
NBA Draft Lottery Odds 2011: Who Has the Best Shot at the No. 1 Pick?
The NBA draft lottery will be held tomorrow night, and every team that did not make the NBA playoffs will have a team representative present.
Last year the Washington Wizards were awarded the No. 1 overall selection and used it on John Wall.
This year, there are two players that are leading the charge as potential No. 1 overall picks: Arizona forward Derrick Williams and Duke point guard Kyrie Irving.
Tomorrow night may be the deciding factor to determine who goes No. 1 overall. Here are the chances each team has of winning the draft lottery, according to AOL Sporting News.
Minnesota Timberwolves
1 of 12
Odds of Winning: 25 percent
The Minnesota Timberwolves have the best chance of winning the draft lottery after finishing last season with the worst record in the NBA.
If they were to win the lottery, there has been a strong belief that they will select Derrick Williams to play down low with Kevin Love. However, don't rule out the chance of them selecting Kyrie Irving and dealing the talented Ricky Rubio out of town.
Cleveland Cavaliers
2 of 12
Odds of Winning: 21.7 percent
The Cleveland Cavaliers have two selections in the lottery, one of which is their own (which has a 19.9 percent chance) and the other that came from the LA Clippers (2.2 percent chance of winning).
That leave the Cavaliers with the slim possibility of landing two picks in the top three. How crazy would that be?
Cavaliers fans would go crazy if they landed the first two picks and selected both Irving and Williams. In all honesty, they may deserve it after the LeBron James fiasco.
Toronto Raptors
3 of 12
Odds of Winning: 15.6 percent
Anyone noticing a trend here? Two of the worst three teams in the NBA lost their superstar player to the Miami Heat last offseason.
The Raptors desperately need a player like Kyrie Irving to come in and run their offense. They have a lot of young talent, but Irving may be the guy that can help that talent get over the top.
Washington Wizards
4 of 12
Odds of Winning: 11.9 percent
Seeing the Wizards land the No. 1 pick two years in a row would be absurd, but crazier things have happened.
Pairing John Wall with Derrick Williams would be a lethal duo, and Washington may quickly become a trendy pick to land Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard next season if the Magic are unable to keep him.
Landing the No. 1 overall pick would easily make Washington one of the most talented young teams in the NBA.
Sacramento Kings
5 of 12
Odds of Winning: 7.6 percent
The Kings may need to win this draft lottery more than any other team in the entire NBA. They were rumored to be on the move to Anaheim for much of this season but now appear to be staying put in Sacramento.
If the city of Sacramento wants to keep this team for much longer, the franchise may need to land a star like Derrick Williams who can bring some much-needed excitement to town.
Utah Jazz
6 of 12
Odds of Winning: 8.2 percent
Like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Utah Jazz have two picks eligible in the lottery. Their own pick accounts for only a 0.7 percent chance at the No. 1 selection, while the pick they received from New Jersey in the Deron Williams trade accounts for the remaining 7.5 percent.
Utah would be one team that would be tough to project if it received the No. 1 overall pick. It has a lot of talent on the inside and has Devin Harris running the point position.
Both Williams and Irving would make sense, though, and the Jazz would likely be a playoff contender if they received one of the first three selections.
Detroit Pistons
7 of 12
Odds of Winning: 4.3 percent
The Detroit Pistons have likely been the most disappointing team in the NBA the past two seasons. After acquiring Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon in free agency, the Pistons have tanked to become one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit needs to get younger in a hurry, so it desperately needs to make the most of this year's draft. If the Pistons don't come out with one of the first three picks in this year's draft, it may be difficult to turn this team around anytime in the next two years.
Charlotte Bobcats
8 of 12
Odds of Winning: 2.8 percent
It would be amusing to see the Charlotte Bobcats secure the No. 1 overall pick just to see what Michael Jordan would do with the pick.
Will he pick the star PG from his rival school or the big man from Arizona? The team really needs a PG like Kyrie Irving, as it really struggled after losing Raymond Felton in free agency.
It would just be interesting to see just how biased Jordan is against Duke University.
Milwaukee Bucks
9 of 12
Odds of Winning: 1.1 percent
The Milwaukee Bucks are always on the verge of making the playoffs but always seem to struggle down the stretch.
They could really use a player like Derrick Williams on the inside to complement Brandon Jennings.
Pairing Williams with Andrew Bogut on the interior would finally be enough to push this team back into the NBA playoffs.
Golden State Warriors
10 of 12
Odds of Winning: 0.8 percent
The Golden State Warriors are a team that is on the rise in the Western Conference. They score a ton of points but really need to bring in a defensive presence.
If the Warriors were to shock the world and land the No. 1 overall pick, they would likely select Derrick Williams, who could be a force defensively on the interior while improving their rebounding as well.
Phoenix Suns
11 of 12
Odds of Winning: 0.6 percent
The Phoenix Suns are reaching the end of the line. They need a PG to replace Steve Nash and a PF to replace what they were missing when Amar'e Stoudemire left for New York.
The best bet for the Suns may be to select Kyrie Irving and trade Nash. They could likely acquire a first-round pick in next year's draft, which will be one of the deepest drafts ever.
Houston Rockets
12 of 12
Odds of Winning: 0.5 percent
I would probably bet my life savings that the Houston Rockets will not win the draft lottery, but then again, who wouldn't?
The Rockets really don't need Derrick Williams, as they already have Luis Scola, and they traded for Goran Dragic to be their future PG.
However, I think Kyrie Irving would be too much to pass up if the Rockets were to land the No. 1 overall pick, and they would likely pair him and Dragic to create a lethal duo.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report to follow all NBA Draft Lottery news, including updated 2011 NBA Mock Drafts and immediate reaction and analysis to the updated NBA Draft Order.









