Results From 2007 NBA Draft Lottery Show

By David
Kaye

Tonight's selection show to determine what pick each of the fourteen non-playoff teams would have was full of surprises and intrigue.

It looks like losing purposely to win the Greg Oden or Kevin Durant sweepstakes did not pane out for Boston or Memphis who will have the fifth and fourth selections respectively in next month's NBA draft.

The Portland Trail Blazers, who finished 32-50 last season and played to win each and every night were rewarded with the number one pick in the draft. The second pick is staying in the Northwest as the Seattle Supersonics secured the second overall pick in June 28th's draft.

It now appears that Ohio State phenom Greg Oden will be joining Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy, point guard Jarrett Jack and forward Zack Randolph to bring a winning ball club back to Portland. With last year's acquisition of LaMarcus Aldridge and the soon to be selection of Oden, Nate McMillan and his team have a formidable front court that has the potential to reek havoc on Western Conference opponents for the next 10-15 years.

Not only are the Blazers not a push over anymore, they are a team that can compete for a playoff spot in the ardent Western Conference next season. I'm smelling early season honors for Nate McMillan, former leader in Seattle, for the Coach of the Year award.

Ironically, the ping pong balls played many tricks on fans, the media and every club in the draft lottery. It was a consciences, almost a guarantee as ESPN analyst Jon Barry put it that the Celtics and Grizzlies would have the first two picks. When NBA deputy commissioner Larry Silver pulled out of the envelope the C's logo with the fifth overall pick I was stunned.

Based on the odds, it seemed much more likely that Boston with a 19.9% chance or Memphis with a 25% opportunity would secure the number one overall pick. There was no conceivable way that the Blazers, with a 5.3% chance of winning the lottery, could win the rights to a franchise player like Greg Oden or Freshman of the Year Kevin Durant.

One notable club that has a lot to be thankful for are the Chicago Bulls, who advanced to the second-round of the playoffs and are now the proud owners of the ninth pick in the draft.
Their good fortune is due to the stupidity of Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas who traded for the services of Eddy Curry several seasons ago.

Other teams that made out very well with their draft position include: the Atlanta Hawks with pick number three, the Charlotte Bobcats at pick number eight and the Milwaukee Bucks at pick number six.