The Lottery Thread

[lethalweapon3]

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

((most answers available in the YouTube video in the next post))

Q1 a&b: Who sat in the Atlanta Hawks’ chair? What did that person wear as a good luck charm, and why?

Q2 a&b: Who were the only two active (at that time) NBA players seated? And how did they wind up with their respective teams in the first place?

Q3: Among the other 12 individuals seated, which THREE are still employed on behalf of their NBA teams (broadcasters included)?

Q4: The Grizzlies entered that day with the top lottery odds. Who sat in the chair for Memphis?

Q5: Like the Hawks, the Sonics would leap into the Top 3 picks. Sitting next to the Hawks’ chair, who represented Seattle?

Q6: Had the Hawks stood pat at #4, or dropped, which NBA team would have received Atlanta’s pick instead?

Q7 a&b: Despite ESPN’s momentary “error” during the show, the Hawks did receive pick #11, as well, because which trade-partner team did not move up during the lottery? Who sat in that team’s chair?

Q8: Which THREE Players did ESPN Draft Guru Jay Bilas have in his Top 20, ahead of Al Horford, at the time of the lottery?

Q9: Before 2007, when was the last year the top three NBA teams with lottery odds all fell out of the Top 3 picks together?

Q10 a&b: Before becoming the surprise winner of the 2007 Draft, Portland had been out of the playoffs and in the lottery for three seasons in a row. Who were the Blazers’ three lottery selections from 2004 through 2006? And what did they do with the third one on draft night in 2006?

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[AHF]

It should be Hot Sauce but I put Exec.  Hope it is someone interesting.

[High5]

This seems like something Bazemore would do. Maybe Koonin or Jami Gertz. My vote would be for Sir Foster if he could bring his organ/keyboard. 

[hazer]

Koonin

[lethalweapon3]

On 3/16/2018 at 11:45 AM, lethalweapon3 said:

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

Q1 a&b: Who sat in the Atlanta Hawks’ chair? What did that person wear as a good luck charm, and why?

http://www.insidehoops.com/nba_draft_lottery_quotes.shtml

Quote

Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta Hawks Vice President, Basketball Operations
Third Overall Selection

Q: How do you feel about the way things went tonight and securing the third overall pick?

WILKINS: I’m happy because we got two picks in the first round. We were positioned if we get the fourth pick, we lose that pick, so to keep the pick and get the 11th spot here is great for us.

Q: Is there any position you are looking to fill with the third pick?

WILKINS: We are going to look at a lot of different variables. We got good choices at both picks and, believe me, we are going to make the best decision on what we need. We are definitely going to draft on what we need instead of the best available guy. This is great for our franchise because I think this will make us instantly a contender for the playoffs. This is big for us.

Q: How much of a relief was it to get in that top three?

WILKINS: I was sweating over there. I wasn’t banking on one, but I said just get me the three. We already got eleven, just get me the three and then we have two good choices in the first round.

Q: Are you superstitious at all? Did you bring anything for luck today?

WILKINS: A little bit. I have my tie. It’s the tie I wore in the Hall of Fame, so I said maybe it will help me a little bit tonight.

~lw3

[Dnice]

Tamia put a move on my heart!

[DBac]

Quavo

[lethalweapon3]

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

Q2 a&b: Who were the only two active (at that time) NBA players seated? And how did they wind up with their respective teams in the first place?

 

https://www.twincities.com/2007/03/25/foye-roy-trade-highlights/

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(2006) Draft night trade partners Randy Foye and Brandon Roy are destined to be cross-referenced in NBA media guides the remainder of their careers...

http://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/1953/a-gift-from-minnesota-how-brandon-roy-got-to-portland
 

Quote

 

[ESPN's Jonathan Givony, then in the summer of 2006 with DraftExpress] The highlight of the night for me personally was seeing Portland single handedly destroy a trade the Timberwolves and Rockets had in place (#6 Brandon Roy, for Luther Head and #8 Randy Foye) by forcing Minnesota’s hand and taking Foye a pick early at #7. That ensured that the Timberwolves had to trade arguably the 2nd best player in the draft to the Blazers for Foye and cash considerations, a move that was entirely lost on ESPN at the time but should go down as one of the most ballsy ever.

 

~lw3

[TheFuzz]

Seems like Baze to me, but I like a lot of the suggestions here.

[Mdizzle5]

Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino aka No Relation to Danny

[lethalweapon3]

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

Q3: Among the other 12 individuals (not players) seated, which THREE are still employed on behalf of their NBA teams (broadcasters included)?

 

Two are obvious... and the third one snagged a promotion just last week!

http://www.espn.com/nba/draft2007/news/story?id=2879568

Quote

"This gives us a chance to look at what really need as far as
helping us progress as a franchise," Hawks vice president and
former star Dominique Wilkins said. "This is big for us. Everybody
wants the No. 1, No. 2 picks. But any time you get in the top three
picks, this is monumental for us."

Why the long face, Tom? No Al Horford for you! lmao

https://www.boston.com/sports/celtics-blog/2014/05/19/the_boston_celtics_long_tortured_nba_lottery_history

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You needn’t look any further than Tommy Heinsohn’s face to determine how the Celtics had done in the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery. Heinsohn sat in as the representative of a Boston team that went 24-58 in 2006-07, second-worst in the league. The Celtics entered the night with a 19.9 percent chance at the top pick and a 55.8 percent chance at a top-three pick. They left with the fifth pick and a look from Heinsohn that would make Bennett Salvatore jealous.

As we know, Heinsohn serves as the color commentator for NBCSports Boston. Bitter much, Tommy?

https://www.ajc.com/sports/basketball/heinsohn-horford-not-great-player/t9fqijTyJCreabnwFU1nSL/

 

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article204948649.html

Quote

 

Fred Whitfield, former COO of the Charlotte Hornets, has been promoted to president and vice chairman. 

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

Q4: The Grizzlies entered that day with the top lottery odds. Who sat in the chair for Memphis?

 

No, seriously, how awful was that good luck charm? Shoulda just went with the tie, Logo Man!

Before he knew fate would shine upon him with a whole different franchise, here's what he had to say about the Lottery...

Quote

Jerry West (Memphis Grizzlies general manager, 2002-07): I hate the lottery; I think it's a terrible thing. And I say that knowing it has worked reasonably well. You have to rely on hope.

 

...and, from a few years back in 2003, here is probably why.

https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2014/05/20/2003-nba-lottery-lebron-james-memphis-grizzlies

Quote

 

Memphis finished the 2002-2003 NBA season with a 28-54 record, which was, quite depressingly, the best finish in franchise history up to that point. Indeed for the first time since the team served poutine at games, it appeared that the franchise was on the upswing.

But first year team president Jerry West had a problem. Because of a shortsighted 1997 trade for a then 35-year-old Otis Thorpe -- who would only play 47 games as a Grizzly, no less -- the team would have to trade their lottery pick to the Detroit Pistons... unless the ping pong ball gods smiled upon Memphis and gave the team the first overall pick. This was a long shot, given the meticulous tanking that other teams -- most notably the 17-win Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers -- had engaged in during the regular season to ensure they would land a top selection.

But on that evening, the Grizzlies defied the odds. While their record determined they would have the fifth-best chance (only 6.4 percent) at winning the lottery, they improbably were one of the final three teams remaining in contention for top pick.

Oh man.

Poor Jerry.

The Memphis Grizzlies, in that one moment, went from potentially drafting LeBron James (or Darko Milicic, but I have to imagine West would have known better than to do that) to being pushed out of the top 10 picks (altogether). Jerry's face says it all.

"When you get down to these situations with a player of the magnitude at one or two in the draft, it would have been an enormous addition to our team -- enormous," West told SI in 2003 after the lottery. "I think there are three or four kids in this draft that are going to be tremendous NBA players, and more importantly for the city of Memphis and the Grizzlies coaching staff, if we'd have gotten the number one pick we would have gotten a real special player."

West would eventually turn the Grizzlies into perennial playoff contenders, but the franchise missing out on their shot at LeBron James is perhaps one of the more underrated what-if's in professional sports. Given both their pedigrees, it's not ridiculous to imagine that the combination of LeBron on the court and West in the front office might have sparked one of the greatest dynasties ever.

 

Of course, to become part of an eventual NBA dynasty, Jerry headed a little further West. But you do wonder: had Memphis struck gold in 2003 (LeBron) or in 2007 (KD), doesn't Pau Gasol (and not Marc) retire a Grizzly?

~lw3

[Wurider05]

We got a fighter's chance to get the top pick.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/draft/2017/05/16/nba-draft-lottery-history-no-1-overall-pick/101752858/

 

2016

 

• Highest odds: Philadelphia
• No. 1 pick: Philadelphia
• Player selected: Ben Simmons (LSU)

 

2015

 

• Highest odds: Minnesota
• No. 1 pick: Minnesota
• Player selected: Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky)

 

2014

 

• Highest odds: Milwaukee
• No. 1 pick: Cleveland (ninth-best odds)
• Player selected: Andrew Wiggins (Kansas)

 

2013

 

• Highest odds: Orlando
• No. 1 pick: Cleveland (third-best odds)
• Player selected: Anthony Bennett (UNLV)

   

 

2012

 

• Highest odds: Charlotte
• No. 1 pick: New Orleans (fourth-best odds)
• Player selected: Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

2011

 

• Highest odds: Minnesota
• No. 1 pick: Cleveland (from LA Clippers; eight-best odds)
• Player selected: Kyrie Irving (Duke)

 

2010

 

• Highest odds: New Jersey
• No. 1 pick: Washington (fifth-best odds)
• Player selected: John Wall (Kentucky)

 

2009

 

• Highest odds: Sacramento
• No. 1 pick: LA Clippers (third-best odds)
• Player selected: Blake Griffin (Oklahoma)

 

2008

 

• Highest odds: Miami
• No. 1 pick: Chicago (ninth-best odds)
• Player selected: Derrick Rose (Memphis)

 

2007

 

• Highest odds: Memphis
• No. 1 pick: Portland (sixth-best odds)
• Player selected: Greg Oden (Ohio State)

 

2006

 

• Highest odds: Portland
• No. 1 pick: Toronto (fifth-best odds)
• Player selected: Andrea Bargnani (Italy)

 

2005

 

• Highest odds: Atlanta
• No. 1 pick: Milwaukee (sixth-best odds)
• Player selected: Andrew Bogut (Utah)

2004

 

• Highest odds: Orlando
• No. 1 pick: Orlando
• Player selected: Dwight Howard (Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy)

 

2003

 

• Highest odds: Denver and Cleveland (tied)
• No. 1 pick: Cleveland
• Player selected: LeBron James (St. Vincent-St. Mary high school)

 

2002

 

• Highest odds: Golden State and Chicago (tied)
• No. 1 pick: Houston (fifth-best odds)
• Player selected: Yao Ming (China)

[bird_dirt]

On 3/21/2018 at 5:57 PM, Mdizzle5 said:

Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino aka No Relation to Danny

Hawks need to Earn it.

[lethalweapon3]

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

Q5: Like the Hawks, the Sonics would leap into the Top 3 picks. Sitting next to the Hawks’ chair, who represented Seattle?

 

Hawkward!

I've watched the video several times and can't find an instance where Nique extends a hand or makes any intentionally kind gesture toward his old coach, Lenny Wilkens!

"Hooray! Don't touch me, Lenny!" lol

http://newsok.com/article/3057454

Quote

Flanked by Dominique Wilkins and Brandon Roy during Tuesday night's NBA Draft Lottery, Seattle SuperSonics vice chairman and president of basketball operations Lenny Wilkens extended his arms and placed a hand on both men's elbows as if to say, "Hold on. It's going to be a wild ride.”

For the Sonics, Tuesday's news was just the latest bizarre twist in what's been an unpredictable 10 months for the franchise since an Oklahoma-based business group purchased the team last summer.

"We're very excited about it,” Wilkens told The Oklahoman on Tuesday night. "When you have the opportunity to get one of the two best players in the country, it's great. It's great for the fans, great for the franchise, great for ownership. I'm very excited.”

When asked how the lottery's results would potentially affect a new arena, Wilkens said: "It keeps the issue alive about the building. That's good.”

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

Q6: Had the Hawks stood pat at #4, or dropped, which NBA team would have received Atlanta’s pick instead?

 

Alright, quit yer smirkin', Boris Diaw! The infamous trade deal that nearly tore "Atlanta" "Spirit" "Group" asunder (the first time) brought Joe Johnson to Atlanta, and Diaw, a 2006 1st-rounder, and a conditional "future" 1st-rounder to the Phoenix Suns. Diaw really rounded out by the time he got to Charlotte years later... his game would round out, too.

The 2006 1st-rounder belonged previously belonged to Boston, by way of their 2004 deal with the Lakers (L.A. couldn't stop themselves from dealing with their hated Celts even back then). In 2005, we sent the Celtics back the recycled remains of Antoine Walker in exchange for this pick, a handshake with Gary Payton, plus two guys named Googs and Yogi. Wait, did we win a trade? I think we maybe won a trade?

Anyway, Phoenix used the 2006 Lakerpick to select Rajon Rondo. But then, in order to avoid being locked out of the 2007 draft party the Hawks would come to deny them, the Suns promptly traded Rondo to... Boston, with Brian Grant and cash. Phoenix received a 2007 first-round pick that Boston held from... Cleveland. (2005, the Cavs got Jiri Welsch. Sigh. Can you GMs all just quit taking calls from the 617 area code? Jeez!) Net effect, the Suns got Rudy Fernandez at #24 out of that 2007 draft, then sent him and James Jones packing a couple weeks later to Portland for... straight cash, homie. Now I see why you're smirking, Boris!

As far as the conditional pick, the 2007 pick was Top-3 protected, and the Hawks finished with only the 4th-worst record entering the lottery (winners of 3 of their final 7 games, including a split with the Bucks, the 30-52 Hawks ended the season two games "in front" of 28-54 Milwaukee. Ha.)

That pick carried over into 2008 (after Atlanta's first playoffs of the Aughts-Teens Potseason Era), where the Suns handed "The Bull-chelor", Robin Lopez, the final Rose at #15.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Linking to  @DJlaysitup 's Lottery-related Q here:

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

Q7 a&b: Despite ESPN’s momentary “error” during the show, the Hawks did receive pick #11, as well, because which trade-partner team did not move up during the lottery? Who sat in that team’s chair?

 

Sorry, but you can't stop us this time, either, Larry Bird!

Two decades later, he was repping a different crew than the Boston Celtics. But before getting fully to that, allow me to lift a belated middle finger toward the Boston Globe and their smarmy then-sportswriter, Peter May.

http://archive.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2007/05/23/lottery_slip/

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The Hawks got the third pick, which they get to keep instead of passing on to Phoenix. Atlanta also got the 11th pick from Indiana from the Al Harrington trade. Theoretically, the Hawks could improve. But remember, it's Atlanta.

 Our middle finger emojis come in Torch Red? Sweet! I deploy those quite reservedly, but Mr. May earned himself a pair with that shade.

Anyway, here was Bird wishing his former club the best. And his former championship teammate's reaction when they had to "settle" for fifth. Oh, you poor, poor Celtics!

Quote

As he walked into the lottery's conference room to represent the Pacers, Larry Bird quipped, "[The Celtics] better get 1 or 2."

Asked for his reaction when the Celtics' card came up in the fifth position, (Danny) Ainge smiled and said, "Dang it!" That's about as profane as he gets. After a short pause, coach Doc Rivers chimed in, "He's Mormon. I said something else." (You get the feeling that somewhere Rick Pitino is chuckling?)

 

 

Karma comes for everyone, it seems. But I digress.

The prior summer, Billy Knight's Hawks returned The Original Big Al back to the team that drafted him. Atlanta's return for Harrington and John "Neither the Creepy Psychic nor the Creepy Senator Guy" Edwards was a conditional first-round pick that, in 2007, would be Top-10 protected.

But then Larry Legend got cute, and in January 2007, Harrington was on the move again. He and fellow ex-Hawk Stephen Jackson were packaged to Golden State for a group of players that included future Hawk Mike Dunleavy, Jr.

Dunleavy heated up during the final month of the season and, despite a late tank run (four Ls to end the season, including a strategic blowout at the hands of the Hawks, following a 4-2 start to April), Coach Rick Carlisle's Pacers finished 2 games behind three other teams for the 10th-worst record entering the Lottery. (Bird canned Carlisle after the 2006-07 season ended. Good luck in your next NBA stop, Rick!)

Finishing 11th, instead of 10th, meant Indy needed their own pick, not Atlanta's, to vault into the Top 3 in order to keep their pick in-house that year. The Hawks won the luck of the draw when the Pacers didn't, putting them in a great position to improve at draft time with a pair of lotto picks. But remember, it's... oops, I'm out of fingers to give to myself. Acie, do you mind I borrow yours?

Harrington went on to play with four more NBA clubs, after the Warriors, before hanging it up in 2014. But he remains wistful of his initial team, a team he got to play for twice, thanks to the Hawks.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/q-a-al-harrington-opens-up-on-pacers-regret-melo-karl-upstart-hoops-league/

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If I had one regret, I wish I never left Indiana, I should've been a Pacer for life. I left thinking that the grass would be greener on the other side and it wasn't. But it still worked out for me, I was able to play for a lot of great teams with a lot of different players that I still have relationships with. It's not a real regret, but sometimes I wish I wore just one uniform my whole career.

Here's hoping another Big Al will feel much the same way, after he retires.

~lw3

[KB21]

Yeah, I'm not going to watch the lottery show, so I could care less who they have representing the losing Hawks.