The NBA Draft Lottery: My favorite night of the year!...
by Andrew Feinstein on May 20, 2008 1:11 AM MDT
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Anyone who knows me knows that the NBA Draft Lottery (happening tonight!) is hands down my favorite night in the NBA calendar. And yes, I know that's totally pathetic.I love that the NBA rigged it for the Knicks in 1985, the Magic in 1992 and 1993, the Wizards in 2001, the Cavaliers in 2003 and then double-reverse-rigged-it last year just to shut us conspiracy theorists up. I love how the league - even though there is no logical reason to do this unless they are, in fact, rigging it - refuses to show the ping pong balls come out. I love that there's always a security guard or whatever from Price Waterhouse Coopers who "independently verifies" the results in the back room...as if that's supposed to nullify our concerns of it being rigged. And most of all, I love the random "representatives" from each team, particularly Clippers' "GM" Elgin Baylor who must keep a second home in Secaucus, New Jersey since he's there so often.
From 1981 to 1990, the Denver Nuggets participated in zero NBA Draft Lotteries (even though the lottery didn't officially begin until 1985). And therefore, as a kid I always looked forward to the Nuggets possibly making a splash in the postseason. Who we could possibly draft in July just never occurred to me in May.
But from 1991 to 2003, the Nuggets participated in 10 NBA Draft Lotteries. 10! In seven of those lotteries, the Nuggets had a legitimate chance of getting the first pick. And in three, they were favored to get the first overall pick. Given the ineptitude on the floor and in the front office, you can see why this quickly became my most treasured night of the year as a Nuggets fan. It was the only night all year that gave us Nuggets fans any hope.
And yet, over the course of 10 NBA Draft Lotteries, the Nuggets never did better than getting the third pick in the draft.
In 1992, with Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning on the line, the Nuggets ended up with the fifth pick and LaPhonso Ellis (my all-time favorite Nugget, by the way, but certainly no Shaq or Zo).
In 1993, with Chris Webber and Anfernee Hardaway on the line, the Nuggets ended up with the ninth pick and Rodney Rogers (and his weight problem).
In 1997, with Tim Duncan on the line, the Nuggets ended up with the fifth pick again and this time Tony "El Busto" Battie.In 1998, with Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki on the line, the Nuggets ended up with the third pick and Raef LaFrentz (oh, wait, Carter, Jamison, Pierce and Nowitzki were drafted after number three...who's the idiot that passed them over??).
(And while we're at it, who's the idiot that traded our lottery picks from 1999 to 2001 that potentially could have turned into Elton Brand, Baron Davis or Pau Gasol?).
And the biggest insult to Nuggets fans everywhere was in 2002. With Yao Ming on the line, the Nuggets ended up with the fifth pick yet AGAIN and (gulp) Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
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And the great unconfirmed rumor of all time: Kiki would've drafted Darko ahead of Melo had he got the #2 pick. True or not true? We'll never know.
by Commish CH on May 20, 2008 8:12 AM MDT reply actions
Given how the postseason ended up, I wish we had not made the playoffs.
by parce on May 20, 2008 8:46 AM MDT reply actions
by parce on May 20, 2008 8:50 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on May 20, 2008 9:27 AM MDT reply actions
People are talking like the Nuggets deserve a championship. This is a team that doesn't play defense, that has no offensive scheme, that has no post presence. The best point guard they have is a 30+ yr old PG who never started anywhere else in his life. And yet people are yelling for a championship. You have to pay your dues to win a championship in this league, your players, your organization has to sacrifice their egos and arguments for the sacrifice of winning.
The Nuggets are not worthy of an NBA championship. I'm not gonna go over and yell why they aren't but that's the truth. Look at the remaining 4 teams, you can find evidence of sacrifice, in Boston, KG and Allen sacrificed their egos and declared Pierce the star of the team. In Detroit all their players have sacrificed big pay days and superstardom for winning. In LA, Kobe sacrificed his score -first personality to get his players involved. And look at San Antonio, Finley sacrificed superstardom in Dallas, to play 10-20 mins in a Spurs uniform, Ginobli sacrificed superstardom to come of the bench, only playing 29 mins a game!
Name the sacrifices the Nuggets have made to be put in the same sentence as these other teams.
by j2y2k3 on May 20, 2008 11:51 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on May 20, 2008 12:59 PM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on May 20, 2008 4:22 PM MDT reply actions
by Not anonymous? on May 20, 2008 11:07 PM MDT reply actions
Actually, quite the contrary. If you read this blog at all, you'd realize that most people posting here feel the exact opposite.
"This is a team that doesn't play defense, that has no offensive scheme, that has no post presence."
Again, you're stating the obvious. This blog was initiated for such reasons.
"The Nuggets won 17 games before Carmello came along and since have made the playoffs every year he put on a uniform. Now people are calling him to be traded. I am truly ashamed of these Nuggets fans"
First you state that Nugs fans should be ashamed for thinking of trading Melo, then you go into every reason in the book why the Nuggets suck. Yes, all of those teams and players (Detroit, SA, LAL and Boston) you mention show more sacrifice than the Nuggets. If Melo showed that kind of sacrifice that you mention, you'd never hear any rumors of him being traded.
by grantarchy on May 21, 2008 1:02 PM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on May 21, 2008 1:33 PM MDT reply actions
by Zachm219 on May 21, 2008 3:48 PM MDT reply actions
So, here is how we are going to go about doing our roster by allowing Melo to provide one more moment of excitement for Nuggets Nation.
Melo needs to be traded to the Heat for the number 2 selection in the draft. The number 2 selection in the draft is going to be either Derrick Rose or Michael Beasely. Either way, you can't go wrong. You either get your point guard of the future, or you get Melo's replacement in the starting line up (not to mention a post presence on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court). Not only do you get one of these 2 great talents, you dump a ton of cap space so that you can pursue top tier free agents in the upcoming free agency season.
But we need a Center also. So, the Nuggets need to trade Camby/Najera/Number 20 pick to Milwaukee for Villanueva/Number 8 pick. Then the Nuggets would have the ability to draft either Kevin Love, Roy Hibbert, DJ Augistin (assiming the Nuggets don't select Rose), Russell Westbrook (again, assuming the Nuggets don't select Rose). This would give the Nuggets a dynamic SF to insert in the starting line up immediately, as well as center capable of playing both ends of the floor.
This would be able to allow the Nuggets to more effectively utilize their current personnel without having to make a complete roster overhaul.
by CaptainKooiman on May 21, 2008 8:47 PM MDT reply actions
with the Bulls getting the number #1 pick and Pax leaning towards drafting Rose over Beaseley, do u think the Nuggets should now swoop in attempt in getting Hinrich for Camby??
it's win win.
the Bulls get a frontcourt defensive presense which they badly need, and the Nuggets get a tall PG who can play alongside AI that can shoot the 3 and play reasonably good defense.
The only bad part is that we take on Hinrich's horrid salary.
by Anonymous on May 22, 2008 3:11 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on May 22, 2008 7:40 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on May 22, 2008 7:42 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on May 22, 2008 9:39 AM MDT reply actions
Actually I never said it's ALL Melo's fault, but it's pretty obvious to me, at least, that he is part of the problem. I also never said we should definitely get rid of him, I only said that he has only himself to blame for trade rumors surfacing. If he brought his "A" game every night, we wouldn't be having this conversation, do you think? I don't think we should trade him personally, because I seriously doubt we can get equal value for him, especially right now. Next year, I hope he turns it around.
by grantarchy on May 22, 2008 1:10 PM MDT reply actions
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