^ I agree, I just don't think it is a draft "lottery" per say. Call me a conspiracy theorist or whatever, I just don't like how much the NBA pushes that the lottery eliminates tanking as the reason the team with the worst record only gets a 25% chance of winning the #1 pick.

If they really want a truer system for awarding the #1 pick ( and eliminate tanking) then order the draft by the teams W/L record over 3 years or something. Teams would have to be desperate to "tank" for 3 years just to get the #1 overall pick once.

I would like to see a complete re-brand of the Charlotte franchise though. Whether it be Hornets, or some other nickname, get rid of the Bobcats. Would love to see them dis-asscociated from an owner who was about nothing but making money (which is his right), and even has the team basically named after him. Jordan should just cut out a couple gambling trips, or make a couple more Hanes commericals to pay for the re-branding.

5/30/2012 7:00:11 AM

Bobcats is a terrible name for an NBA team ... always felt contrived and weak. It's a decent high-school mascot (Glenn Bobcats), but it just doesn't work in the NBA. Factor in the Bob Johnson factor, and it's gotta go.

I think Jordan and co. are just waiting to see what New Orleans does before taking a stance on a new name. Hopefully something happens on that end in the next couple months. This is a once-in-a-franchise chance to hit the reset button. If we go back to the Hornets, we can all pretend the Bobcats were just a bad dream

5/30/2012 9:39:12 AM

How our front office is prepping for tonight







[Edited on May 30, 2012 at 10:29 AM. Reason : x]

5/30/2012 10:27:49 AM

Jordan will probably rename them the jumpmen or something, just so he can put his stupid logo on everything.

5/30/2012 10:42:50 AM

Well no Patrick Ewing as the next Bobcat's coach.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--source--ewing-no-longer-a-candidate-for-bobcats--coaching-job.html

5/30/2012 11:13:45 AM

^^still better than Bobcats

5/30/2012 11:18:32 AM

Lol no

5/30/2012 11:27:03 AM

Predictions? I'm going all out, Bobcats pick 4th.

5/30/2012 11:27:43 AM

I'm feeling #3 today

5/30/2012 11:29:45 AM

3rd and we still pick Harrison Barnes.

5/30/2012 12:08:02 PM

I predict the #2 overall pick

and somehow the #1 pick will go to either Houston or Phoenix

5/30/2012 12:22:50 PM

Davis is overrated, which helps Charlotte's chances.

But, I'm also predicting 2nd.

5/30/2012 12:24:26 PM

who has a better career

Davis in the NBA

Luck in the NFL

5/30/2012 12:25:33 PM

Tough to say without knowing where Davis ends up. His chances go up if he ends up somewhere like Brooklyn and maybe Cleveland (with Kyrie).

I'll say Luck.

5/30/2012 12:27:56 PM

brooklyn & no go 1/2

5/30/2012 12:30:39 PM

^ My thoughts exactly. Brooklyn needs either Dwight or the #1 pick to keep up the excitement, and after David Sterns comment about the Hornets being 1 player away after the CP3 trade, I figured the fix was in.

5/30/2012 12:34:09 PM

I don't think it makes you a conspiracy theorist to think that the draft lottery might be somewhat rigged or tampered with. The NBA is a business and just like any business will try to maximize its profits. Part of maximizing profits is creating an atmosphere of integrity so that people believe the league is fair so you get things like the salary cap, draft lottery, etc. Then once you have distractions in place to fool people, going behind the scenes and tinkering with everything you possibly can to promote the big market teams over the small market teams. Look at the salary cap for instance. Oh there's a salary cap alright. Unless you want to spend more money on your roster and then it's quite easy to do so (see: Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, etc).

The bottom line is that it's better for the NBA as a whole to have the big market teams succeed at the small market teams expense and then redistribute the extra profits to the small market teams to thank them for taking one for the team. Every rule in the current system is set up to REDUCE parity and to concentrate all the talent in big markets.

The entire "soft" salary cap system has been engineered so that the large market teams are able to go well beyond the salary cap to surround marketable superstars with other great players and supporting role players.

The greatest example of this is the "maximum player salary" which has the effect of a price ceiling if you're familiar with simple economics. If you lock in Lebron James and Dwayne Wade at ~$13 million per season when their true value is easily double that you are practically guaranteed to have one of the top teams in the league. In the meantime a team like Memphis has to spend around $13M per season to sign in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph because that's approximately their "fair value" in a free market system. They are certainly two solid players but clearly not as effective as LBJ and D-Wade.

So now you have both spent the same amount of money, but one team has two superstars and the other has two solid players. Now when you go to sign supplemental talent for your team you still have only as much money as Miami does to offer so you will have to overpay what Miami is willing to pay a free agent or accept more inferior talent.

If Miami had to pay the true market value of what each player would get on an open market with no max player salary (let's say $35MM for Lebron and $25 for Wade) then they've spent $60M, and Memphis has only spent $26M. Memphis can surround its "stars" with good players like Mike Conley and Rudy Gay while the Heat would be forced to surround their stars with Juwan Howard, Norris Cole, and James Jones. Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and Mario Chalmers would not accept the 1M per season that Miami could offer.

The problem here is that this kills the entertainment value of the sport. No one wants to watch Lebron James in his prime toil away with inferior talent and lose in the first round or even miss the playoffs every year.

No one wants to tune in to watch Memphis run to the title with a team of 5 solid but not marketable guys.

On top of that Miami, LA, NYK can charge triple what Memphis can charge for an NBA Finals floor seat and the millionaires in those markets won't blink at eye at the prices.



To make it even worse, even with all the damage done to the parity of the league by the "max player salary" they compound it by having a "soft salary cap". When a team like the Bobcats hits ~$58M in total player salaries that's it. It doesn't matter if they're one guy away from giving the Heat a run for their money. Unless the owner is willing to make a risky and in the long run often a poor investment in his franchise by taking on an overpaid veteran (say a guy still making the max like Boozer or Brand) then they can't be aggressive in free agency or trades.

Whereas a team like Dallas or LAL has absolutely no problem absorbing some poor contracts and going over the salary cap if it gives them a reliable backup PG or big man. When the veteran becomes washed up they have no problem cutting bait with them and just eating their salary. Whereas when a team like Orlando gets stuck with a ton of unproductive players with huge contracts (like Turkoglu) and they are losing money each year they are desperate to get rid of these guys. The only way to do this is by offering legitimate assets like D.Howard or Ryan Anderson in trade proposals along with the bad contracts for basically nothing in return (late 1st round picks, washed up veterans with expiring contracts, and if you're lucky a young rotation player or prospect).

5/30/2012 12:54:55 PM

As a follow-up look at this from the player's perspective too.

Why is the typical star player free agent going to want toil away in Cleveland or Denver surrounded by an inferior roster when he can go to NYK, Miami, LA and make essentially the same salary and be surrounded by better talent. The postseason bonuses, marketing $, and star power of being in a big market easily replaces the tiny amount more the hometown is able to offer in a salary package. Particularly since the current team is allowed to sign you to a max deal and then trade you to one of those markets.

It takes a different kind of player to WANT to stay in SAS, OKC, etc. A player like Durant or Duncan may actually prefer the smaller market, less pressure, media attention, etc so that they can focus on basketball rather than photo shoots and constant tabloid attention. On top of that you have to have ELITE management to surround him with talent that can contend for a title without the advantage of being able to spend wildly on a supporting cast. Sometimes this works (OKC, SAS) but for many teams they panic that they are going to lose their star if they don't do something and spend like drunken sailors to surround him with Larry Hughes, Antawn Jamison, and Ilgauskas (like Cleveland) or Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, and Chris Duhon (like Orlando).

Those teams have short windows to compete for a title and usually fall short. After that their veterans play declines, they get no good draft picks for several seasons to replace them, and they are stuck with a wasteland of bad contracts and bad players as a supporting cast around their star talent. After a few seasons of not being able to carry this crappy team to a championship singlehandedly the media jumps all over the star player (see: LBJ, Howard) saying he isn't good enough instead of focusing on the issue at hand which is all the scrubs he is surrounded by. Why wouldn't this player want to be traded to a team where he has the support he needs to compete for a title, become a megastar in a huge market, while making the exact same salary?

5/30/2012 1:13:50 PM

Luckily the upcoming salary cap changes SHOULD add some parity and prevent the big market teams from being able to afford having 3 superstars

also until they televise the ping pong balls, I won't believe the lottery is legit

5/30/2012 1:16:55 PM

^ Agreed, there's no reason not to televise the lottery. The whole envelope thing is so sketchy. Even still, there would obviously be ways to rig it (make some of the ping pong balls weigh more so that they're more likely to be selected, etc).

I mean think about this. What's an elite player like Kevin Durant, Patrick Ewing, Lebron James worth to a franchise in $ terms. How can the NBA owners be okay with all the potential back room shennanigans that go on?

Hey guys I'm thinking about holding a "lottery" where the winner gets a multimillion windfall, give me your money and I'll post the results shortly after I host the drawing.

Oh, you didn't win but you came in 4th so you should be happy.




Fortunately for us there aren't any really major market teams in the lottery this year. But how scandalous would it appear if the Hornets get the #1 pick while the NBA owns them and is actively trying to sell them. Oh, did we mention that if you buy this franchise you get a 19 year old franchise center who will only cost you $7M a year for his first several seasons?

5/30/2012 1:41:58 PM

Quote :

"until they televise the ping pong balls, I won't believe the lottery is legit"

exactly...why so secretive, Mr. Stern?

5/30/2012 1:57:51 PM

Rally’s firing on all cylinders today. The draft is immeasurably more important for small market teams. Unless David Robinson doesn’t hurt his knee twice in the same season, unless Pop doesn’t brazenly fire Bob Hill and take over after a 3-16 start (Even though Hill won at .700 clip the previous two seasons), unless the balls don’t bounce their way on draft night, this entire dynasty doesn’t happen. You’ll recall Rick Pitino was so confident they’d have Duncan that he’s since claimed it’s the main reason he took the Boston job in the first place. They didn’t, and he was stuck with Chauncey Billups (before he figured it out) and Ron Mercer (who never did). They toiled for a decade before they lucked into the Garnett and Allen acquisitions, but they basically wasted the first eight years of Pierce’s career.

Its luck, pure and simple. The Spurs have attracted no marquee free agents in Duncan’s tenure. They got their cornerstone (and some great scouting/drafting for Parker and Ginobili) and were set for the next 15 years. OKC is similar. What young, affluent 20’s black male would voluntarily sign up to play in the middle of Oklahoma? But they hit back to back to back homeruns in the draft, and will be a contender for the forseeable future, even when/if they inevitably lose Harden.

The only real chance for teams like Charlotte to get marquee free agents is to have some kind of hometown link to them, like we do with Curry and like the Pacers do with Eric Gordon. It’s the only real reason they have to go to a team outside of the big market, to play in front of friends and family. But how big of a draw is that really? I wouldn’t give a fuck.

5/30/2012 1:59:43 PM

Chris Broussard ?@Chris_Broussard
Coveted Pacers asst coach Brian Shaw will interview with Charlotte Bobcats Friday, sources say.

Chris Broussard ?@Chris_Broussard
Bobcats contacted Stan Van Gundy about their head coaching position, but were told by SVG that he may take next season off, sources say.

5/30/2012 2:45:12 PM

Quote :

"It’s the only real reason they have to go to a team outside of the big market, to play in front of friends and family. But how big of a draw is that really? I wouldn’t give a fuck."

playing in front of? no fucks given. living close to family? lots of fucks given.

5/30/2012 2:49:21 PM

Quote :

"Fortunately for us there aren't any really major market teams in the lottery this year. But how scandalous would it appear if the Hornets get the #1 pick while the NBA owns them and is actively trying to sell them. Oh, did we mention that if you buy this franchise you get a 19 year old franchise center who will only cost you $7M a year for his first several seasons?"

NO has an owner (Benson) & I'd consider the Brooklyn Nets a major market team

5/30/2012 4:28:31 PM

Quote :

"The draft lottery doesn't have the best memory, it's not exactly an elephant. You have to think that it probably forgot how many times it's given the worst team the #1 pick, especially the draft lotteries from two decades ago. I wouldn't be surprised if the draft lottery doesn't realize we're "due" and that coming into it we still just have a 25% chance. Kinda like one of those roulette wheels in Vegas that never seems to realize it just hit black 4 times in a row and needs to hit a red this time to keep the probabilities in line"

what i was getting at is that after enough drawings, the odds will tend to even out over time. 21 times seems like enough to start trending toward the expected average

5/30/2012 5:12:41 PM

21 times is dick. I've seen black hit 15 times in a row at the tables. 100 would be the smallest sample size where you could expect the odds to play out. See you in 2091.

5/30/2012 5:18:17 PM

I'm actually excited about the lottery tonight, feels like a big TWW event.

5/30/2012 5:35:18 PM

Not sure whether I should blog it, tweet it, tumble it, facebook it, or just post on here

5/30/2012 5:38:34 PM

45 minutes to disappointment, time to start drinking

wonder who the Bobcats will have at the lottery as their representative? Silas was there last year, but we obviously don't have a coach

wonder if they send Kemba or Cho...I wish they'd send Bismack, his shitty English would add some laughs

5/30/2012 7:13:02 PM

I read somewhere that Cho would be the guy

5/30/2012 7:15:22 PM

Bobby Phills Muggsy

5/30/2012 7:18:23 PM

Kendall Gill

5/30/2012 7:19:11 PM

5/30/2012 7:19:50 PM

Double Trouble

5/30/2012 7:23:03 PM

hey guys, lets ease up on posting the pictures, JT3 might get pissed

5/30/2012 7:23:53 PM

plz guys i have an analysis tonight

5/30/2012 7:25:27 PM

It really is unreal how big of a moment tonight is for us.

If we land Davis we've got something going. If we don't, we don't.

5/30/2012 7:35:18 PM

CHARLOTTE BLACK FALCONS

5/30/2012 7:37:32 PM

some UNC fans think Barnes will be the next Glen Rice

Barnes college 3pt%: 35%
Rice college 3pt%: 48%
Rice NBA 3pt% career: 40%

5/30/2012 7:38:36 PM

i think barnes will be the next will perdue.

5/30/2012 7:39:29 PM

Honestly, if you gave me the option to get the #2 pick guaranteed right now I'd do it if someone assured me we'd take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

I really like his game. Having a SF that rebounds exceptionally well, runs the floor, gets a lot of steals, can score/slash, guard anyone on switches/screens, and can play PF if we go small is huge. He reminds me a lot of Gerald Wallace actually. I think he is going to be an All-Star and I think the drop off at #3 is pretty steep.

Obviously, I'd rather have Anthony Davis though. He's a more athletic Marcus Camby. Exceptional shot blocker and rebounder and runs the floor extremely well for a center. He's one of those guys who blocks a shot or gets a steal throws it ahead to a guard and the next thing you know he's dunking it in transition and his man (an aging 33 year old center who can't get up and down the court every play) is still at halfcourt.

The incredible thing about Davis college stats is that he had an extremely low foul rate for a big man and he still averaged like 4 blocks a game. That alone shows he has impeccable timing on the shot blocks and that he knows how to pick his spots he's not just challenging everything wrecklessly. His halfcourt offensive game is still very raw, but he's got the athleticism that once he learns a few moves he should be able to face the basket and be a nightmare matchup for slower opponents. Having a defensive anchor in the NBA cures a lot of ills as you can be more aggressive on the wings or get away with having a weak defender or two in the game.

5/30/2012 7:54:49 PM

Quote :

"That guy's poker face is terrible. Bobcats got the #1."

5/30/2012 8:12:45 PM

Well that couldn't have gone any better. No randoms in the mix.

PLEASE dont let us be #3 PLEASE

5/30/2012 8:20:39 PM

hahahahahahahahaha god dammit

5/30/2012 8:21:41 PM

WHAT A FUCKING SURPRISE

5/30/2012 8:21:51 PM

rigged,

Bring back Katrina.

5/30/2012 8:21:56 PM

new owner, top pick

the fix is in

5/30/2012 8:22:00 PM

lul

hornets'd again

5/30/2012 8:22:01 PM

unreal

5/30/2012 8:22:28 PM