The NBA Draft Lottery: My favorite night of the year!...

by Andrew Feinstein on May 20, 2008 1:11 AM MDT Comment 23 comments

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.

As depressing as all those Draft Lottery moments were, I think it galvanized Nuggets Nation. While NBA Commissioner David Stern used the annual Draft Lottery to hand championship appearances to the big market Knicks and fragile, about-to-go-broke (at the time) franchises like the Spurs, Magic, Mavericks and Cavaliers, all we Nuggets fans could do was huddle together and say: "How bad are we going to get screwed this year?" knowing that we'd never, ever get a number one overall pick.

But frankly, we never deserved a first overall pick. Check that - the fans did, but the organization did not. Any team that purposely tanks its regular season in hopes of getting the first pick in the Draft Lottery - as the Nuggets did three times during that 12 year span - doesn't deserve the first pick. This is why the Clippers only had two first overall picks to show for over 20 years of Draft Lottery participation (and one of those picks turned out to be Michael Olowokandi). And this is why the Celtics didn't get the first overall pick last year or in 1997 when Duncan was available. And so on.

This is partly why I'm so opposed to trading away Carmelo Anthony for nothing and/or blowing up this current Nuggets team just because we can't win a playoff series with a bad coach. Because as much as I miss "Lottery Night", I'd rather the Nuggets spend their offseason searching for a decent coach, making a savvy move or two, pulling of a great late-round draft pick and trying to win a championship.

And besides, let's face it. Even IF the Nuggets ever dipped into the lottery again and actually got the first pick, it's already been written in the stars that we'd draft the next Olowokandi rather than the next Duncan!

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well said andrew

by Zedrich on May 20, 2008 2:49 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Great post, couldn't agree more.

by Mateo on May 20, 2008 8:05 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the rundown of the potential All-Star team we could've had here in DEN. I feel queezy now.

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 0 recs

I have a love/hate relationship with the draft lottery. I love the IDEA of it. But just like that girl in high school that consistently spurned your (my) affection, the draft lottery just won't put out for me.

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 0 recs

Also...can we get a poll on favorite ever? The Phonz is top five for sure, but I don't know if I can put him on my pedestal. When you make that list, don't forget Joe Wolf and his two tours of duty with the Nugs.

by parce on May 20, 2008 8:50 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Naw- forget history! It's all Melo's fault! Where the Nuggets are today is simply because of their 23 yr. old star- who CAN'T do, oh so many things! It's not because of an inept management & ownership going back decades! It's not because of a coaching philosophy & systems that can't even spell defense. It's not because of one-dimensional players who are offensive or defensive liabilities. No! It's Melo's fault! Getting rid of him, will insure not only being in the playoffs next year, but making it past the 1st round! Guaranteed! (((Dripping Sarcasm)))

by Anonymous on May 20, 2008 9:27 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I hope Karl chokes on a cough drop!

by Anonymous on May 20, 2008 10:02 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

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, perhaps they need to suffer what the Hawks did, double digit years of not making the playoffs before they realize how good the players they have are.
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 0 recs

Don't be an idiot. Nobody knew anything about Nowitzki. The European boom hadn't happened yet. How about Milwaukee trading him for Tractor Traylor? Piere wasn't that great at Kansas, either. Carter is constantly injured and would have demanded out of Denver eventually. Jamison is a nice player but whatever. At least Raef showed up every night.

by Anonymous on May 20, 2008 12:59 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Carter isn't that injury prone since in NJ , don't think he missed more then 10 games since he was been traded to the Nets . ( i read somewhere the Nets have never won a game without him since he's there )

by Anonymous on May 20, 2008 4:22 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Welp, New Jersey will be picking 10th.

by Marmatard on May 20, 2008 6:52 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

What was that about a team tanking to get a first pick? I think I saw that Miami got the first overall pick. I guess it was fortunate for Wade to get a season ending injury - haha.

by Not anonymous? on May 20, 2008 11:07 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

"People are talking like the Nuggets deserve a championship."

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 0 recs

And, of course grantarchy, since it's ALL Melo's fault- we definitely should get rid of him! After all, who cares that we've always made the playoffs since he's been here! It's time we won a game! We were so much better off when we weren't even in contention for postseason play! He's ruined everything! By giving us hope that we can have a winning, maybe championship team, he's upset the natural order of things! YES- trade Melo so we can make our truimphant return to mediocrity! It's all we know, & what we're used to!

by Anonymous on May 21, 2008 1:33 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Why are you guys putting Melo on such a pedestal, like he's the savior of basketball in Denver. Yes we we're bad before him, and we we're great before that. Thats how it works people, bad teams get good picks and get better players. But if you think for one second Melo is the only reason this team has gone to the playoffs five years in a row then you're crazy. In fact, the very hated george karl has by far much more to do with this streak, because if he hadn't went 32 and 8 or whatever it was when he first got here the nuggets would never have made the playoffs that year.

by Zachm219 on May 21, 2008 3:48 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

As a Nuggets fan, I am disgusted at the fact that Nuggets Nation appears so content with accepting mediocrity out of this team. Every forum that I enter, I read that the Nuggets have made the playoffs the past 5 seasons, after not making the playoffs for umpteen ammount of years. THANK YOU Carmelo for providing some excitement for a floundering franchise, now it is time for the franchise to move in a different direction. We have spent the past 5 seasons not advancing past the first round in the playoffs, and due to your salary cap number, we cannot effectively improve this team without using you in a trade and dumping your salary.

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 0 recs

hey Andrew.

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 0 recs

Wow some of you guys are really slow. How are you going to trade Najera for anyone when he is a free agent and we are not going to resign him. This team needs to build around Melo, JR, and hopefully Nene. Trade the rest. Bring in shooters and real big men who crash the offensice boards and post up. The only other thing is someone needs to kidnap Karl for the season and then maybe management will see he sucks as much at coaching as he does on cough drops.

by Anonymous on May 22, 2008 7:40 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh and Roy Hibbert will do absolutely nothing in the NBA. Well other than sit at the end of the bench. He couldn't even dominate in college against smaller guys. Let alone in the NBA against bigger and more athletic players. If we get him he'll be the number 1 Denver Stiff.

by Anonymous on May 22, 2008 7:42 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Is it something in the "Mile-High Air" or what? I come onto this board for some entertainment- because the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of making ANOTHER horrendous decision, by trading away a 23 yr. old star. The rest of the league would consider your team more of a laughingstock then they do already! You lose for years- you rebuild your team- then destry it, because you're not winning enough! Better yet, the management & coaching philosophies you cling to, are ludicrious & outdated! But does that matter- NO! Blame the 23 yr. old- yeah, thats it! Its all his fault. IDIOTS!

by Anonymous on May 22, 2008 9:39 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

"And, of course grantarchy, since it's ALL Melo's fault- we definitely should get rid of him!"

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 0 recs

Can we just draft Ty Lawson and see how we'll do with an athletic point guard before we throw the whole team out the window? I'm as anti-Melo as the next guy, but maybe our biggest problem isn't him.

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THE STIFF LIST (as of 2/7 by Andrew)

STIFF #1: THE FUTURE OF THE NBPA
If the NBA owners opening proposal for the new collective bargaining agreement is any indication, we're heading for a lockout in 2011 and after that, smaller contracts, smaller salaries and less revenue shared with the players.

STIFF #2: THE CLIPPERS
After correctly kicking Mike Dunleavy upstairs and rightly installing Kim Hughes as head coach, why are rumors of Isiah Thomas joining the Clips circling around already?

STIFF #3: THE EASTERN CONFERENCE
Rumors of the re-birth of the Eastern Conference have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, the Cavaliers are awesome but the sixth playoff seed might be sub-.500. And do you think any of the West's top six teams fear the Celtics, Magic or Hawks? No chance.

STIFF #4: ANKLE INJURIES
First Carmelo Anthony. Then Chauncey Billups. And now possibly Arron Afflalo? Tape those ankles up, dammit!

STIFF #5: NEW JERSEY NETS
4-46 and losers to the lowly Pistons on Saturday night. But Lawrence Frank was the problem, right?

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