<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Charlotte Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff would have made a great Scoutmaster. His mantra to whomever he supervises is "be prepared." So how do you prepare for a draft lottery that's as random as three spins of a roulette wheel? "We tell our players all the time, `Keep yourself prepared.' Well, we already did that," Bickerstaff said, referring to the extra lottery selection they picked up in return for acquiring Jahidi White. "Now we let the Ping-Pong balls decide." Tonight at 8 (ESPN) in Secaucus, N.J., the NBA will determine the draft order for the 14 teams not in the playoffs. The first three picks will be decided by a weighted lottery. The remaining 11 teams will then be placed in reverse order of their record. The Bobcats have their pick, guaranteed to be among the top six, plus Cleveland's, which the Cavaliers owed Phoenix. The Suns sent that pick to the Bobcats in return for Charlotte taking White in last June's expansion draft. Cleveland's pick has a slight chance of being top three, but is more likely 13th or 14th. "That pick had a lot of value then, and even more now," Bickerstaff said. "We had offers for it, and that's where our patience comes in. To be honest, I'm already getting butterflies over what will happen." Bickerstaff said that Friday morning, so imagine how nervous he'll be by the time they start flipping cards with team logos tonight. The league produces this like a mini-game show. The NBA plays it for maximum drama, revealing the last lottery pick first, then ultimately winding up with the top pick. Bickerstaff knows the drill from previous stints with Denver, Seattle and Washington. "When you're sitting there, waiting for them to turn those cards over one by one, it's agonizing," Bickerstaff said. "You look for all kinds of little indications -- you watch (league officials') expressions -- but you realize that doesn't mean a thing. They're very professional; they don't let on anything." Sometimes you win: Bickerstaff got perennial All-Star Gary Payton while coaching Seattle in 1990. And sometimes you win even when you lose: Bickerstaff ended up with the fourth pick in Denver in 1991, and still drafted the player he wanted most, center Dikembe Mutombo.</div> Source
