NBA Draft Lottery 2014: Teams Given Biggest Boost by Results

For some fans, the tanking was all worth it on Tuesday night.

Despite NBA commissioner Adam Silver's protestations, it's pretty clear some teams were purposefully losing games during the 2013-14 regular season in order to increase their chances in the draft lottery.

Considering how deep this draft class is, it was vital to get into the top five or so of the 2014 draft.

Perhaps that was only a fool's errand, though.

Derek Thompson wrote for The Atlantic that too much weight is often given to draft picks:

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It’s like Warren Buffett once observed: when you bring good executives into a bad company, it’s the reputation of the company that stays intact.

Turnarounds aren’t a one-man job in the NBA, either. Bad teams aren’t one great player away from greatness. They’re one great player away from mediocrity. Almost every championship team going back three decades had not one but three above-average starters. To amend Buffett’s construction: when you bring a successful college player onto a bad pro team, it’s the reputation of the team that stays intact.

In basketball and in business, big changes are sometimes warranted. But too often, splashy moves are made because they’re splashy—and because making one big bet is easier than making lots of small, hard decisions. The big lie about tanking is that it’s a prudent long-term strategy, when in fact it’s just another get-rich-quick scheme.

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Thompson makes a good point regarding the fact that one player alone can't turn an entire franchise around. Even LeBron James didn't make the Cleveland Cavaliers a title contender until the team surrounded him with a somewhat competent supporting cast.

However, that realism won't trump the optimism surrounding these three teams.

Note: You can view the full lottery results at NBA.com.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The NBA must still really want to make it up to the Cavaliers for the whole Decision thing.

According to Sam Vecenie of Fear the Sword, Cleveland had a 0.2 percent chance of going back to back with the first overall pick:

Now, here the organization sits, ready to select one of Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker. Any of those guys would be a massive upgrade for Cleveland.

After the Cavs took a step back last season, the draft lottery was a godsend to right all of the wrongs that they made over the past three or four years.

Of course, expectations should be tempered somewhat. David Griffin may be the general manager now, but he was still part of the front office that spent a fourth overall pick on Dion Waiters and a first overall pick on Anthony Bennett.

If any team can find a way to mess this up, it's the Cavaliers.

At least Kyrie Irving seems happy:

Charlotte Hornets

The Detroit Pistons would've owned a first-rounder if the Charlotte Hornets drew anywhere between first and eighth, according to Basketball Insiders.

So, of course, Charlotte ends up at No. 9:

The fact that this occurred on the same day that the franchise officially transitioned from the Bobcats to the Hornets only added to the fun in North Carolina.

Team president Rod Higgins put it succinctly, per Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer:

Plenty of talent should still be around at No. 9 for the Hornets to add either a ready-made contributor or a high-ceiling prospect who can blossom into a star.

The team took a big step forward in 2014, with head coach Steve Clifford transforming the Hornets radically on the defensive end.

If Charlotte can land an explosive scorer, then it could become a top-four team in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia 76ers

One of the more entertaining aspects of the lottery was Julius Erving's expression when the Philadelphia 76ers received the 10th overall pick. He must've forgotten that the Sixers still had another pick:

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Although Philly would've liked to get a top-two pick, staying in the top three is all that really mattered. As long as the 76ers can grab Embiid, Wiggins or Parker, all is well.

Philadelphia is essentially getting three first-round draft picks this year, when you count the returning Nerlens Noel.

Sixers fans haven't had many reasons to cheer over the last few years, but give credit to general manager Sam Hinkie and the team's front office. They had a long-term plan in mind, and they're following it to perfection.

As a result, the team is poised to become a contender in a few years.