Checking ESPN.com... Yep, that happened. We still have the #3 pick next month. And guess what? This guy has #2. The late buzz from the draft came last night when David Kahn was being asked about his spot in the draft. He felt the cards were stacked against him when the top three were announced,
I also felt very strongly that once the 14-year old hit the [stage] with us, we were dead. We were just dead.
He's referring to Nick Gilbert, son of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert who was the good luck charm that landed the Cavs the number 1 pick. If he would have stopped there, it would have been just a quick quip. However, much to our benefit, he decided to expand on that,
This league has a habit, and I am just going to say habit, of producing some pretty incredible story lines. 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.
If you're going to insinuate that the league rigs the lottery for good stories, you probably shouldn't be the team that just won the #2 spot. We all know it can't possibly be rigged because the Jazz landed #3.
I love a good conspiracy as much as the next person, but I don't think the lottery is rigged. You've all played the lotto machine at ESPN a thousand times; did the results play out according to the percentages every time? OF course not. There are going to be times when teams with a 6% shot are going to win.
The NBA's method of conducting the lottery before a select group of people lends to conspiracy theories. There have also been drafts in which it seems convenient for the league to have one of their big market teams that has been struggling overcome big odds to win. So I can see where they come from.
Let's bring this back to Kahn though for the moment. This is the man the Jazz have picking in front of them. Chad Ford already reported that Minny is very open to trading the pick for a veteran player. No, it's not going to be for Raja Bell and a draft pick. Most likely.
So while you were all praying that the Jazz would win the lottery, now pray that Kahn remains Kahn through June 23rd.
Here's the video from Draft Express
David Kahn Post-NBA Draft Lottery Reaction (via DraftExpress)
According to the Trib, Corbin has had a few discussions with some potential assistants,
Making contact with coaches: "Little bits and pieces. I talked to a couple guys on the phone. Haven't actually set down with too many guys. I had one opportunity to talk to a guy because we were in the city he was in."
If you're speculating on whom he was talking about in that last statement, the Jazz's road schedule was pretty heavy after Corbin took over. So it's hard to say who he was talking about.
I'm wondering if he's leaning towards a former Jazz player or just someone that he's played with in the past. Bryon Russell? He lives in LA. Who knows? They were in almost every western conference city after Corbin took over. He won't make any moves on that though until after the CBA is taken care of though.
Brew Hoop dives deep, deep into the numbers of players selected in the draft in the past ten years and ranks how well each draft spot has done. This is just a little excerpt. You really need to click through for all that they've looked into.
Surprisingly, the data shows that there is not as much consistency among the top tiers of draft picks. For example, the first overall pick does not have the highest "success percentage"; picks 3, 4, and 7(!) have a higher likelihood of meeting the aforementioned season marks. Another surprising find is that picks 11 and 12 both come with a success probability of less than 50%, making them the riskiest positions in the lottery.
We have two picks on opposite ends of the spectrum. This also backs up Amar's posts about the #3 and #12 picks.
I said that Kevin O'Connor would be judged quickly based on how the lottery played out. He didn't have any influence over the ping pong balls either way but the green tie and cuff links appear to have paid off. There was a lot of pressure riding on the outcome of the lottery last night.
For one, he didn't fare well at all in 2005, dropping two spots to number six. He had to pull off a trade to move up to the third spot to get his franchise point guard.
Second, even with lesser odds last season, the pressure was there to win the lottery given the state of flux that the franchise was in and the hype that surrounded the "Knick Pick" that the team had had for six years. Gordon Hayward should live up to the ninth pick but there are a lot of what if scenarios you could look at had the Jazz landed one of the top spots. For example, what if they could have drafted Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins instead? The current roster would have looked much different.
His repressed smile and gentle head bob was a sign of relief from a man that normally shows no emotion. Relatively speaking, it was as if Richard Simmons had temporarily possessed his body. It makes the Deron trade a lot better even if the trade overall doesn't ever equal out. It also gives the team a better chance at drafting a bigger piece to build around, even in a down year.
Early mock poll...