Lottery Odds and Ends

Alright, what may have been the most anticipated draft lottery since it's inception in 1985 took place last night and was one of the most suprising results ever.

For the first time in NBA Draft Lottery history all three of the teams with the top three picks fell out of the top three. That obviously opened the door for three teams to move up into the top three and the big winners were the Portland Trailblazers, Seattle Sonics and Atlanta Hawks. And you would have to count the Knicks as winners too since they traded the rights to their pick and they did not move into the top three. Had the Knicks secured one of the top two picks there is no doubt in my mind that James Dolan's House, Isaiah Thomas' House and Madison Square Garden would all be on fire right now.

So anyway, the big losers ended up being the Memphis Grizzlies and the Boston Celtics, the two teams with the worst records and the best percentage chances of landing the top two spots last night. No one cares about the Grizzlies, though their lack of luck in the lottery over the years has been stunning, but the real story here is obviously the Celtics. The Celtics are obviously a legendary franchise who have had their share of dynasties, but over the past 20 years they have had nothing but heartache. From Len Bias to Reggie Lewis to missing out Tim Duncan, the Celts can't catch a break. This was supposed to be their moment, it seemed like just about everyone geniuinely believed they were finally going to land the big one. Instead they fell all the way to 5th, one of the biggest drops for a team in lottery history. The shot of the Celtics fan at the bar during the "celebration party" with his mouth agape for minutes on end absolutely said it all.

Now as a "knicks fan" (Note: That is in quotes because it may be only in theory at this point), I am not a fan of the Celtics at all, but part of me desperately wanted to see them land either Oden or Durant, just because it would have been the most interesting situation as a sports fan. However, part of me also found it hysterical that they failed so miserably. Especially since their fans were all so arrogant coming in and for the fact that they literally tanked the last quarter of the season to secure one of the top two picks. Perhaps it was justice after all.

Of course if that was the case, the Blazers certainly wouldn't have won the thing as they are the all-time NBA leader in felonies. When I first saw that the Blazers won the lottery I was actually disappointed, I wanted to see Oden or Durant go to a team like the Hawks where they have the potential to complete turn around the franchise like Michael and LeBron. Plus, correct me if I am wrong, but don't the Blazers always just seem like a boring franchise.

Ohh wait, I will correct myself, as I said, that was just my initial thought. Then I started to think about the current crop of Blazers and how exciting that team can become. They already have Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Jarrett Jack, now add Oden or Durant to that mix and they have the potential to build a dynasty. On the other hand, like so many other promising phenoms, Oden or Durant could just go to Portland and embrace the culture of laziness and crime and never live up to their potential. As you can see I am completely torn on whether or not I like the Blazers at number one, but the one thing I do know is that I love the Sonics at number two. Combining either Oden or Durant with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis could make the Sonics a tough team and perhaps give Ray Allen a shot at the title that has eluded him.

Ok, I have rambled on long enough and although the draft is still over a month away I wanted to just quickly break down my first best guess on how the lottery might go. Obviously a lot can change between now and the draft, again, this is just my first early projection:

1) Blazers - Greg Oden (C) - The Blazers already have Zach Randolph and drafted LaMarcus Aldridge last year, so Durant could be a much better fit, but its hard to pass on seven-foot franchise centers. Just ask them about Sam Bowie.

2) Sonics - Kevin Durant (SF) - The Sonics have perhaps the easiest pick in the history of the draft. In some respects it's almost better to be picking second. You know you are getting a superstar but without the pressure and no matter what happens, no one can ever second guess you.

3) Hawks - Mike Conley Jr. (PG) - Ahhh the Hawks, it would have been great if they landed one of the top two picks just to see them pick Conley over Oden or Durant. This is obviously still a reach for Conley, especially considering they have the 11th pick as well, but that means nothing. After years of passing on point guards at the appropriate positions when that was their biggest need expect them finally to take one but to completely ruin the moment by reaching so far for one.

4) Grizzlies - Brandan Wright (PF) - The Hawks mistake is the Grizzlies gain.

5) Celtics - Corey Brewer (SF) - The Celtics will be looking to make a big splash here to make up for losing out on Oden and Durant. Look for them to botch it.

6) Bucks - Yi Jianlin (PF) - The Chinese KG could be a steal.

7) T-Wolves - Al Horford (PF) - Speaking of KG, the Wolves will finally get him some help up front here.

8) Bobcats - Julian Wright (SF) - The need a true center and Hibbert is still on the board, the only problem is that bumps Sean May out of the lineup. Instead they keep Okafor at center and May at PF and go for the number three.

9) Bulls - Joahkim Noah (PF) - A Bulls team that is already loaded with talent now adds a lottery pick in a very deep draft. They need size up front and Noah is the perfect fit to slot right into a championship contender.

10) Kings - Spencer Hawes (C) - It's rebuilding time for the Kings and Hawes is definitely a project.

11) Hawks - Roy Hibbert (C) - The Hawks could have added Conley here and would have had Wright with their first pick, but Hibbert and Conley isn't a bad days work either.

12) 76ers - Al Thornton (PF) - He is 24 years old otherwise he would be listed right under Oden and Durant as the stars of this draft.

13) Hornets - Acie Law (PG) - Hornets go for the best player available.

14) Clippers - Derrick Byars (SF) - Clippers don't really have one strong need so they take the guy that is most ready to contribute.

That is all for this first installment of mock draft, of course as we get closer to draft night I will have a lot more on the subject.

Thats all for now, any thoughts on these projections or anything else on your mind at all? Get at us......bigjandmax@gmail.com