Silly. I don't use that word often, for obvious reasons, but this outcry all of a sudden from some respected names in the Association that the Lottery is unfair is just plain silly.
Jerry West, whose soon to be former Memphis Grizzlies were a draft loser, decided to take this opportunity to give the Lottery a thumbs down.
"It's like pitching pennies. It's grossly unfair to the team, but I've said it before, I don't think the lottery is fair. I never liked it. I don't think it's a good system at all, period.Had Mr. Logo won the 1st pick he'd be happy as a clam. That's just part of the deal.
Pat Riley joined the gaggle of NBA minds who've decided to start criticizing the Lottery because they're upset they don't have the young talent of the Trailblazers:
''Obviously, [the lottery system] needs to be tweaked, because you got teams trying to get the most Ping-Pong balls,'' Riley said. ``I do believe the No. 1 pick in the draft should probably go to the worst team, so they can get better. For me, over the past four, five or six years, it gets to be a joke at the end of the year with guys making $20 million a year sitting on the bench. That's how Tim Duncan ended up with the Spurs, basically. And if I were the Boston Celtics, which were legitimately bad and hurt, I would be upset with that.''So let me get this straight Pat. The Lottery gives teams who tank a better opportunity. This is true. But you know what rewards teams who sit players even more? NO LOTTERY. Am I wrong? I'm not a genius, clearly, but that seems pretty straight forward.
We're not going to get rid of tanking, although any smart GM (ha!) should realize that tanking isn't the right solution. Boston has tried that twice and lost. The solution to tanking is getting better GM's.
If you have a solution to the Draft Process, I'd love to hear it, but I'm a big fan of the current system. It's an entertainment business, and Tuesday night was very much that. What's wrong with a team like Portland getting another young star? Nothing.
Riley Joins lottery critics (Miami Herald)
Tanking is an unfortunate fact of NBA life (Debriefing)
Photo by Nam Y. Huh / AP
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