In 1985, the NBA developed a “lottery” system for their draft. The lottery system was developed to deter teams from “tanking” the regular season in order to improve their chances of obtaining the first overall pick. But since the system has been in place, has it done more bad than good? Since 1985, only five teams that finished the season with the worst record in the NBA have actually gotten the first overall pick in the draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves finished this season with the worst record in the NBA and for the first time in franchise history, they will have the top pick in the draft. Former Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn had been critical of the draft process due to the fact that his organization had never received the first overall pick in the NBA Draft in spite of the fact that they have a lifetime winning percentage of just .393. And with that, all the NBA Draft Lottery has been as good for its heartache as opposed to help.
(l-r) David Stern, Patrick Ewing, Dave DeBusschere
In 1985, the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers finished tied for the worst record in the NBA. But it would be the New York Knicks who had the third worst record in the league that earned the first overall pick in the NBA Draft and the controversy began. The Knicks play in the biggest media market in the NBA and they were in need of a franchise player when they made center Patrick Ewing the first overall pick of the draft. In 1986, the Los Angeles Clippers would win the NBA Draft Lottery in spite of finishing the season with the seventh worst record in the league. The top pick would ultimately go to the Cleveland Cavaliers who would select center Brad Daugherty. In 1992, the Orland Magic finished with the second worst record in the NBA, but they beat out the Timberwolves who had the worst record in the league for the top pick. The Magic would take center Shaquille O’Neal who would completely change their franchise while the Timberwolves had to settle to for the third overall pick and they used it on power forward Christian Laettner. Led by O’Neal, the Magic would see a 20-win improvement in the following season and they missed out on the NBA Playoffs by one game. And in spite of having the lowest odds entering the NBA Draft Lottery in 1993, the Magic were once again awarded the first overall pick. The Magic would select power forward Chris Webber and immediately trade him to the Warriors for guard Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and the combination of him and O’Neal would lead Orlando to its first Eastern Conference Championship in 1995. The 1996-1997 NBA season would see the Boston Celtics win 15 games while the Vancouver Grizzlies only managed to win 14 games. Both teams were confident going into the NBA Draft about their chances to obtain the first overall pick. But it was the San Antonio Spurs that earned the top spot and they selected power forward Tim Duncan which has changed their franchise forever as they’ve won five NBA Championships with him and counting.
Elton Brand
After shooting guard Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls in 1998, the team was completely dismantled and finished the following season with a record of 13-37 which was the third worst in the league. The Bulls would go on to beat out the Grizzlies and the Clippers and win the NBA’s Draft Lottery as they selected power forward Elton Brand. In 2000, the New Jersey Nets had the seventh worst record in the league, but they came out of nowhere to have the ping-pong balls bounce in their favor and earn the top choice in the NBA Draft which they used on power forward Kenyon Martin. In 2002, the Houston Rockets were able to leapfrog four teams at the NBA Draft Lottery for the top spot which they used on center Yao Ming.
The NBA didn’t help itself as far as dimishing the theory of a rigged lottery process in 2003 when the Cavaliers earned the spot in the NBA Draft. The Cavaliers did finish tied with the Denver Nuggets for the worst record in the NBA that season, but it was Cleveland that got the top pick which they used on small forward LeBron James from nearby Akron, Ohio.
Heading into the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery, the Celtics had the second worst record in the league and they liked their chances to select either small forward Kevin Durant or center Greg Oden. But the Celtics earned the fifth overall selection as it was the Portland Trailblazers that got the top spot. In 2008, eight teams finished with worse records that the Bulls, but Chicago jumped in front of those teams to get the first overall pick which they used on point guard Derrick Rose who is a native of Chicago. In 2010, the Nets only won 12 games, but they had to settle for third overall pick as they lost out to the Washington Wizards. And in the four years that James wasn’t with the Cavs as he was a member of the Heat, Cleveland “earned” the top spot in the NBA Draft three times.
After 31 years it is clear to see that the NBA’s lottery system doesn’t work and it should be abolished. The NBA implemented this system to discourage tanking, but it is still a part of the game. Teams should be slotted at the NBA Draft based off of their regular season record. And as the league is worried about competitive balance; fear not because it is typically the same teams that select early on at the NBA Draft because they are clueless as far as what it takes to develop a contender.
In 2013, the Philadelphia 76ers were four victories shy of making the NBA Playoffs. Since then the Sixers have taken huge steps backwards as they traded point guard Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans. The 76ers would replace Holiday with point guard Michael Carter-Williams who would go on to be the named as the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2014. But Carter-Williams was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks this past season. The 76ers have used early lottery picks the past two years on players (center Nerlens Noel and center Joel Embiid) who were injured when they were drafted and couldn’t contribute in Philadelphia as rookies. For the first time in franchise history, the 76ers are coming off of consecutive seasons in which they lost at least 60 games while Holiday and Carter-Williams were each able to help their new teams make the postseason.
Instead of having the draft lottery, the NBA should make sure that front office personnel around the league is better equipped to analyze talent and ultimately develop players. For so long the Clippers organization was the poster child of drafting futility as they have had several first overall picks which didn’t go anywhere. The Clippers didn’t become a consistent playoff team until former NBA commissioner David Stern intervened on a trade that was going to send point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Lakers. Stern stepped in nixing the deal and Paul was ultimately shipped to the Clippers. After Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was overly critical of losing James to the Heat in 2010, it almost appears as if he were “rewarded” by the NBA with an unprecedented three first overall picks in a four year span (although in 2011, the Cavs first overall pick was the result of a trade with the Clippers).
Major League Baseball doesn’t use a lottery system and neither does the National Football League. And both leagues remain immensely popular and competitive. Whereas the NBA Draft Lottery has become an event in itself, it merely provides a platform to display the backdoor politics of the league. NBA commissioner Adam Silver is out to take the league to new heights after 30 years under Stern. And it is time for Silver to eliminate a ridiculous system that Stern implemented 31 years ago which is something straight out of “Let’s Make A Deal” minus Wink Martindale.
Source: Basketball-reference.com
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