[druchrisParticipant]

If the Lakers or Celtics are awarded the No. 1 pick this year many pundits to my theory will call "fair" on what to me is obviously high-level engineering. I have a gut feeling that the Lakers will be awarded the top pick in this years draft as an "quick-remedy" to keeping Los Angeles as a top money-generator for the league. As a fan of the Sixers, statistically speaking, with two lottery picks (most likely) we should have the greatest chance at winning that No.1 slot, but I can almost guarentee that that wont happen. As a fan of the NBA I understand that the league is a business first and foremost but as a lover of basketball it gets pretty whack seeing the same teams consistently find success while others just go through decades of futility. Most of us have seen the ‘David Stern-Knicks-Ewing" lotto clip, but I just want to know how fans of other failing teams view this particular issue.. 

[Moon RiverParticipant]

I have never been one to believe Stern would intentionally award a large market team any type of competitive advantage like rigging the draft.  Especially after he nullifed the CP3 trade to LA (Lakers).

However, if the Celts or Lakers do land the top pick, consider me offically on the conspiracy theory band wagon.

I also know, that even if the Bucks have the best odds of landing #1, they will not.  I am going to be so dissapointed when the ping pong balls don’t bounce their way.

[Moon RiverParticipant]

I have never been one to believe Stern would intentionally award a large market team any type of competitive advantage like rigging the draft.  Especially after he nullifed the CP3 trade to LA (Lakers).

However, if the Celts or Lakers do land the top pick, consider me offically on the conspiracy theory band wagon.

I also know, that even if the Bucks have the best odds of landing #1, they will not.  I am going to be so dissapointed when the ping pong balls don’t bounce their way.

[Lafferty DanielParticipant]

How does one become a Bucks and Lakers fan?  Is Milwaukee your safety team?

[Lafferty DanielParticipant]

How does one become a Bucks and Lakers fan?  Is Milwaukee your safety team?

[burgessfourParticipant]

First let me say Milwaukee will have the best chance of getting pick #1. If the N.O. ball comes out they keep the pick since it is protected thru #5. I definitely buy into the Ewing to the Knicks “fix” theory. Don’t be shocked it either the Lakers or Celtics get the top pick. As a Sixers fan I’m not going to spit out a bunch of paranoid theories as to why, all the readers on this site understand why, I’m just sayin’, don’t be surprised.

Also as a Sixers fan I would be happy with picks 1-4, assuming Embiid, Wiggins, Parker & Randle all declare.

P.S. – love the high-level engineering label, so much smoother than “fix”, which is what I always say.

[burgessfourParticipant]

First let me say Milwaukee will have the best chance of getting pick #1. If the N.O. ball comes out they keep the pick since it is protected thru #5. I definitely buy into the Ewing to the Knicks “fix” theory. Don’t be shocked it either the Lakers or Celtics get the top pick. As a Sixers fan I’m not going to spit out a bunch of paranoid theories as to why, all the readers on this site understand why, I’m just sayin’, don’t be surprised.

Also as a Sixers fan I would be happy with picks 1-4, assuming Embiid, Wiggins, Parker & Randle all declare.

P.S. – love the high-level engineering label, so much smoother than “fix”, which is what I always say.

[3 No Biases 3Participant]

I’m sure I will get negged but I don’t believe the draft is fixed at all….you could do a conspiracy theory about every team in the league and why they got the #1 for any given year if you choose to…

The teams with the most tradition (which are usually the high dollar teams) build through attracting free agents, not through the draft.  I mean look at the teams like LA, Boston, Miami, and New York….when was the last time they got a #1 pick…1985?   Look at the last 9 #1’s….Milwaukee? Toronto? Portland? Chicago? Clips? Wizards? Pelicans? and Cavs Twice???  

Just face it, the smaller market teams have to execute their draft picks to perfection…Look at OKC, the Spurs, and the Pacers.  Bigger name teams have the luxury of not having to live and die by their draft picks.  If Boston or LA got the #1 this year its because they sucked, not cause of tradition…

 

[3 No Biases 3Participant]

I’m sure I will get negged but I don’t believe the draft is fixed at all….you could do a conspiracy theory about every team in the league and why they got the #1 for any given year if you choose to…

The teams with the most tradition (which are usually the high dollar teams) build through attracting free agents, not through the draft.  I mean look at the teams like LA, Boston, Miami, and New York….when was the last time they got a #1 pick…1985?   Look at the last 9 #1’s….Milwaukee? Toronto? Portland? Chicago? Clips? Wizards? Pelicans? and Cavs Twice???  

Just face it, the smaller market teams have to execute their draft picks to perfection…Look at OKC, the Spurs, and the Pacers.  Bigger name teams have the luxury of not having to live and die by their draft picks.  If Boston or LA got the #1 this year its because they sucked, not cause of tradition…

 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 If they do engineer, it would be a bad year to give either team #1 because, this year, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th pick might deserve the 1st pick. 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 If they do engineer, it would be a bad year to give either team #1 because, this year, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th pick might deserve the 1st pick. 

[The QParticipant]

 The NBA still owes the C’s for 1997 and 2007. 

 

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Bulls got the #1 pick the year after Jordan retired, or that CLE got Lebron or that CLE magically got the #1 pick the year after LeBron left. 

 

 

[3 No Biases 3Participant]

Chicago and Cleveland each had huge shots of acquiring the #1 pick each of those years.  Both were only questionable if you look too much into it…  

It would be a more valid claim if they got the pick when they weren’t projected top 3 regardless…

[3 No Biases 3Participant]

Not to mention you contradict yourself when you said the Celtics got screwed in 1997 and ’07…if there was a conspiracy, a team like the C’s would get that pick would they not?  

There’s no conspiracy, franchises would go on strike if they thought the system was being tampered with..

[3 No Biases 3Participant]

Not to mention you contradict yourself when you said the Celtics got screwed in 1997 and ’07…if there was a conspiracy, a team like the C’s would get that pick would they not?  

There’s no conspiracy, franchises would go on strike if they thought the system was being tampered with..

[The QParticipant]

 Except they didn’t get Irving with their own 1st….the perfect cover. 

 

Stern’s already proven he’ll fix NBA playoff (including Finals game 7s) games, so I’lll put nothing past him. 

 

The dude was a straight up felon. Yes, fixing games is a felony. 

 

There is literally nothing too bad that could happen to that man. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The QParticipant]

 Except they didn’t get Irving with their own 1st….the perfect cover. 

 

Stern’s already proven he’ll fix NBA playoff (including Finals game 7s) games, so I’lll put nothing past him. 

 

The dude was a straight up felon. Yes, fixing games is a felony. 

 

There is literally nothing too bad that could happen to that man. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The QParticipant]

 Except they didn’t get Irving with their own 1st….the perfect cover. 

 

Stern’s already proven he’ll fix NBA playoff (including Finals game 7s) games, so I’lll put nothing past him. 

 

The dude was a straight up felon. Yes, fixing games is a felony. 

 

There is literally nothing too bad that could happen to that man. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The QParticipant]

 Except they didn’t get Irving with their own 1st….the perfect cover. 

 

Stern’s already proven he’ll fix NBA playoff (including Finals game 7s) games, so I’lll put nothing past him. 

 

The dude was a straight up felon. Yes, fixing games is a felony. 

 

There is literally nothing too bad that could happen to that man. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[3 No Biases 3Participant]

Chicago and Cleveland each had huge shots of acquiring the #1 pick each of those years.  Both were only questionable if you look too much into it…  

It would be a more valid claim if they got the pick when they weren’t projected top 3 regardless…

[The QParticipant]

 The NBA still owes the C’s for 1997 and 2007. 

 

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Bulls got the #1 pick the year after Jordan retired, or that CLE got Lebron or that CLE magically got the #1 pick the year after LeBron left. 

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

In this draft the odds of picking the best guy with the first pick are actually LOWER than in other years.  If there are four guys who are potential top picks (Wiggins, Parker, Randle, and Embiid) then you have a 25% chance of getting the top guy.

If I were in charge of the draft, I would give the top pick to Milwaukee, then the second and third picks to Boston and LA (coin flip between the two teams in a backroom bargain).

The fans are happy that a small market team gets the top pick.  They can say that "the draft isn’t fixed".

I think I would rather be at two or three anyway.  You just pick from the remainder of Parker, Wiggins, and Embiid.  So the Lakers and Celtics get no brainer picks.

Then at 4, 5, and 6 you have your bad teams pick from the rest of the guys.  Teams like Philly would still be happy with whoever is left (Julius Randle?).

This isn’t a draft like the Shaq draft where there is a no brainer top pick.  There is no Tim Duncan either.  Or a LeBron James.  Those were easy drafts.  This is NOT those drafts. 

Another thing they could do if they wanted LeBron to go to the Lakers would be to get the Lakers the 2nd or 3rd pick then trade that pick along with Pau Gasol, future picks, and some younger guys like Wes Johnson, Xavier Henry, and Kendall Marshall to the Heat for LeBron James. 

So, ideally, the Bucks get a legit blue chip center to build around in Joel Embiid with the first pick, the Celtics go with Jabari Parker at 2 to give them a promising wing player to follow in the footsteps of Hondo, Larry Bird, Reggie Lewis, and Paul Pierce.  At the 3rd spot, Wiggins gets drafted by LA but sent to the Miami Heat.  The NBA gets the best player in the league to play for the Lakers next to Kobe.  Miami gets a young, flashy star to play along side D Wade and Chris Bosh. 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

In this draft the odds of picking the best guy with the first pick are actually LOWER than in other years.  If there are four guys who are potential top picks (Wiggins, Parker, Randle, and Embiid) then you have a 25% chance of getting the top guy.

If I were in charge of the draft, I would give the top pick to Milwaukee, then the second and third picks to Boston and LA (coin flip between the two teams in a backroom bargain).

The fans are happy that a small market team gets the top pick.  They can say that "the draft isn’t fixed".

I think I would rather be at two or three anyway.  You just pick from the remainder of Parker, Wiggins, and Embiid.  So the Lakers and Celtics get no brainer picks.

Then at 4, 5, and 6 you have your bad teams pick from the rest of the guys.  Teams like Philly would still be happy with whoever is left (Julius Randle?).

This isn’t a draft like the Shaq draft where there is a no brainer top pick.  There is no Tim Duncan either.  Or a LeBron James.  Those were easy drafts.  This is NOT those drafts. 

Another thing they could do if they wanted LeBron to go to the Lakers would be to get the Lakers the 2nd or 3rd pick then trade that pick along with Pau Gasol, future picks, and some younger guys like Wes Johnson, Xavier Henry, and Kendall Marshall to the Heat for LeBron James. 

So, ideally, the Bucks get a legit blue chip center to build around in Joel Embiid with the first pick, the Celtics go with Jabari Parker at 2 to give them a promising wing player to follow in the footsteps of Hondo, Larry Bird, Reggie Lewis, and Paul Pierce.  At the 3rd spot, Wiggins gets drafted by LA but sent to the Miami Heat.  The NBA gets the best player in the league to play for the Lakers next to Kobe.  Miami gets a young, flashy star to play along side D Wade and Chris Bosh. 

[jonus grumbyParticipant]

So how do they engineer it? People accuse the NBA of rigging it because it is not on TV but there are the NBA team representatives in the room. It is not like they just come out and say this is the draft order.

[jonus grumbyParticipant]

So how do they engineer it? People accuse the NBA of rigging it because it is not on TV but there are the NBA team representatives in the room. It is not like they just come out and say this is the draft order.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

This is a year where we will likely see the two most storied franchises (Celtics and Lakers) with the six or seven most combinations at the lottery. Philadelphia, another historic franchise in a big market, will be right in that mix too. This really should matter when people start spouting craziness. Using the ASB standings, the Lakers have a 37.8 percent chance of being in the top 3, and the Celtics have a 21.5 percent chance of being in the top 3. The problem is that to combat those in the conspiracy world, they need to be taken as one and the same because the conspiracy narrative will apply should either one get lucky.

If we just look at the top pick, however, the Sixers have a 19.9 percent chance with 199 lottery combinations. The Lakers and Celtics will have a combined 182 combinations. As a Sixers fan (or really any fan or observer of the NBA), you have to be able to balance the reality that the Philadelphia 76ers have the second best chance of winning the lottery, yet also understand that other possibilities exist. The odds of them winning is not all that different than the scenario where you will cry conspiracy. All you are doing is setting yourself up to get angry.

Now, let us give the first pick to Milwaukee to have fun. Take those 250 combinations out of the picture. Larry Sanders hasn’t even received the money from his terrible second contract yet. They gave Zaza Pachulia three years. Poor Gary Neal used to be a Spur. How could he possibly know what this level of NBA hell existed? Give them a break. The second pick then becomes 50-50 for heritage franchises (Lakers/Celtics/Sixers) or everyone else. “The league only wants to protect big markets.” Fans of the Jazz, Kings, and Magic will froth at the mouth over something that would be a coin flip. Please, please, please, don’t be that person.

For the sake of playing out this story, I will anoint your Sixers the second pick. You can say it is the odds working in their favor, I can call it Adam Silver rewarding the fast, bad, and stupid that has been the Philadelphia team. It is still largely considered to be a 3-man draft at the top. Nobody is going to complain if their team comes away with Parker, Embiid, or Wiggins. Time frames might differ from guy to guy as to when they might be able to see their team play NBA caliber basketball again, but nobody will complain. We then have a scenario where there is a one in three chance that the Lakers or Celtics get that third pick, which is a more likely outcome than any other individual team. I know what happens next. I can see it in my dreams. Heads will explode, and given that the lottery is announced 14 to 1 and not the other way around, it would not surprise me if ESPN cuts in to start with their conspiracy talk before Silver even opens the card of Milwaukee.

It really is unfortunate that mainstream coverage of the NBA has gotten to this point. No matter how many times Cleveland wins the lottery, it is still rigged. We will willfully ignore that Cleveland has won three of the past eleven lotteries. Plus Milwaukee, Orlando, Portland, and New Orleans have won one of their own in that time. If the lottery goes Kings, Bucks, Nuggets, there will still be nonsense about the lottery being fixed to reward Sacramento for building a stadium. It just switches out one story for another. You conspiracy theorists will do this again. Time is a flat circle.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

This is a year where we will likely see the two most storied franchises (Celtics and Lakers) with the six or seven most combinations at the lottery. Philadelphia, another historic franchise in a big market, will be right in that mix too. This really should matter when people start spouting craziness. Using the ASB standings, the Lakers have a 37.8 percent chance of being in the top 3, and the Celtics have a 21.5 percent chance of being in the top 3. The problem is that to combat those in the conspiracy world, they need to be taken as one and the same because the conspiracy narrative will apply should either one get lucky.

If we just look at the top pick, however, the Sixers have a 19.9 percent chance with 199 lottery combinations. The Lakers and Celtics will have a combined 182 combinations. As a Sixers fan (or really any fan or observer of the NBA), you have to be able to balance the reality that the Philadelphia 76ers have the second best chance of winning the lottery, yet also understand that other possibilities exist. The odds of them winning is not all that different than the scenario where you will cry conspiracy. All you are doing is setting yourself up to get angry.

Now, let us give the first pick to Milwaukee to have fun. Take those 250 combinations out of the picture. Larry Sanders hasn’t even received the money from his terrible second contract yet. They gave Zaza Pachulia three years. Poor Gary Neal used to be a Spur. How could he possibly know what this level of NBA hell existed? Give them a break. The second pick then becomes 50-50 for heritage franchises (Lakers/Celtics/Sixers) or everyone else. “The league only wants to protect big markets.” Fans of the Jazz, Kings, and Magic will froth at the mouth over something that would be a coin flip. Please, please, please, don’t be that person.

For the sake of playing out this story, I will anoint your Sixers the second pick. You can say it is the odds working in their favor, I can call it Adam Silver rewarding the fast, bad, and stupid that has been the Philadelphia team. It is still largely considered to be a 3-man draft at the top. Nobody is going to complain if their team comes away with Parker, Embiid, or Wiggins. Time frames might differ from guy to guy as to when they might be able to see their team play NBA caliber basketball again, but nobody will complain. We then have a scenario where there is a one in three chance that the Lakers or Celtics get that third pick, which is a more likely outcome than any other individual team. I know what happens next. I can see it in my dreams. Heads will explode, and given that the lottery is announced 14 to 1 and not the other way around, it would not surprise me if ESPN cuts in to start with their conspiracy talk before Silver even opens the card of Milwaukee.

It really is unfortunate that mainstream coverage of the NBA has gotten to this point. No matter how many times Cleveland wins the lottery, it is still rigged. We will willfully ignore that Cleveland has won three of the past eleven lotteries. Plus Milwaukee, Orlando, Portland, and New Orleans have won one of their own in that time. If the lottery goes Kings, Bucks, Nuggets, there will still be nonsense about the lottery being fixed to reward Sacramento for building a stadium. It just switches out one story for another. You conspiracy theorists will do this again. Time is a flat circle.

[capecodderParticipant]

 Milwaukee has had the first pick….Alcindor (though that might have been before ping pong balls)….Bogut come to mind

[bigtymer32Participant]

 they also got glenn robinson with the number one pick

[bigtymer32Participant]

 they also got glenn robinson with the number one pick

[capecodderParticipant]

 Milwaukee has had the first pick….Alcindor (though that might have been before ping pong balls)….Bogut come to mind

[burgessfourParticipant]

Dude – That was a masterpiece !

[burgessfourParticipant]

Dude – That was a masterpiece !

[Sewok15Participant]

They can’t rig the draft every year. That would be too suspicous but certain years are pretty shady looking to say the least…It dates back to very first draft lottery when the Knicks got Ewing over the Pacers and Warriors.

You use Cleveland getting the first pick so often as a reason it can’t possibly be rigged but two of those seasons were interesting with LeBron staying home in Ohio and Kyrie coming when LeBron left.

Derrick Rose in his hometown of Chicago is another recent example of a star staying home.

Anthony Davis wearing the NO hat a couple years ago created some controversy but I think that was more likely a coicidence.

http://midwaymadness.com/2012/06/top-five-nba-draft-lottery-conspiracies/

[The QParticipant]

Uh, new owner taking over a league owned team where the league was DESPERATE to get rid of said player and the Commish just made an embarrassment of himself, the league and the franchise by blocking the CP3 trade. 

[The QParticipant]

Uh, new owner taking over a league owned team where the league was DESPERATE to get rid of said player and the Commish just made an embarrassment of himself, the league and the franchise by blocking the CP3 trade. 

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

So they can not rig it every year, but one of the years that you cited was a year when the best prospect was someone who played in 11 college games and not regarded as a sure thing? It had nothing to do with having the second-most lottery combinations in the hoppers.

Also, if the league was to rig it this year for the Lakers (and let’s just ignore the fact that they are going to have a reasonable shot on their own because they are terrible), then why did Stern void the Chris Paul trade? Why has the league failed to rig it for the Knicks when they have been bad in years with highly regarded prospects (2003, 2008)? Why did they not do it for Boston in 2007 when they had the math that would make no one question it?

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

So they can not rig it every year, but one of the years that you cited was a year when the best prospect was someone who played in 11 college games and not regarded as a sure thing? It had nothing to do with having the second-most lottery combinations in the hoppers.

Also, if the league was to rig it this year for the Lakers (and let’s just ignore the fact that they are going to have a reasonable shot on their own because they are terrible), then why did Stern void the Chris Paul trade? Why has the league failed to rig it for the Knicks when they have been bad in years with highly regarded prospects (2003, 2008)? Why did they not do it for Boston in 2007 when they had the math that would make no one question it?

[Sewok15Participant]

They can’t rig the draft every year. That would be too suspicous but certain years are pretty shady looking to say the least…It dates back to very first draft lottery when the Knicks got Ewing over the Pacers and Warriors.

You use Cleveland getting the first pick so often as a reason it can’t possibly be rigged but two of those seasons were interesting with LeBron staying home in Ohio and Kyrie coming when LeBron left.

Derrick Rose in his hometown of Chicago is another recent example of a star staying home.

Anthony Davis wearing the NO hat a couple years ago created some controversy but I think that was more likely a coicidence.

http://midwaymadness.com/2012/06/top-five-nba-draft-lottery-conspiracies/

[Lafferty DanielParticipant]

T-Wolves fans are listening closely to all conspiracy theories.  Go on… 

[Lafferty DanielParticipant]

T-Wolves fans are listening closely to all conspiracy theories.  Go on… 

[joecheck88Participant]

I wouldn’t mind seeing the Lakers and Celtics draft Wiggins and Parker at 1 2 or 2 3, depending on Embiid. If those guys reach what they could then it would boost that rivalry and when those two are good, the league is good. I don’t believe in the rigging too much. I think maybe it was enhanced but only a few times with a few seeming like it but not. Think the Lebron draft was rigged. Think the Kyrie one was coincidence. Why would the NBA rig that one after Gilbert being an idiot publicly. Think the Ewing draft was probably rigged and maybe the Rose one as they had a tough chance at 1. 

They should give the pick to epically bad teams though. Milwaukee is so bad they need it. Charlotte in the lockout year should’ve got the 1. I don’t know how you would do that though. Maybe  a lottery of worst 5 then lottery of next 9 separately. Only top 5 teams would get a chance at 1st pick. Think they need to get rid of lottery protection outside of top 5 as well. 

[joecheck88Participant]

I wouldn’t mind seeing the Lakers and Celtics draft Wiggins and Parker at 1 2 or 2 3, depending on Embiid. If those guys reach what they could then it would boost that rivalry and when those two are good, the league is good. I don’t believe in the rigging too much. I think maybe it was enhanced but only a few times with a few seeming like it but not. Think the Lebron draft was rigged. Think the Kyrie one was coincidence. Why would the NBA rig that one after Gilbert being an idiot publicly. Think the Ewing draft was probably rigged and maybe the Rose one as they had a tough chance at 1. 

They should give the pick to epically bad teams though. Milwaukee is so bad they need it. Charlotte in the lockout year should’ve got the 1. I don’t know how you would do that though. Maybe  a lottery of worst 5 then lottery of next 9 separately. Only top 5 teams would get a chance at 1st pick. Think they need to get rid of lottery protection outside of top 5 as well. 

[Author]

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