The race for the most ping pong balls

I kinda like Willis Wilnum...........

Just read this on Langlois' blog about the current lottery system and thought it sounds like a good idea:

Maybe there’s no need to tinker with the system, as plenty of the outraged suggest every year when lottery teams rest stars with mysterious ailments in the season’s final weeks. But here’s a modest suggestion: Instead of tying the odds to place in the standings, tie them to win totals. If that were the case, Cleveland with its 21 wins and No. 3 slot wouldn’t go into the lottery with roughly nine times the odds to win the No. 1 pick and eight times the odds to pull a top-three pick as the Pistons with their 25 wins.

The Pistons won less than 20 percent more games than Cleveland did. The lottery odds should reflect that margin of disparity. Instead they reward the Cavs as if they had just come off a three-win season relative to the Pistons’ 25 wins. It would be relatively easy to devise a formula that carves up the lottery odds on such a games-won basis.

It seems that it would certainly level the allocation of lottery balls.

What if Stern just personally selected the draft order with the goal of optimizing fairness and overall fan enjoyment? Who here is against fairness or enjoyment?

Hypothetically speaking:

- If everything plays out as expected; Is #9 + a 2nd rounder enough to trade up a few spots?

- Would you trade Brandon Knight and #9 to move into the top 3?

I think this idea would actually encourage tanking even more. Washington has been locked into the #2 spot for quite a while. Over the last 10 games, though, they went 8-2. If probabilities were based on wins, there is no way they would have gone 8-2. That would have cost them a lot of ping pong balls.

I would keep Brandon Knight. He is part of the next Pistons championship team.

The Pistons have #39 and #44. Perhaps one of these paired with #9 could help move up a couple of spots?

With two of the first 14 picks in the 2nd round, perhaps the Pistons find another gem.

MKG would be nice around 4 or 5.

If we get a top ten 1st round and two top half second rounders, I will take that combo every time over swapping multiple picks and a possible solid point guard to move up just a few spots in a murky draft.

We take John Henson, Sullinger, or whatever big man comes up in the 8-10 and isn't already taken (even if we take a gamble). Maybe Dumars gets another diamond, maybe not. But the chances are overwhelmingly in our favour that we pick up a serviceable player. The second round picks might get us another JJ, which I would be totally cool with.

Bang on. Why trade potential and skill that is tangible, for the possibility of a better draft pick? This isn't 2003. You don't give up everything for the first pick.

Under the system suggested by Langlois though, the gain in balls for say going 2-8 would not be as much as currently, by jumping a spot. Going from 2nd to 1st currently is a jump of 5.1%, but under the wins-system I couldn't see the increase being 5.1% on a 6 win diffence in an 82 game season. It also would depend on how other teams have gone in that stretch, and of course the formula used.

It also does not unduely penalise those teams still going for wins down the stetch (Pistons) by them sliding down one or two spots by one or two wins as their resulting ball numbers will be more closely correlated.

Of course it wont irradicate tanking completely, but in essence, I think it is a much better system.

I should have qualified that better by saying "if there was someone who emerged above and beyond the other guys who was going to get snagged a couple of picks before the Pistons".

I agree that giving away an early 2nd rounder to move up a couple of spots probably isn't that good of an idea.

Irregardless, I'll be tuning in on lottery night hoping to NOT hear the Pistons name called until later in the broadcast. If we're not called at #10 or #9, it's going to be a great day for Detroit fans!

That would involve letting an asset walk, so I don't see it happening.

I personally don't believe that Brandon Knight will be a starting PG for a future Championship team. I hope I'm wrong, but the odds aren't great of winning another Championship in the next 15 years just based purely on the number of teams in the league.

I'd be happy if this team made it to the ECF within the next 5 years...............

well if they get picks in the 5-10 range all the time, which will let the good young players walk (or do you honestly think Monroe is here to stay if the team remains mediocre) as soon as their contract is up, I don't see that happening

If JD has some wiggles room with the cap, we could hope to pick up a quality free agent.
When we let Flip go.........I figured 10 years before we'd get to .500 bball......
Sooner would be nice.........

I first read this as "I'd be happy if this team made it to the ECF for the next 5 years"