2011 NBA Draft Thread

[mckerney]

Wolves will not draft Irving (Zgoda) - Canis Hoopus

"I'm fairly certain the Wolves brass consider Rubio a better prospect than Irving and no matter what they might say should they somehow get the No. 1 pick, I'd expect them to fully try to trade the pick to the highest bidder."



Well, Kahn has already blown the 5 first round picks he's had so far, why not one or two more? With the front office already intent on screwing up the pick I'm sure this means the Wolves will finally win the lottery, then win it again next year when the Clippers own their pick.

[bulletsponge]

lol, you know the wolves will crap it in the lottery and pick 4th anyways

[Shkspr]

Assuming you even think Rubio is so good that you don't want Irving on the team, what kind of return do the Wolves think they're going to get that's better than Derrick Williams?

[DaddyTorgo]

Hoping that my boy Reggie Jackson from BC goes in the lottery like he has the potential to...

[DeToxRox]

Hope T'Wolves do get the 1st pick and the Pistons offer them their first for the two years and even a 2015 1st if needed to get Kyrie.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

lol, you know the wolves will crap it in the lottery and pick 4th anyways

That's what I was expecting before I found out they already have a plan in place to screw things up if they win the lottery.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Shkspr

Assuming you even think Rubio is so good that you don't want Irving on the team, what kind of return do the Wolves think they're going to get that's better than Derrick Williams?

I'm assuming that Kahn is so in love with the roster he's put together and Rubio that he thinks they're just one established veteran away, when who they trade for won't be even close to a decent value for the top pick and he and Rubio might be good enough to take them from 17 to 30 wins.

[DeToxRox]

My buddy just got hired as Dan Gilbert's personal assistant. He is going to be at the Lottery. He said Gilbert spends 2-3 hours a day watching highlight videos on Youtube lol.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

My buddy just got hired as Dan Gilbert's personal assistant. He is going to be at the Lottery. He said Gilbert spends 2-3 hours a day watching highlight videos on Youtube lol.

Well what'dya know, me and Mr Gilbert have something in common!

[stevew]

Well, the Cavs have 2 shots at the top pick. Best case scenerio is them picking 1 and 2, but I have a feeling they will get picks 5 and 8. And let me throw in an obligatory "Fuck You" to the Timberfucks for losing their last 15 games of the season in order to get the most lottery chances.

[JPhillips]

Ken Faried will be the highest drafted MSU Eagle.

He'd be a nice complimentary piece for the Wizards at #18.

[stevew]

Here we go

[RainMaker]

Scumbag Maloofs

[JPhillips]

I really want to believe the NBA isn't rigged, but nights like this make it hard.

[Racer]

Originally Posted by stevew

Well, the Cavs have 2 shots at the top pick. Best case scenerio is them picking 1 and 2, but I have a feeling they will get picks 5 and 8. And let me throw in an obligatory "Fuck You" to the Timberfucks for losing their last 15 games of the season in order to get the most lottery chances.

one and four. I wonder how much the Clippers regret making that trade now.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Well what'dya know, me and Mr Gilbert have something in common!

Except Mr. Gilbert does it sitting in a room made of solid pure gold and uses $100 bills as tissue.

[RainMaker]

I knew when they made that trade that they would regret not protecting at least the top pick. Oh Clippers, never change.

[stevew]

They sold Kyrie Irving to save like 12 million dollars. That's still a good deal for the Clips.

[Noop]

Can the NBA be any more rigged?

[mckerney]

chadfordinsider Chad Ford
Not sure exactly what Wolves will do at 2 ... Biyombo isn't out of the question ... no joke.
16 minutes ago

[mckerney]

It could be a real challenge to figure out just how Kahn will screw this up.

[stevew]

It was funny cause Chad Ford called the Cavs winning with the Clippers pick on the BS report this morning.

[molson]

To be fair, if the Clippers held on to that pick, the NBA would probably have picked the Cavs to win the lottery with their other pick. I think I'm joking, but it works either way.

[Young Drachma]

Here's the result since ESPN and CNNSI don't actually list it.

1. Cleveland
2. Minnesota
3. Utah
4. Cleveland
5. Toronto
6. Washington
7. Sacramento
8. Detroit
9. Charlotte
10. Milwaukee
11. Golden State
12. Utah
13. Phoenix
14. Houston
15. Indiana
16. Philadelphia
17. New York
18. Washington
19. Charlotte
20. Minnesota
21. Portland
22. Denver
23. Houston
24. Oklahoma City
25. Boston
26. Dallas
27. New Jersey
28. Chicago
29. San Antonio
30. Chicago

[Groundhog]

Rigged or not, out of all the years to get two top-4 picks, it would have to be this year...

[RainMaker]

The draft isn't deep, but I think it has talent at the top. If Cleveland can get Irving and Kanter (which is a strong possibility), that's a great base moving forward.

[Young Drachma]

The foreign kids in the draft have some legit potential. Kanter is NBA ready. I guess you don't want to overpay two Top-5 guys in a non-top 5 year but given how bad that team is...at least it gives you a chance to rebuild or even package them for something with future picks. If you're creative it could be useful.

[DeToxRox]

KAHNNNNNN

AlexKennedyNBA Alex Kennedy
You're not going to believe what David Kahn said after the lottery....

AlexKennedyNBA Alex Kennedy
Kahn: "This league has a habit, and I am just going to say habit, of producing some pretty incredible story lines..."

AlexKennedyNBA Alex Kennedy
Kahn: "Last year it was Abe Pollin's widow and this year it was a 14-year-old boy."

[DeToxRox]

Wolves general manager David Kahn said he knew Minnesota was "dead" when it got down to the final three of himself, Utah executive Kevin O'Connor and Nick Gilbert.

"This league has a habit, and I am just going to say habit, of producing some pretty incredible story lines," Kahn said. "Last year it was Abe Pollin's widow and this year it was a 14-year-old boy and the only thing we have in common is we have both been bar mitzvahed. We were done. I told Kevin: 'We're toast.' This is not happening for us and I was right."

[molson]

Everybody needs to send the most pathetic, sympathetic figure possible next year. The Clippers should hire that lady who had her face bit off by an ape and send her. The T-Wolves could stop complaining and send members of Seal Team 6 next time. I'd say that'd be a great Sports Dome or Norm Sports Show sketch, but actually, it's more accurately described as a legitimate strategy.

Edit: It's really unbelievable that the NBA has current general managers openly suggesting that the lottery is fixed, and major sports networks (ESPN), openly discussing whether games are rigged and which refs have grudges against which teams. The NBA is clearly bullet-proof.

[RainMaker]

The NBA does have a representative from each team in a room when the actual numbers are drawn. It's not like this is all done under a shroud of secrecy.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by molson

It's really unbelievable that the NBA has current general managers openly suggesting that the lottery is fixed, and major sports networks (ESPN), openly discussing whether games are rigged and which refs have grudges against which teams. The NBA is clearly bullet-proof.

I wouldn't say that. I watch about 5-10 regular season games and about half the playoffs. I enjoy basketball, but think the NBA is a competitive sham. I would never "root" for any NBA team given the reasons above and the odd decisions Stern has made (esp in the postseason). If the NBA was run with the integrity of NFL, I may actually develop a rooting interest. But, going for an NBA team not in Boston/LA/Chicago/Miami is like rooting for a minor character on the WWE. You know you're guy be stopped from winning at some point, so why put in the effort?

[bulletsponge]

^^ comparing the NBA to WWE is very astute

[Chief Rum]

As a Clips fan, of course, I would have liked to see the Clips get more value for the #1 value overall. That said, I am in the camp that believes the NBA somehow finds a way to influence the results, and I don't believe the Clips would have won the #1 overall if they owned that pick. Also, even if they did have it, they would have screwed it up. And finally, the Clips don't need more kids, continuing the cycle of building toward a good team; they need a strong veteran base to support the kid stars they already have. I actually believe Mo Williams will help the Clips next year as much as Kyrie Irving would have. Value wise in the long run, it's dumb, because Irving will help a lot more in the following seasons. But, really, the Clips have been down this road a ton of times--anyone think they wouldn't screw it up?

P.S. DTS, I am still waiting for you to go away. I don't care if it's by death, selling the team or time travel. Just...go...

[Logan]

That's a hard post to read when two years ago the Clippers won the lottery in a draft where there was a clear cut #1 and then a bunch of unknowns who could've gone anywhere in the top 10.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Logan

That's a hard post to read when two years ago the Clippers won the lottery in a draft where there was a clear cut #1 and then a bunch of unknowns who could've gone anywhere in the top 10.

Meh...that was a gift. Even the Clips couldn't screw that one up.

And keep in mind, even that obvious #1 missed his whole rookie season with injury. Typical Clips' shit. They can screw up anything.

I can't prove all what underlying factors caused Blake's injury his first year, but I have been a Clips fan too long to dismiss anything from curses and karma to some underhanded scheme by Sterling or his flunkies for God knows what reason.

(Before you go look it up, Blake hurt his knee dunking in the final preseason game that year, and then it seems like the medical staff mis-diagnosed it and had to go in a second time in January, putting him out for the season).

[bhlloy]

Wow... I can get behind the idea that it still wasn't a bad idea to lose the #1 just to get out of Baron's contract, but Mo Williams as good for a team as Kyrie Irving? I can't think of anyone else I'd less rather be running the point for a young promising team than Mo, and from all accounts Kyrie is a balanced young point guard with great upside. You completely lost me there.

And yeah, it's tough to complain about the lottery being fixed when the Clips got the #1 in a year with a clear #1 pick. Doesn't mean it's not, but we probably shouldn't be the ones complaining.

[Chief Rum]

Or if you're saying I shouldn't be blasé about the Clips having and essentially losing the #1 pick for Mo Williams, look, not saying that ain't a big deakl or that I wouldn't be doing flips if the Clips had kept the pick and landed the #1. But fact of the matter is, when you'ew a Clips fan, you became very jaded about many things, and in particular the endless cycle of young stars drafted to the team who don't end up amounting to much of anything far more often than not. Blake and EJ are notable exceptions at the moment.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Wow... I can get behind the idea that it still wasn't a bad idea to lose the #1 just to get out of Baron's contract, but Mo Williams as good for a team as Kyrie Irving? I can't think of anyone else I'd less rather be running the point for a young promising team than Mo, and from all accounts Kyrie is a balanced young point guard with great upside. You completely lost me there.

And yeah, it's tough to complain about the lottery being fixed when the Clips got the #1 in a year with a clear #1 pick. Doesn't mean it's not, but we probably shouldn't be the ones complaining.

Just saying Williams' role as another solid perimeter scorer may help the Clips next season more than breaking in a 19-year-old rookie PG. I don't think that's a stretch to say. Not all PGs step right in like John Wall. Most struggle and in fact struggle for years before reaching a competent level for running a team. By the time Irving is steady leading the squad, Gordon might be gone in FA and Blake threatening to do so. With Williams, the Clips have a better chance to be a playoff team next year and to make something happen the next couple seasons.

I don't think there's any doubt that Irving in the long run is a much better value, and who knows, if he's that rare PG who just gets it right away, then the Clips made a mistake (and wouldn't that be a shock, lol).

As for the alleged rigging, I don't see why being a fan of a team which beenfited from it removes my right to comment on the possibility or to say it shouldn't happen (if it does). No matter what team you're a fan of, it's hard to ignore situations where the normally good Spurs end up with Duncan's pick, or where the Cavs get the #1 the year after losing LeBron in a PR fiasco. Of course, the flipside to that is why did LeBron end up in CLE in the first place? If you rig here, why not rig before to get him in a big market to start? It's certainly not a bulletproof theory, just noting there's an awful lot of smoke there, and it does make one curious at tinmes, don't you think?

[stevew]

David Kahn is a despicable human being.

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by stevew

David Kahn is a despicable human being.

But you're not saying he's wrong.

[stevew]

It's kind of odd that we hit a one-outer to win the lottery. Although I guess it can happen. CoughRosetotgeBullscough.

[Young Drachma]

I hope the Cavs managed not to boff this up. Irving would be fine for another team, but I don't think they should waste a pick on him and should go for the more surefire player.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Of course, the flipside to that is why did LeBron end up in CLE in the first place? If you rig here, why not rig before to get him in a big market to start? It's certainly not a bulletproof theory, just noting there's an awful lot of smoke there, and it does make one curious at tinmes, don't you think?

That's the problem with conspiracy theories, you can explain away anything after the fact. That one's easy - LeBron's from Ohio, the midwest has been fading as an NBA-relevant region for a while....I'd be more impressed if someone correctly predicted the lottery results before they happened on a consistent basis, instead of just seeing the results and explaining after the fact how they reveal shenanigans.

[RainMaker]

This is an overview of the backroom process. If they are rigging it, they are magicians. The whole process is done in plain view.

Inside the NBA draft lottery boardroom, there's plenty of high emotions | cleveland.com

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

This is an overview of the backroom process. If they are rigging it, they are magicians. The whole process is done in plain view.

Inside the NBA draft lottery boardroom, there's plenty of high emotions | cleveland.com

They don't handle the ping pong balls or the hopper. There's no indication in that article that all bases are covered there, just that the balls are pulled in front of a bunch of executives.

I'm not trying to say the NBA is rigging things. I of course don't know, and it's more likely than not that everything is on the up and up. Just saying, look at the results. And this article does nothing to prove it can't have been rigged.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

This is an overview of the backroom process. If they are rigging it, they are magicians. The whole process is done in plain view.

Inside the NBA draft lottery boardroom, there's plenty of high emotions | cleveland.com

I don't know if it's rigged, but it's very easy to rig a ball pull. Changing the temperature of the balls is easy and impossible to detect visually.

[molson]

I'm surprised too that there's no mention of an independent auditing firm that confirms accuracy, like award shows and game shows have, I thought they used to have that. (I shouldn't say "surprised", this is a league that didn't see the need for any independent auditing of referees after one is caught trying to rig games.)

[RainMaker]

I thought the article was talking about how they sat in a room with a giant chart and watched them pull ping pong ball numbers out of the bin. Then matched them up to the chart.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I thought the article was talking about how they sat in a room with a giant chart and watched them pull ping pong ball numbers out of the bin. Then matched them up to the chart.

Yes, you read the same article we did. Doesn't change anything I or JPhillips said, though.