Nets May Have Lost More Than Just #1 Pick In The 2010 NBA Draft
It was all setting up so nicely for the New Jersey Nets - LeBron James suffers a second straight humiliating playoff loss, new Billionaire owner pledging to spend money for a winner, buddy Jay-Z owning a minority share of the team, and super prospect John Wall likely headed to town with the #1 overall pick.
Well, something happened along the way to “King James bliss” for the Nets – The NBA Draft Lottery. The Nets had a 25% chance (the highest amongst the 14 teams) of landing the #1 overall pick. Instead of having perhaps the final piece needed to lure LBJ to New Jersey from Cleveland, the Nets watched as the “Ping-Pong Gods” smiled upon the Washington Wizards.
Those who root for the Nets (insert punch-line here) have to be feeling just a little cheated by the Draft Lottery format. I, for one, can’t say I blame them. No other major sport has such a system, only the NBA leaves the draft fate of its worst franchise to chance.
Despite efforts to “weight” the process in favor of the worst team, 2010 makes the seventh year in a row that the #1 selection in the 2010 NBA Draft has failed to go to the team with the worst record. Some would argue that the Lottery prevents bad teams from simply “tanking” with the hopes of gaining the top pick because there is no guarantee of them getting said pick.
While I don’t deny the possibility of teams giving less than maximum effort late in the season with the hopes of bettering their draft position, I do believe the NBA Draft Lottery has outworn its usefulness. From all accounts, the New Jersey Nets nearly historical ineptness was a result of injury and inexperience, not effort. As a matter of fact, this Nets roster with Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian, and Chris Douglas-Roberts has plenty of promising young talent. Now imagine the possibilities had they won the Draft Lottery, selected Wall and eventually convinced LeBron to come aboard!
New Jersey has always been thought to be the long shot in the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes, so not having another bullet in the chamber has to be a bitter pill to swallow. In a couple of months or so, LeBron will make his decision – if New Jersey ends up not being the new home of the King, the Nets and their fans may look back on the 2010 NBA Lottery and think “what could have been?”
