I believe the NBA is desperate to help the Cavs build a contender so that they can better market Kyrie Irving. So much so that they staged them winning the lottery for the 3rd time in 4 years. While this might be good news for people in Cleveland or us if they want to revisit the LA deal, I think it is another sign that nothing has changed from Stern to Silver. Thoughts?
I don't think the NBA wants to continue the Cavs high picks. They have shown to be an inept front office
My thoughts are there is no way the lottery is rigged. The whole conspiracy theory of a rigged lottery is to get stars in large markets or to legacy teams. Cleveland certainly isn't a large market nor is it a legacy team.
Don't be ridiculous. It's fucking Cleveland for god's sake. Cleveland is probably the least marketable city with an NBA team. Have you ever been to Cleveland? If I buy your assumption that the NBA wants to market Kyrie Irving as the next big thing, they'd be doing everything in their power to get him out of Cleveland ASAP. They'd be rigging the lottery against the Cavs to make sure they continue to suck so Irving would force his way out at the end of his rookie deal and head for a larger market. They'd want him on the Lakers, Knicks or Heat, or possibly the Nets, Bulls or Rockets. Those are all much bigger markets for their newly annointed one. But, I don't buy your assumption. So it doesn't matter. The lottery drawing is a random event. So, random results, like the Cavs getting the #1 pick in 3 out of 4 years, are to be expected. If the lottery was rigged, the Lakers would have won it, or at least have gotten a top 3 pick. The fact that the Lakers got bumped down one spot convinces me that there is no way in hell this lottery was rigged. The idea that the lottery was rigged to benefit the Cavs to the detriment of the Lakers is laughable. BNM
Bingo, beat me to it. Cleveland is the LAST place the league would want to promote. Many more dollars to be made marketing the larger market teams. BNM
There is the obvious market size aspect and there is the true nuts and bolts of it. The true nuts and bolts are this. People forget that the league offices are employees of the owners, not the other way around. Yes the commissioner is empowered to find owners but he is empowered by his contact not by being higher ranked. In addition the lottery is always overseen and witnessed by a dig time financial firm, this year it was Ernst and Young, the backfire on that firm if it came out the NBA lottery was rigged would be a shit storm of fraud claims and and suits. Now firm will allow themselves to be a part of that. The NBA isn't bank rolling them enough for that risk. So in order for the conspiracy to work all 30 teams would have to be in agreement to it and a financial firm would have to be willing to sacrifice their reputation.
Ain't no way it is rigged. Watch the video: http://www.nba.com/video/channels/draft/2014/05/20/052014-draft-lottery-behind-the-scenes.nba//
If you think the lottery is rigged, you simply haven't done your homework on the details of lottery process.
No, it'd be rigged if the Cavs traded their pick PLUS Irving to the Lakers for Gasol, Nash and the Lakers pick.
The NBA is desperate for rivalries Cleveland vs Miami is a natural one considering the Lebron situation. Helping Kyrie and Cleveland become contenders will draw in fans. The Heat have become similar to the Lakers in that people love them cause they are bandwagon fans or they hate Lebron and Miami and watch for them to lose. Kyrie and Cleveland competing against Lebron is a big money story.
A shit storm really they had a referee admit to fixing games and saw him arrested by the FBI. They are more popular than ever. I doubt the fear of a scandal would be much of a deterant.
1. Cleveland 2. Milwaukee 3. Philadelphia 4. Orlando 5. Utah 6. Boston 7. Los Angeles Lakers 8. Sacramento 9. Charlotte 10. Philadelphia 11. Denver 12. Orlando 13. Minnesota 14. Phoenix 15. Atlanta 16. Chicago (From Charlotte) 17. Boston (From Brooklyn) 18. Phoenix 19. Chicago 20. Toronto 21. Oklahoma City (From Dallas via Houston and Los Angeles Lakers) 22. Memphis 23. Utah (From Golden State) 24. Charlotte (From Portland) 25. Houston 26. Miami 27. Indiana (From Indiana)
Boston and the Lakers are the only big market teams, and they both dropped a spot in pick order. No, I don't think it's rigged. PS HOORAY for not much to worry about in the West from the lottery.
You reading skills are lacking. The shit storm I mentioned would be wall street related when one of their biggest players, the investment firm, gets caught up in fraud. Also to assume the fact a referee that was busted for fixing games, he was gambling on personally BTW, was doing so with league approval or directive is flat out asinine.
I don't think it was rigged either. Poorly conceived methodology but it was the 1st lotto. The frozen card, the bent corner. The fact that there are more than one theory as to how has to make a person consider that all it is is a theory.