Problems of the NBA Draft System
Problems of the NBA Draft System
David Stern, along with 13 NBA general managers, gets to play Powerball Sunday in the annual NBA Draft Lottery.
Will the Knicks, with just a 4.4 percent chance of winning the lottery, get a little home cooking? Will MJ's Wizards get an extra Ping-Pong ball or two for wiping out the luxury tax this year? Did Jerry West know something we didn't when he took the head job out there in Memphis?
The NBA, in an effort to avoid the riot that would take place if the Knicks are in the first envelope, has invited a handful of media members to witness the actual drawing, the first time it has ever opened the process . . . but in the end, someone still will get screwed.
You have to go back to the 1990 draft, when the Nets took Derrick Coleman, to find the worst team in the league drafting No. 1.
The Knicks' winning the lottery would actually be less strange than either the Bulls or Warriors taking home the honors.
Last year, the Bulls had the worst record in the league and ended up with the No. 4 pick. The Warriors had the second-worst record and ended up with the No. 5 pick. In 2000, the Clippers ended with the worst record and the No. 3 pick. The Bulls had the second-worst record and drafted No. 4. The Nets, who got the No. 1 pick, had the seventh-worst record in the NBA. In 1999, the Grizzlies were the worst team in the NBA, but could manage only the No. 2 pick. The Clippers won only nine games, but had to wait until pick No. 4 to take Lamar Odom. In 1998, the Nuggets took home the worst record honors but nabbed only the No. 3 pick. In 1997, the Spurs leapt ahead of the Grizzlies and the Celtics to grab the No. 1 pick and Tim Duncan. In 1993, the Magic grabbed the No. 1 pick with a 41-41 record, best among lottery teams.
You get the picture. With two players, Duke's Jay Williams and China's Yao Ming, duking it out for the top prize, Sunday's lottery will go a long way in determining who will be the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. Both players have their pros and cons. Williams is the most NBA-ready...