The Lottery Thread

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

On 3/16/2018 at 11:46 AM, lethalweapon3 said:

~lw3

On that 11th pick, during the Lottery show for about 20 seconds (4:14 mark to 3:54 on the YouTube above), ESPN's graphic erred in suggesting the pick would be conveyed to the Suns ["Phoenix (via ATL)"].

Fortunately, the announcer did get the fact correct immediately upon reveal of the Pacers' logo, allaying further confusion, and the visual got corrected before they got up to the final three picks and took the commercial break.

~lw3

[AHF]

I wanted so badly for Joakim Noah to slip a few more picks so we could start Noah and Horford together.  Came pretty close to happening.  Marc Gasol definitely stands out as the big value from that draft.  Crazy how badly scouts missed on him given that his brother went #3 overall to the Hawks Grizzlies.

[lethalweapon3]

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

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?

 

“If you had to pick which guy was most likely to be a bust in the first round, it would be this guy.” Those words, uttered as a young Josh Smith took to the stage to accept his draft hat, tarnished just about anything Jay Bilas would ever say afterwards that crossed my ear path. It sure didn't help matters a couple years later, when he seemed to hold his tongue on an actual bust he had pegged as a Top 3 selection in this 2007 Draft.

The top 2 potential choices were obvious to all, although there was some quibbling over who should go #1. Where things got murky was making a decision about who goes next after Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. That's where everybody turns to the real "experts" like Bilas.

You'll see that, as the pre-lottery introductions are taking place (2:25 to 2:30 on the YouTube) that Bilas had his mind made up on who was worthy of being #3. And no, it wasn't Al Horford.

Bilas would try to save himself right before draft time, by swapping Horford with his #3 fave, Brandan Wright. Still, you can tell he couldn't quite embrace the idea of passing up on the UNC big man fully.

http://newsok.com/article/3853323

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Al Horford, Florida: “Al Horford is NBA-ready. He has a high basketball IQ, a great touch, and he is a big-time rebounder. Horford wins the battle right now, but will he be better in five years?”
 

Brandan Wright, North Carolina: “Brandan Wright is the classic ‘upside’ guy. He’s a long, athletic lefty who just swoops in and makes plays. He can be truly outstanding, but he has to improve his shot and his body to realize that potential.“

Wright slipped to #8 and was traded on draft night by the Tar Heel State's Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Jason Richardson. Within those "next five years," Wright would find himself on 3 different NBA clubs -- Golden State, New Jersey (the Nets including a future second-rounder in the deal that the Dubs would use to pick Draymond Green), and Dallas.

Within five years, Horford would have five playoff seasons and two All-Star trips under his belt. Wright by then would total just 33 NBA starts, and had not (and would not) averaged more than 10 points or 5 rebounds in any season. Any hopes of grabbing a championship ring before Big Al was dashed just a few weeks ago, when the Houston Rockets placed Wright on waivers.

Good work, Jay Bilas. At least you eventually got Julian Wright out of your Top 6.

ESPN Insider Chad Ford couldn't resist his turn at some Hawks Slander when the news started to trickle down that Atlanta was zeroing in on Horford.

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45904

(^the InsideHoops thread comments are especially cringeworthy, lol)

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(Chad Ford, ESPN Insider) Here's the latest on the June 28 draft, based on what I heard this past weekend in my conversations with folks from around the league:

• My new mock draft is coming out Tuesday, and I'll have a new player at the No. 3 position for the Atlanta Hawks. 

My first and second editions of the mock draft had Mike Conley there. Version 3.0 had Brandan Wright. 

For my next version, Al Horford will replace Wright. Sources say Horford is the Hawks' favorite at the moment -- though they still could trade the pick.

That news should come as a blow to both Memphis (No. 4) and Milwaukee (No. 6), both of whom also have Horford ranked No. 3 (behind Greg Oden and Kevin Durant). 

Since the Hawks drafted a similar, albeit inferior, player last year when they took Shelden Williams, it's a little surprising that the Hawks would opt for Horford -- especially when they really need a player like Conley. 

But then again, it's the kind of thing we've come to expect from the Hawks.

If they draft Horford, they'll probably opt for a point guard at No. 11, but the chances of landing Conley that late in the lottery are slim. Instead, the Hawks will have to settle for a combo guard like Acie Law or a project like Javaris Crittenton.

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft 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?

 

Dallas was the runaway winner of the #1 slot ahead of the 1993 NBA Draft Lottery. 22-60 from the season before wasn't tanking enough, nor was 28-54 the season before that. So, the full commitment to the opposite of excellence reserved Gar Heard's Mavericks the pole position, with a franchise-worst and league-worst 11-71 mark.

Minnesota (19-63) and Washington (22-60) brought up the NBA rear after Dallas. All three were expecting to get a college star to turn their fortunes around, quickly. On Lottery Day, all three were thrown for a loop.

The Mavericks, Timberwolves and Bullets were all expelled from the Top 3. Not merely by the 76ers (26-56, 5th-worst odds going in) and the Warriors (34-48, 7th-worst odds going in). But also by the Magic.

Yes, the Magic, who went 41-41 and missed the playoffs on a tiebreak with Indiana. The Magic, who were blessed one season before with winning the 1992 Draft Lottery, allowing them to select franchise-changer Shaquille O'Neal. The Magic, who had the worst lottery odds (1.52% chance of winning) entering the Lottery, won.

Dreams around the Metroplex of being gifted with Michigan Fab-Fiver Chris Webber, or Memphis State's Penny Hardaway, were dashed in an instant. At Draft time, Philadelphia couldn't resist the allure of BYU's 7-foot-6 phenom Shawn Bradley ("you can't teach height!"), allowing Kentucky's Jamal Mashburn to slide down to the Mavs at #4. But the wild gamble and even wilder miss cemented Dallas' reputation as the worst NBA franchise of the 1990s, going 13-69 the next season and never getting to 40 wins until 1999-2000. At least the Mavs would get their hands on Bradley, eventually. The Wolves and Bullets would have to settle for J.R. Rider and Cal Cheaney, respectively.

Howls of unfairness, pointed at Orlando's good fortune, by the media and other teams pushed the NBA into revising a weighted lottery procedure they had just introduced three years before. Going from individually-assigned ping pong balls to assigned combinations of drawn, numbered balls added to the randomness while placing the outcome more favorably toward bottom-dwelling teams.

~lw3

[AHF]

Always wondered what Orlando's future would have held had they built around Webber and Shaq instead of Penny.

[Diesel]

It doesn't matter.   The draft lottery is rigged.  IF you don't look at 2011, 2013, & 2014 and not know that the lottery is rigged then peace be unto you. 

[AHF]

If I were the NBA and rigging the draft, I would be giving better picks to larger markets and not to teams like San Antonio, Cleveland, Minnesota and New Orleans.

[lethalweapon3]

18 minutes ago, AHF said:

If I were the NBA and rigging the draft, I would be giving better picks to larger markets and not to teams like San Antonio, Cleveland, Minnesota and New Orleans.

and Orlando!

~lw3

[Diesel]

On 4/10/2018 at 6:14 PM, AHF said:

If I were the NBA and rigging the draft, I would be giving better picks to larger markets and not to teams like San Antonio, Cleveland, Minnesota and New Orleans.

You don't know how much those owners paid the league or what the league owed them.

In Cleveland's case, when they lose Lebron, the League gave them 3 #1 picks.   2 times, they were beyond the 7th seed. 

 

[lethalweapon3]

CVivBomb!

Who guessed "Owner Spouse?" We got ourselves a winner!

~lw3

[AHF]

5 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

CVivBomb!

Who guessed "Owner Spouse?" 

 

@Dnice - Chicken dinner time!

[Dnice]

Holy crap, I won!  Pleasant ending to the day...

[AHF]

Anyone know what time the tie-breaker stuff will be done and/or released to the public today?  Crossing my fingers.

[NBASupes]

6 minutes ago, AHF said:

Anyone know what time the tie-breaker stuff will be done and/or released to the public today?  Crossing my fingers.

545pm et nbatv

[lethalweapon3]

 

Quote

 

Trivia from the 2007 draft lottery:

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?

 

Portland's pick positions got progressively better in each season. Unfortunately, the players they got were getting progressively worse.

2004 offered the longtime-contending Trail Blazers their first lotto pick since Shawn Respert in 1995. The draft was quite the minefield (Rafael Araujo, Luke Jackson, Robert Swift, Kirk Snyder) to tip-toe through, making the acquisition of high school phenom guard Sebastian Telfair at #13 quite palatable by comparison.

Telfair's Blazer stint proved unremarkable (8.1 PPG, 3.5 APG, 39.4 FG%), aside from a gun discovered in a pillowcase prior to a team flight, leading to a team fine (Bassy would continue to be plagued by weapons trouble in future years). Two seasons in, he and Theo Ratliff were sent packing to Boston on 2006 draft day, in exchange for rookie Randy Foye, Dan Dickau and Raef LaFrentz. Portland would then turn around and send Foye to Minnesota for Brandon Roy.

Pick-Six! Nothing was going to intercept the Blazers from taking yet another high schooler, forward Martell Webster, sixth-overall in 2005. This draft proved to have only one long-term plum in the lottery phase of the first round (CP3). But among the players taken 1-though-7, Jason Terry's cousin was the only one who fell short of averaging either 10 points or 5 rebounds in the course of his career.

Webster's injury history and periodic ailments hindered any real shot at continued on-court development. The alleged failure by the team to disclose, to arch-rival Minnesota, the extent of Webster's injury issues (back, hip) became of bone of contention that lasted for several years. But at least he provided a glimpse of what could have been during his third season, when he dropped 24 points in the third quarter of a 2008 game versus Utah. Martell hung up the jersey after a brief comeback attempt with the Pelicans last September.

The Blazers weren't interested in suffering through another whiffed lottery pick. So in 2006, after picking LSU forward Tyrus Thomas, Portland dealt him plus Viktor Khryapa to the Bulls, in exchange for Chicago's selection at #2, Texas' LaMarcus Aldridge. Now, there was a draft decision that panned out quite nicely. At least, for a little while.

Add first-overall Greg Oden to the mix for the Draft Lottery winners of 2007, with Aldridge and Roy, and the Portland Process was finally looking very promising. At least, for a little while.

~lw3

[NBASupes]

We are at #4 going into the lottery: Remember the times: 

 

[lethalweapon3]

 

1999 NBA DRAFT LOTTERY TRIVIA

Q1. The only NBA team to miss the playoffs despite finishing with a winning record, which Eastern Conference Team Leapt from the Lowest Possible Odds (#13, 0.5% odds) into the Top-3? Who was that team’s representative at the Lottery?

Q2. For the team that had the Best Possible Odds (25.0%), why was the prospect of winning a top pick about to become problematic?

Q3. While Atlanta was not part of this Lottery, how did the Hawks wind up with a Lottery pick? Who was the representative of the Hawks’ trading partner at this Lottery, and what is his current occupation?

Q4. Who won this Lottery? Why was the timing of this team winning this Lottery interesting? Who represented this team at the Lottery, and what was his immediate consideration after winning the top pick?

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Short-lived, but The Onion's SportsDome was pretty brutal with one of Georgia's Own!

~lw3

[HawkItus]

This is so depressing as a Hawks fan.