If the Lakers or Celtics got the first pick, then yes. If somehow a big name player magically falls to either of them in the draft (Parker, Exum, Embiid) then Yes. As of right now, it's an easy no. And that's coming from someone that often thinks the NBA is rigged as a whole.
So you must not have heard that the Ewing lottery envelopes were delivered by a Grey Alien who flew in on a black helicopter then? Figures.
Of course the lottery is not rigged with the way they do it now. But even if it was .....there are no obvious franchise changing players in this draft to rig it for. There are plenty of good players, but no one who is going to lead a bad team to the playoffs in his first year. This lottery is a great example of why you do not trade a star player before the season starts for what you think will be a high draft pick. You never really know which ping pong ball you are going to get, and you never really know which young star truly develops into the player you thought. Lot of question marks for these kids. I am sure some of them will tum out to be stars, but do we really know which ones?
It cracks me up that, no matter what team wins, somebody claims it's evidence of the lottery being rigged. Cleveland? LOL! Frickin' Cleveland? Yeah, because it would make the league so much more money to have Cleveland succeed in rebuilding into a contender instead of, say, the Lakers or Celtics.
I think this article shows very clearly that the lottery is 100% fixed. http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....100-percent-fixed/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs
Again, you're talking about CLEVELAND. Miami/Brooklyn is a MUCH better rivalry. Bigger market and an owner with deep enough pockets to throw around multiple max. contract players. A Lakers/Miami finals would make the NBA WAY more money than a Cleveland/Miami Eastern Conference match-up. The #1 pick going to any of LAL, NYK, BOS, MIA, BRK, HOU, CHI would all make the NBA WAY more money than sending yet another #1 to Cleveland. I mean really, it's Cleveland. Nobody outside of Cleveland, and 90% of the people inside, don't give a fuck about Cleveland. BNM
Anyone who actually believes these rigging rhetoric is an idiot. Ernest & Young certifies companies procedures that are worth more than every NBA team combined. Their reputation is worth billions. They certify the lottery. Do you also believe the sky is blue because we live in the eye of a giant?
If the lottery was rigged, would the 13 other team owners that did not win just keep quiet? Would the billionaire in Brooklyn have not figured out who to pay to make the Nets a winner thru the lottery instead of paying millions in luxury tax payments? I think this will give Silver the ammo he needs to overhaul the lottery though. Most of the lottery teams were outright tanking last year, making for a horrible product out on the court. One team should get the #1 pick once every 30 years, not four times in the last eleven.
I actually think all 30 teams should be in the lottery with equal chances of winning. I'm sick of seeing teams being rewarded for losing and incompetent management. Some of these organizations are in the lottery year, after year, after year and still suck. Make it totally random. 30 teams = 30 envelopes (or ping pong balls, or whatever). Don't reward teams for losing and putting a shitty product on the court. Fuck parity. Want to get better? Hire better GMs and better scouts. Make better decisions. Don't lose on purpose to increase your luck at getting a top pick only to blow it because your GM and scouting department suck. BNM
Obviously rigged. The odds of Cleveland getting the 1st pick in the 3 of the last 4 years is about 1 in 8 million.
Its called parity Boston and LA will continue to be super popular even if they are bad, plus both markets can attract marquee free agents. Cleveland cannot, however, they can provide an interesting story next year facing Lebron and the Heat with Irving, Parker and say someone like Kevin Love. That team would get some serious primetime exposure and would make for a very intriguing matchup with Miami. Plus had the Lakers won this year do you honestly think anyone would ever believe the lottery was not fixed again?
