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What to Expect When You’re Expecting on Lottery Night
That time of year has come when ping pong balls cause widespread anxiety and anticipation in the basketball world
You will never hear the term “rigged” as much as you do on the night of the NBA Lottery. Whether it’s the Cavaliers securing the no. 1 picks in 2011, 2013, AND 2014, or the Knicks somehow landing the top selection in 1985, fans are always going to have some sort of gripe and complaint that the Lottery is fixed, which is what makes this night so unique.
Thanks to the Nets futility and ineptitude, the Boston Celtics have far and away the highest chance to snag the top pick at 25 percent. I think I speak for many Knicks fans when I say I would be thrilled if the Celtics somehow lost the no. 1 pick and fell down on the draft board. It is very unusual to see such a good team have the luxury to add a potential superstar in the draft the year after being a top seed in their conference. This has created a buzz around NBA forums that has lead to various blockbuster trade rumors that fuel the excitement surrounding the offseason and more specifically the draft season.
But then again does it really matter? With this talent-loaded draft class and no consensus, slam dunk no. 1 pick, there is potential to grab a star all throughout the top 5–7 picks. For this reason, I believe this will be one of the more mellow lotteries for the teams participating. I think franchises in general aren’t pressed as much to secure the top pick because there are just so many promising options to choose from. Sure, every franchise would be thrilled to be able to pick no. 1, but in reality, only a hand full of the 32 top selections in the lottery era have panned out into transcendent NBA players with LeBron, Shaq, Iverson, and Tim Duncan being prime examples.
It will be extremely interesting to see where the Knicks land in the draft order. All I am hoping for is to get a high enough pick that will guarantee us a quality point guard. (Ball, Fultz, Ntilkina, Fox, and Smith, Jr.) As currently constituted, the Knicks place seventh and most likely all of the aforementioned point guards will be gone by then. I believe even moving up just two spots to five would be excellent for the franchise and almost ensure them a good point guard.
Another aspect of the lottery that is often overlooked, but so important to many die-hard fans, is who is representing the organization on Lottery night. Walt “Clyde” Frazier was dubbed the man for tomorrow nights festivities by Phil Jackson, and it couldn’t be more awesome. Frazier emanates an unmatched level of charisma, swagger and just straight positivity that gives the Knicks faithful some increased hope when the ping-pong balls start bouncing. Yeah, I know its a stretch to say Clyde is going to somehow affect the Knicks draft fortunes, but perception is reality, and what better Knick to have repping than the stylin’ and profilin’ Clyde Frazier.
For once, the Knicks didn’t stir the pot and choose Charles Oakley to rep on lottery night. Boy, would that be the most Knicks thing ever. But hey, I can’t think of a Knicks fan out there who wouldn’t absolutely love to see Oak back in good graces.
Regardless of who is there, the lottery always draws a lot of attention and an event that is special in so many ways. No other sport has any event like this. Mock drafts and trade rumors galore from tomorrow until the night of the draft and it’s going to be nothing but a frenzy.
— Nick Scolaro, staff writer
Follow The Knicks Wall during the lottery and draft for much more coverage on each prospect and how the Knicks could use each player! We’re on Facebook and Twitter, and we’ll be recording a live TKW Podcast during the lottery!
