An excellent face-up scorer at 6-8 ... Can burn you with the 3-pointer or jumper off the dribble ... Has great maneuverability with the ball, a solid first step, enabling him to penetrate to the basket from the perimeter ... Does some work with his back to the basket, although he needs to continue to improve his game on the blocks ... Poor rebounder ... A non shot-blocker ... Lanky, needs to add strength ... Defense also needs improvement ... Possesses good instincts as a distributor ... As a high school star in Washington, set the Greater Spokane League single-season and career scoring records with 542 points his senior season and 1,904 career points ... His career mark broke the record held by current Gonzaga teammate Sean Mallon and his single-season record broke his own mark of 488 set as a junior ... Averaged 27.7 points per game as a senior, leading Mead High to a 28-1 season ... Scored 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Washington in 106-98 victory over Oregon in Washington-Oregon All-State game in Portland.

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- The Toronto Raptors beat the odds to win the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery.

2006 NBA Draft Order First Round

1. Toronto 2. Chicago (from New York) 3. Charlotte 4. Portland 5. Atlanta 6. Minnesota 7. Boston 8. Houston 9. Golden State 10. Seattle 11. Orlando 12. New Orleans 13. Philadelphia 14. Utah 15. New Orleans (from Milwaukee) 16. Chicago 17. Indiana 18. Washington 19. Sacramento 20. New York (from Denver through Toronto and New Jersey) 21. Phoenix (from L.A. Lakers through Atlanta and Boston) 22. New Jersey (from L.A. Clippers through Denver and Orlando) 23. New Jersey 24. Memphis 25. Cleveland 26. L.A. Lakers (from Miami) 27. Phoenix 28. Dallas 29. New York (from San Antonio) 30. Portland (from Detroit through Utah)

Figuring out what to do with it will be the first major decision for new general manager Bryan Colangelo.

"Right now we've got a month to go and we'll see what comes our way and see what we can dig up," Colangelo said Tuesday, minutes after the Raptors (27-55) jumped four spots in the pingpong ball lottery.

The Raptors chances of landing the top pick for the first time were only 8.8 percent.

"For us to have this kind of luck is a symbol of a reversal of fortune going forward," said Colangelo, who was hired in February, a day after the former executive of the year left a similar position with the Phoenix Suns. "We have our work cut out. This will help."

There doesn't seem to be a definitive No. 1 pick for the June 28 draft to be held in New York.

Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison, Texas center LaMarcus Aldridge and LSU forward Tyrus Thomas -- all underclassmen -- are considered top candidates.

Under the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, this is the first year high school players won't be eligible for the draft.

The Raptors have some nice pieces to build on with All-Star Chris Bosh, Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham. And they have salary cap room.

Lottery picks

Now that the lottery order is set, here's how Andy Katz sees the first 14 picks playing out: 1. Toronto -- LaMarcus Aldridge, C, Texas 2. Chicago -- Tyrus Thomas, SF, LSU 3. Charlotte -- Adam Morrison, SF, Gonzaga 4. Portland -- Brandon Roy, G, Washington 5. Atlanta -- Andrea Bargnani, PF, Benetton Treviso (Italy) 6. Minnesota -- Rudy Gay, SF, Connecticut 7. Boston -- Marcus Williams, PG, Connecticut 8. Houston -- Randy Foye, SG, Villanova 9. Golden State -- Tiago Splitter, PF, Tau Ceramica (Spain) 10. Seattle -- Shelden Williams, PF, Duke 11. Orlando -- J.J. Redick, SG, Duke 12. New Orleans -- Rodney Carney, SF, Memphis 13. Philadelphia -- Shawne Williams, SF, Memphis 14. Utah -- Ronnie Brewer, SG, Arkansas

"We go into this draft not only holding the No. 1 pick but with the cap flexibility to take on a pretty large contract," Colangelo said. "So the combination of those two is pretty powerful. Hopefully, we can manipulate it the right way and make some good decisions. I think at this point we're in a no-lose situation."

Colangelo has a proven track record. He was voted the NBA's 2005 executive of the year for retooling the Suns, who won a league-high 62 games. He left Phoenix after not getting a contract extension.

Toronto fired general manager Rob Babcock on Jan. 26.

There were a couple of notable losers in the lottery, the New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers, the league's two worst teams.

Portland (21-61) slipped all the way to fourth despite having a 25 percent chance of winning the top pick.

Trail Blazers President Steve Patterson believes his team will still get a good player.

"You may find a player with as big an impact at No. 4 or even No. 6 as you may at No. 1," Patterson said.

New Orleans guard Chris Paul was the fourth pick in last year's draft and he won the rookie of the year award.

The Knicks (23-59) were losers even before the lottery. They gave their No. 1 pick to Chicago in a preseason deal for center Eddy Curry, and then they posted their worst season since 1985-86, Patrick Ewing's rookie season.

The Bulls (41-41) struck a bonanza, getting rid of an unhappy player, making the playoffs in the process and getting the No. 2 pick overall.

John Paxson, the Bulls executive vice president, called the trade an emotional decision, but one which hinged on Chicago getting the Knicks' first-round pick.

"Eddy Curry is a very good basketball player," Paxson said. "We made the deal and we're lucky we got in the lottery."

NBA commissioner David Stern refused to be drawn into the Knicks' problems, which include rumors that Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown won't be back for a second season.

"You'd rather that franchises not be in turmoil but in over 22 years as commissioner and with 30 current franchises, ...the franchise is what the franchise is," Stern said before the lottery. "There are going to be ups and downs."

Charlotte will have the third pick, which coincides with its third-worst record. Atlanta dropped from No. 4 to fifth overall. The other nine teams in the lottery stayed in the same order as their records.

Minnesota is sixth and will be followed by Boston, Houston, Golden State, Seattle, Orlando, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Utah.