Draft Lottery Thread - 8:30 EST on ESPN

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I haven't seen this discussed but Noel would be a huge get for the Hornets simply for the fact that we could finally play man to man rather than zone.

We were absolutely destroyed in the paint when we played man last year because Biz was our only post defender.

Noel accompanied by Biz would be great for our post defense.

[4Corners]

I haven't seen this discussed but Noel would be a huge get for the Hornets simply for the fact that we could finally play man to man rather than zone.

We were absolutely destroyed in the paint when we played man last year because Biz was our only post defender.

Noel accompanied by Biz would be great for our post defense.

 

Yeah man but he isn't going to be ready for the start of the season. I read somewhere that he won't be ready till the all star break.

 

Bobca....I mean HORNETS need to get an impact guy immediately. 

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Yeah man but he isn't going to be ready for the start of the season. I read somewhere that he won't be ready till the all star break.

Bobca....I mean HORNETS need to get an impact guy immediately.

There isn't an impact player in this draft and I know everyone is feeding off of the nostalgia but we will not be a good team next year. The fact that we are talking about trading down lets you know that we are not interested in competing yet. We will tank next year, and draft are superstar (Wiggins, Parker, Randle).

It's cool that you guys are thinking short term, but it's time to think long term.

[GamecockSmitty4]

My prediction is that the Cats/Hornets end up with the 3rd or 4th pick. We then draft Oladipo and trade back into the draft using a combo of Sessions, Hendo, and/or our large cap space to get Kelly Olynyk (likely pick 9-13).

 

Both of these guys could be the stars of this draft. Oladipo, IMO, will be the best player in this draft in the future. He fits exactly the type of player that Cho looks to draft and has MASSIVE potential. Olynyk is exactly the player that Cho has been looking for through the Mullens and McRoberts trades. Mullens is missing the BBall IQ, low post scoring, and defense parts and McRoberts is missing the overall scoring ability and defense parts. Olynyk brings tremendous BBall IQ, solid passing, great low post scoring, and can stretch the floor. On offense, he can command a double team and pass out to Oladipo or Kemba or the spot up shooters we will add in the future (and hopefully MKG in a couple years) or score on his own. He is not a great defender yet and will never be a big shot blocker but can be coached to position well and play solid D. Not to mention he already has international experience playing against Marc Gasol, Luis Scola, and others.

[carolina-chuck]

Lottery is FIXED!!!!

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cavs land the no.2 over us.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

We'll see how it plays out tonight, but I'm willing to bet that if we don't end up with the first or second pick, we will trade down and look at someone like Len. I can almost guarantee that.

[carolina-chuck]

Hey said this is another thread but gonna re post it here.

 

 

My money is on the Kings winning the lottery. The NBA is going to provide them with an asset since the team is staying in Sacramento, also as a way to smooth over owner/city relations. They have a 6.3% if winning according to NBA.com.

 

Bobcats will likely secure the #2 or #3 pick. 

 

 

Also just noticed we don't have a second round selection. WOW. 

 

I would not be surprised. The damn lotto draft is FIXED.

 

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/21/why-theres-a-100-percent-chance-the-nba-lottery-is-fixed/

 

The NBA lottery is fixed. There’s no question about it. Just as last year’s draft order was determined by a David Stern-led conspiracy, this year’s will be determined the same way.

Think about it. If the NBA lottery really were legitimate, why not conduct the draw publically rather than in a back room? If the league conducted the lottery in the open, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX1kMlG8c7Y.

So, don’t bother tuning in tonight. I’ll tell you why it’s totally fixed.

 

Orlando Magic

Odds of winning the lottery: 25 percent 100 percent

The NBA doesn’t technically have compensatory picks, but we all know Stern takes care of teams that lose superstars. The Cavaliers lost LeBron James, and then they won the Kyrie Irving lottery. The Hornets lost Chris Paul, and then they won the Anthony Davis lottery. Now, the Magic lost Dwight Howard, and it’s their turn to land the top spot.

 

Charlotte Bobcats

Odds of winning the lottery: 19.9 percent 100 percent

The Bobcats might be the league’s most stale team. That’s part of the reason Charlotte is changing its nickname back to the Hornets, but a new star would go much further. Charlotte once packed the stands for NBA games, and with a good team, ticket sales will surge again. Plus, Stern wants to boost Michael Jordan’s profile.

 

Cleveland Cavaliers

Odds of winning the lottery: 15.6 percent 100 percent

Stern desperately wants to create a Cavaliers-Heat rivalry to boost rankings, and to do so, he must make the Cavaliers better. Dan Gilbert remained loyal during the lockout, and especially after LeBron became the worst example of players seizing control from teams, Stern will reward Gilbert with a second No. 1 pick.

 

Phoenix Suns

Odds of winning the lottery: 11.9 percent 100 percent

Robert Sarver might not be selling the Suns, but he’s at least dipped his feet in the water more than other owners. It’s particularly important for the NBA that its franchises for sale are as valuable as possible, raising the value of all franchises in the process. If Sarver decides to sell anytime in the next five years, having the No. 1 pick on his team would raise Phoenix’s value.

 

New Orleans Pelicans

Odds of winning the lottery: 8.8 percent 100 percent

Selling the New Orleans franchise proved so difficult, the NBA took over the team for a while. Even then, the league needed time to find a buyer. You think Tom Benson ponied up $388 million for only one No. 1 pick? He’s getting at least two from Stern. The NBA showed it was committed to keeping a team in New Orleans, and for that decision to be financially viable, the Pelicans need more talent, which Stern will gladly provide.

 

Sacramento Kings

Odds of winning the lottery: 6.3 percent 100 percent

This just reeks of the Hornets situation last year. The NBA brokers the sale of a team shortly before the lottery, and – poof – that team gets the No. 1 pick. Why do you think these sales occur this time of year? Stern sweetens the pot with a No. 1 pick.

 

Detroit Pistons

Odds of winning the lottery: 3.6 percent 100 percent

The Pistons’ attendance has been extremely volatile in the last decade. When the team was good, the Pistons led the league in home fans. Lately, they’ve ranked near the bottom. So, the marginal value of giving Detroit the No. 1 pick is extremely high. Stern also has a habit of rewarding the new owners with the No. 1 pick, and though Tom Gores had to take a backseat to more pressing matters in Cleveland and New Orleans, he’ll finally get that No. 1 pick promised to him when he bought the Pistons in 2011.

 

Washington Wizards

Odds of winning the lottery: 3.5 percent 100 percent

It’s the second term of a basketball-loving president, and if the NBA is going finally cash in on the marketing that would come with Barack Obama attending more games, the Wizards must be better sooner than later. Obama has been spotted at Wizards games before, but if those games became higher profile, Obama would probably attend more. That’s the type of cache the NBA could use as it expands globally.

 

Minnesota Timberwolves

Odds of winning the lottery: 1.7 percent 100 percent

Glen Taylor might not be selling the Timberwolves, but he’s at least dipped his feet in the water more than other owners. It’s particularly important for the NBA that its franchises for sale are as valuable as possible, raising the value of all franchises in the process. If Taylor decides to sell anytime in the next five years, having the No. 1 pick on his team would raise Minnesota’s value.

 

Portland Trail Blazers

Odds of winning the lottery: 1.1 percent 100 percent

Just as Paul Allen buys so many late first-round picks, he bought the No. 1 pick, too. Why do you think the league’s other owners put up with a rigged lottery? It’s because the “lucky” owner pays off the rest. Really, everybody wins. Allen gets his top player, and the other teams get cash for a player they didn’t deem that valuable (or else they would have bid higher). Best of all, because this income is under the table, no taxes.

 

Philadelphia 76ers

Odds of winning the lottery: 0.8 percent 100 percent

Philadelphia is the largest media market in the lottery, and Sterns obviously wants his big-market teams to be better. 76ers fans can be among the league’s most-passionate – and the NBA is getting increasingly better at turning that passion into money – but this season’s malaise sucked the life out of the fan base. Nothing would get Philadelphia fans going like the No. 1 pick in the draft, and even if they boo him on draft night, at least they’ll be watching.

 

Toronto Raptors

Odds of winning the lottery: 0.7 percent 100 percent

Not only are the Raptors the only NBA team based outside the United States, Toronto has plenty of overseas flavor. The Raptors are the NBA’s gateway to worldwide expansion, and the more fans the league draw sin Toronto, faster the growth will occur.

 

Dallas Mavericks

Odds of winning the lottery: 0.6 percent 100 percent

In the first full season since Mark Cuban bought the Mavericks, Dallas missed the playoffs. Now that he’s personally involved, Cuban won’t sit quietly as the NBA fixes the lottery – unless his teams wins it. Stern will give into Cuban just this once, helping the Mavericks reach the playoffs next season and allowing the NBA to continue its lottery-rigging ways without Cuban interfering.

 

Utah Jazz

Odds of winning the lottery: 0.5 percent 100 percent

Greg Miller’s ownership has been a little rocky, lowlighted by a very public feud with Karl Malone, since the death of Miller’s father, Larry H. Miller. Stern and Larry were old friends, and on his way out, Stern will do his old bud one last favor. Salt Lake City might not be the biggest market, but at this point, Stern doesn’t care. He just wants to look out for his friends.

Don’t worry, this post will still be here after the lottery in case you forget why it was fixed. Once you know who won the No. 1 pick, come back to check why we told you all along the whole thing was rigged for that team.

 

 

[thatlookseasy]

I'm so excited!  The draft lottery is like Christmas for bad teams, except you get rewarded for being bad instead of punished

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

My prediction is that the Cats/Hornets end up with the 3rd or 4th pick. We then draft Oladipo and trade back into the draft using a combo of Sessions, Hendo, and/or our large cap space to get Kelly Olynyk (likely pick 9-13).

Both of these guys could be the stars of this draft. Oladipo, IMO, will be the best player in this draft in the future. He fits exactly the type of player that Cho looks to draft and has MASSIVE potential. Olynyk is exactly the player that Cho has been looking for through the Mullens and McRoberts trades. Mullens is missing the BBall IQ, low post scoring, and defense parts and McRoberts is missing the overall scoring ability and defense parts. Olynyk brings tremendous BBall IQ, solid passing, great low post scoring, and can stretch the floor. On offense, he can command a double team and pass out to Oladipo or Kemba or the spot up shooters we will add in the future (and hopefully MKG in a couple years) or score on his own. He is not a great defender yet and will never be a big shot blocker but can be coached to position well and play solid D. Not to mention he already has international experience playing against Marc Gasol, Luis Scola, and others.

Not to be a dick, but I disagree with everything you just said.

If we don't land the first or second pick; we will be trading down.

Also Olynyk has no upside, I have a friend that played international ball against Kelly and he absolutely dominated him.

On top of that, you are trading away a very good back up point guard and a restricted free agent for a role player at best.

I'm boy sure if you watched any Cats games last year, but I'm willing to bet most people that did would rather have McBob over Olynyk.

Finally, this is not the draft to be trading away assets.

I will say it again, it's time to thing long term.

[carolina-chuck]

We'll see how it plays out tonight, but I'm willing to bet that if we don't end up with the first or second pick, we will trade down and look at someone like Len. I can almost guarantee that.

 

(probasketballtalk)

Bobcats looking to trade down?

Dan Feldman

May 20, 2013, 12:44 PM EDT

13 Comments

The Bobcats would receive the Trail Blazer’s first-round draft pick this year – a remnant of the Gerald Wallace trade – in the .001 percent chance Portland lands the No. 13 pick in tomorrow’s draft lottery. But Charlotte is doing a lot of work based on just that .001 percent chance. Rick Bonnell of charlotteobserver.com:

My gut says this is just, as Bonnell wrote, Cho doing his due diligence. That thorough approach part of what has made Cho such a successful general manager.

The Charlotte Bobcats, a team assured of drafting no lower than fifth in the first round and having no second-round pick, seem oddly curious about players projected to be drafted in the middle of the first round.

They interviewed Duke center Mason Plumlee, Syracuse point guard Michael Carter-Williams and Gonzaga center Kelly Olynyck. It’s a stretch to draft any of those guys in the top-five.

This might be just zealous due diligence. General manager Rich Cho is meticulous to a fault, so chatting up too many draft prospects could be in his wheelhouse. But there was something that raised my radar about how curious the Bobcats seem to be about players who could be drafted 10th through 20th.

Plus, trading down from the top of the NBA Draft rarely makes sense. It’s just too important to get premier talent, or the chance at premier talent, whenever its’ available.

Even in this draft, hailed as the weakest ever, I really like Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Otto Porter, Trey Burke and Victor Oladipo. The Bobcats are guaranteed the opportunity to draft at least one of those five, and if they draft someone else – say Anthony Bennett or C.J. McCollum – it would be because they like that player more than one of the five I like, not because nobody else is available, and that makes a big difference.

If the Bobcats are interested in trading down, five teams have two first-round picks: Cavaliers (No. 3 seed in lottery, No. 19), Suns (No. 4 seed in lottery, No. 30), Timberwolves (No. 9 seed in lottery, No. 26), Jazz (No. 14 seed in lottery and No. 21) and Hawks (No. 17 and No. 18).

Perhaps a trade with the Cavaliers or Suns, in the event Charlotte lands a higher draft pick than the either of those teams, would make sense. That way, the Bobcats could trade down, still have a high pick and gain another pick.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I pray and hope that Portland keeps their pick, I don't want the 13th overall selection in this draft.

[4Corners]

Kings

Magic

Hornets

 

this way we can get Victor Oladipo #3 and it's not too much of a reach 

[GamecockSmitty4]

Not to be a dick, but I disagree with everything you just said.

If we don't land the first or second pick; we will be trading down.

Also Olynyk has no upside, I have a friend that played international ball against Kelly and he absolutely dominated him.

On top of that, you are trading away a very good back up point guard and a restricted free agent for a role player at best.

I'm boy sure if you watched any Cats games last year, but I'm willing to bet most people that did would rather have McBob over Olynyk.

Finally, this is not the draft to be trading away assets.

I will say it again, it's time to thing long term.

 

Ummm....I watched every single game last season but 3. I also watched and followed college basketball religiously (fwiw, I was on the Oladipo bandwagon WAY "before it was cool"). I like McBob a lot. But he is nothing more than a role player either. He would be great if we didn't need our big men to score. The only thing that McBob offers over Olynyk is his passing. And Olynyk is no slouch in that area either. I guess we'll just have to disagree on the Olynyk analysis. I just find it hard to believe that your friend dominated one of the top 3 best players in college basketball last season who has also held his own against guys like Marc Gasol and Luis Scola at a VERY young age.

 

As far as Sessions and Hendo go, I don't think either are in the long term plans here. There are rumors swirling that the Cats/Hornets won't even offer Hendo. And Sessions was signed to a 2 year contract for a reason. Trading him during this offseason to a team in need of a PG is exactly what you want to do. Cho's philosophy is to collect assets, allow their value to appreciate, and cash in. That's exactly what we can do with Sessions.

 

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I don't think the Kings will get the number one pick because Stern was visibly upset when he found out the Hanson bro's bought the team. He clearly wanted them to move to Seattle.

With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if we landed the number one overall pick... let's say it's not rigged, well we have one of the best chances to land the number one overall pick. Okay let's say it is rigged, Stern has to make up for last year when he gave New Orleans the number one pick. On top of that, what better way to welcome the Hornets back, then with a number one pick.