2011 NBA Draft Lottery: Winners and Losers
The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery produced three big winners and three losers. Only the top three picks are effected by the lottery, but what a stir they caused.
This lottery may have reshaped the NBA and restored some hope in a city that may have thought it would never recover.
Let's take a look at the big winners and losers, starting with the biggest winner, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Winner: Cleveland Cavalier
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have a new hero. Nick Gilbert, 14-year old son of owner Dan Gilbert, was the good luck charm that scored the Cavs the No. 1 overall pick.
To make things better, they maintain the fourth overall pick as well. The Cavs are far and away the biggest winners here. They may land a top notch point guard as well as another great talent.
Peyton Hillis getting on the cover Madden may have been step one in resurrecting a sports culture.
Loser: Toronto Raptors
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The Raptors had the third most combinations in the lottery. If everything would have went as planned, they end up with the third pick.
They got leap frogged, which is the last thing you want to happen during the lottery. If everything goes as planned, nobody walks away all that disappointed. Now, rather than potentially ending up with Derrick Williams, they could draft Kawhi Leonard.
Winner: Minnesota Timberwolves
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The Timberwolves ended up with the second overall pick. They had the most combinations, but it's hard to be upset that they didn't score the top spot.
They get the second pick in the draft and should have a hard time screwing it up. That should be a relief for Minnesota fans, who probably feel as though draft day is some distasteful annual practical joke.
Loser: Sacramento Kings
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The Kings got jumped in the lottery...twice. The Wizards are in the same boat they are, but the Kings lost more. They probably went in with the hope of coming away with Kyrie Irving, but probably expected Kemba Walker to be available to them when they draft.
Now, they might miss out on the chance to bring in Walker as well. There is a huge difference in drafting fifth and seventh. Good news for Sacramento? They probably will only endure one more year of witnessing a team constantly involved in the lottery.
Winner: Utah Jazz
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The Jazz jumped all the way up from the sixth pick into the third spot. That's huge and gives them a lot more flexibility to do what they want. They probably won't have a chance to bring in Derrick Williams or Kyrie Irving, but everyone else is fair game.
The Jazz will likely have a shot at the best big man in the entire draft. They could go a number of different directions and they have the ping pong ball gods to thank for that.
Loser: Detroit Pistons
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The Pistons were probably praying it was the Cavs 4th pick that jumped into the top three, rather than the Cavs' 8th pick.
The Pistons didn't just miss out on their opportunity to land a top three pick, they also got skipped over. Selecting 8th could be the difference between landing the prospect they want and being one pick late.
The Pistons are in desperate need of a young superstar to help them return to the glory that was once prevalent in Detroit. The Wizards were a candidate for this spot as well, but they already landed a top flight point guard, have an earlier pick and are well into the process of rebuilding. The Pistons are still falling apart.
