The fix is in!...

by Andrew Feinstein on May 19, 2009 2:13 PM MDT

You're about to witness one of the biggest fixes of the century tonight. And no, I'm not talking about the refs guaranteeing a Lakers victory over our Nuggets.

With the Nuggets actually playing into late May (by the way, I still can't believe it's May 19th and the Nuggets have at least four more basketball games to play), what was once my favorite night of the year has been an afterthought. And that would be the NBA Draft Lottery.

In the midst of Nuggets/Lakers predictions, rants going back and forth between Nuggets and Lakers fans and so forth, I had to be reminded that the Draft Lottery was taking place before tipoff tonight. Reminded!! What was once my Super Bowl has become a mild curiosity.

But while the Nuggets coach and players will (and should) be focused solely on beating the Lakers tonight, the organization and fans need to keep on eye on the Draft Lottery results. Because the division rival Thunder, who hijacked the city of Seattle in order to relocate to Oklahoma City (read: had to pay a lot of money to - errrrr - I mean pull a lot of strings with the NBA and its board of governors), will most likely get the first pick.

And with that pick, the Thunder - who conveniently are in need of a power forward - will conveniently get to draft local Oklahoma star Blake Griffin. Just as the Cavaliers "happened" to land the number one pick when a local star named LeBron James was available in 2003 (even though the Nuggets had an equally bad record) and the Bulls "happened" to land the number one pick last year when the Chicago-born Derrick Rose was available.

Call me crazy. Call me a conspiracy theorist. But until the NBA shows the damn ping pong balls and makes the lottery 100% transparent, we can only assume that the fix is in.

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you forgot rose and the bulls

by Anonymous on May 19, 2009 3:36 PM MDT reply actions

@ Anonymous - Thank you! I'm updating the post now!

by Andrew on May 19, 2009 3:38 PM MDT reply actions

That's gonna suck next year. The Thunder are gonna be a team of fierce young guners, much like the Blazers. Both teams are in our division, along with a still leathal Jazz team. I think the NBA FO is really trying to put the kybosh on the Nuggets future hopes. Honestly what other division will be that stacked next year? If the T-Wolves somehow land a couple of ringers I'll know the fix is in.

by Joelsopinion on May 19, 2009 4:19 PM MDT reply actions

I have been saying this since the Thunder moved to OKC. Last year was a joke, Lebron to Cleveland not so much, but Rose to his hometown seemed fishy. I really wouldn't mind it though. I love to see teams rebuild through the draft and the Thunder have done an excellent job recently. Funny thing is the Thunder have the 2nd or 3rd most cap room this summer so they could sign a couple of FAs (ie; Sessions or Sheed) and have a stacked roster. Problem is their core players rookie contracts will expire after this next season and they will need some money to resign them so they can't spend too much. I am looking for them to make a strong push for the playoffs next year. I just pray to god the Clippers don't land the #1 pick.

by Goldennugget on May 19, 2009 4:34 PM MDT reply actions

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STIFF LIST (as of 4/26 by Andrew Feinstein)

1. METTA WORLD PEACE

Metta resorted back to Ron Ron last Sunday by clubbing James Hardenwith an "inadvertent celebratory elbow", landing him a 7-game suspension. Apparently, changing his name didn't prevent NBA commissioner David Stern from overlooking Metta's past behavior problems.

2. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

The 'Cats are on the verge of securing the worst winning percentage in NBA history. Given that the guy who runs the team - Michael Jordan - had previously drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison, should this really be a shock?

3. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The team that was supposedly built to overcome the lockout-shortened season managed to lose 7 of its last 14 games, ceding the Western Conference's 1-seed to the Spurs in the process. Their reward might be a first round matchup with defending champion Dallas.

4. BILLY HUNTER AND DEREK FISHER

With report after report coming out about NBPA union head Hunter's shady, nepotistic dealings and questions arising about Fisher's own role in dealing with NBA owners behind Hunter's back during the lockout, this off-the-court scandal could prove to be more exciting than the playoffs themselves!

5. STEVE NASH AND THE PHOENIX SUNS
The Suns are on this list for squandering the last few great seasons from Nash. Nash is on this list for his stupidly stubborn loyalty to a franchise as awful as the Suns.