The first NBA draft lottery held under new, more evenly distributed odds was held on Tuesday. The New Orleans Pelicans won the right to draft a generational star for the second time this generation. The summer that the Pelicans will be forced to trade Anthony Davis, they’ll get to draft Zion Williamson. What fortuitous timing.
What’s more, the Memphis Grizzlies will pick No. 2, and after the dreadful New York Knicks pick No. 3, the L.A. Lakers will pick No. 4. The Knicks were in full-on tank mode basically all season, and finished with the NBA’s worst record. Lottery reform lowered their odds of winning No. 1 overall from 25 percent to 14 percent, and extended the floor for them from No. 4 to No. 5. The Knicks got relatively lucky by landing at No. 3.
The two other teams with 14 percent odds at Zion -- the Cavaliers and Suns, who both chose to tank after rough starts -- weren’t so fortunate. They fell to Nos. 5 and 6 respectively, which is equivalent to the lowest they could have fallen under the old rules and one slot better than a worst case scenario this year. The Bulls follow at No. 7. Taken together, that’s a good result for the NBA: the four embarrassing teams who tanked most of the season and finished with 22 wins or less will pick Nos. 3, 5, 6, and 7. Tanking was not really rewarded.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Lakers weren’t atrocious this season: they were merely bad in a tough conference. They’ll pick Nos. 1, 2, and 4. Each of them tinkered with tanking down the stretch by sitting healthy stars, trading healthy vets, playing kids and cast-offs. But they all won between 33 and 37 games, which is mediocrity, not abject putridity. And they got lucky, which is much more likely in the new lottery layout.
Will this change the calculus on how teams act in the future? How could it not? The real question is how much this will affect how teams act in the future. Only time will tell.
Scores
Blazers 94, Warriors 116
Golden State leads series 1-0
Schedule
Raptors at Bucks, 8:30 ET, TNT
Series tied 0-0
Links
The Warriors had no problem with the Blazers in Game 1 despite the distinct lack of Kevin Durant. Is anyone that surprised?
Ricky O’Donnell’s post-lottery mock draft. It looks like the 4-5-6 slots will be most interesting unless the Grizzlies or Knicks do something unexpected.
How the Knicks can still win the summer without Zion. How Zion became the most hyped lottery prize since LeBron. Seven infamous lotto conspiracies the NBA would like everyone to stop talking about. The best time to be the worst team was the two decades ago when the worst East and West teams flipped a coin to decide No. 1 vs. No. 2. Dan Devine on the ripple effects.
Michael Pina on how good C.J. McCollum can be.
I love Ben Cohen’s concept of the Warriors as a grad school of sorts for basketball, with Kevon Looney as a student learning all the tricks from Andre Iguodala and company.
Terry Rozier got preeeeeetty candid about the problems with the Celtics.
AMEN.
Jerry West back. Clippers are going to pull someone this summer. It’s in the air.
Great Candace Buckner story on the grind Jon Horst got through to be on the verge of winning Executive of the Year with the Bucks.
And finally: the Kings with a vicious little dig at the Sixers on Twitter, followed by some very intelligent clapback from the Sixers. Basketball, folks.
Be excellent to each other.
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/5/15/18624488/nba-draft-lottery-results-zion-williamson-pelicans-knicks-lakers-gmib
2019-05-15 11:10:20Z
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