T-Wolves president insinuates draft lottery is rigged

Khan bitches out, says he was just kidding. Too bad dude. David Stern is still going to spend the rest of his waking days finding ways to fuck you for telling the truth.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/nba/05/18/kahn.lottery.ap/index.html?sct=nba_t2_a3

 

I caught some PTI today and Kornheiser said he doesn't know if the draft is fixed, but even if it is he wouldn't care because it's a private business built on making money. Is that what sports have sunk to?

And I don't think Khan was joking one bit. The T'Wolves haven't had a No. 1 pick all these years, with plenty of opportunities to get one.

 

The Kings, Grizzlies and Timberwolves have one No. 1 pick between them despite countless trips to the lottery. The Bulls, who have won six titles during the last 20 years, have done better in the lottery than the Timberwolves. How many times have the Spurs missed the playoffs since David Robinson joined the team? I'm guessing it's about twice and one of those got them the No. 1 pick.

I think the worst team has gotten the No. 1 pick something like twice in the last 17 years and three times in the last 21.

Let's assume nothing has been rigged. The system clearly doesn't work and needs to be dramatically re-vamped.


The NBA has a bigger incentive to tank than any other league because the right player can turn one of the worst teams in the league into a playoff team or can turn a team that just missed the playoffs into a title contender.

 

Maybe the lottery isn't fixed, but answer this objectively:

Of the four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL):

1. Which is most likely to have a player fix a game?

2. Which is the most likely to have an official fix a game?

3. Which is most likely to have the officiating overtly favor the home team?

4. Which is the most likely to have the officials overtly favor the stars?

5. Which sport has the largest home court/field/rink advantage?

The answer to each question, overwhelmingly, is the NBA. So it's easy to understand why people would think the lottery is fixed, because the league's games are often suspect.

 

The Bucks have had the No. 1 pick twice in the lottery era. Glenn Robinson left you wanting a lot more and Andrew Bogut is on the slowest improvement curve of any NBA player since Derek Harper.

 

Seems to me the time all this stuff about fixing gathered steam was that seven-game Kings-Lakers series.

 

Again: I think that it is important to remember that Derrick Rose was not a slam-dunk pick at No. 1 that year. There was a lot of money on Beasley until the last week or two.

 

Don't know why everyone would assume Ewing would have been the go-to guy for lifting the profile of the Knicks. Damn good player, but had pretty much zero charisma

 

(Begin voice-over)
In 1993, two highly-touted college basketball stars and their coach left a scandal-ridden program for the riches of the NBA...
(show a montage of Penny Hardaway, Shaq and Nick Nolte)
In a twist of fate, they ended up on the same team
(Cut to a shot of Stern announcing the Magic have won the '93 lottery)
It was luck ... or was it? One man (quick cut of Ed O'Neill working the phones) is determined to expose an incredible scandal ... again.
(Shot of Nolte yelling at O'Neill to "Get off my back!" and O'Neill ducking as his back window is shot out)
This summer, basketball isn't just fun and games...
(Cue title screen for "Blue Chips 2")

 

You think Stern's first thought when he heard about Donaghy was, "Shit! Did he work Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals!?"

 

Apparently, the NBA was fixed the last time this happened, in the 1960s.

The one where Sacramento blew a 20-point lead in one game, and missed half its free throws in the deciding game at home?

Man, Stern sure rigged that one. No, wait! Gamblers! The gamblers got to the Kings!