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From: tml@drupa.UUCP (Tim Larison)
Newsgroups: net.sport.hoops
Subject: Re: Pat Ewing and the Lottery
Message-ID: <1011@drupa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 12:16:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: drupa.1011
Posted: Wed Aug 14 12:16:56 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Aug-85 16:28:01 EDT
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I don't think the NBA fixed the lottery so that the Knicks would
get the number one pick.  I think word of this would have leaked
out and some teams would have screamed bloody murder.  I hope
the NBA has more integrity than to pull a stunt like that.

My complaint is with the whole idea of a draft lottery.  As I 
understand it, the NBA put in the lottery because the previous
year Houston deliberately tried to lose some games at the end
of the year in order to improve their draft position (and get
a shot at Ralph Sampson).  The lottery supposedly would eliminate
this problem because the last seven teams draft position would
be determined solely by chance, not by the team's record.

So what happened?  Last season teams like Seattle (in not playing
Jack Sikma) deliberately tailed off
at the end of the year in order to get in the lottery.  The problem
of teams sandbagging at the end of the year to improve their
draft position got worse, not better.  If you were a general manager
of an NBA team, would you prefer your team to make the last slot
in the playoffs, only to be eliminated quickly by the Lakers or
Celtics, or would you rather have a shot at Patrick Ewing?

I think the NBA should trash the lottery and go back to the old
"worst record picks first" draft order.  The Golden States of the
league have enough problems without having to be discriminated
against in the draft, too.