Buds Board Keepers League

The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery gets underway later tonight, the Raptors currently have the 3rd overall pick, the process is as follows:

As of 2008, with 30 NBA teams, 16 qualify for the playoffs and the remaining 14 teams are entered in the draft lottery. These 14 teams are ranked in reverse order of their regular season record and are assigned the following number of chances

1. 250 combinations, 25.0% chance of receiving the #1 pick
2. 199 combinations, 19.9% chance
3. 156 combinations, 15.6% chance
4. 119 combinations, 11.9% chance
5. 88 combinations, 8.8% chance
6. 63 combinations, 6.3% chance
7. 43 combinations, 4.3% chance
8. 28 combinations, 2.8% chance
9. 17 combinations, 1.7% chance
10. 11 combinations, 1.1% chance
11. 8 combinations, 0.8% chance
12. 7 combinations, 0.7% chance
13. 6 combinations, 0.6% chance
14. 5 combinations, 0.5% chance

Simply put, the Raptors can draft as high as #1 overall, and as low as 6th overall (though this is highly unlikely, as three non top 3 teams would have to win the lottery).

The 2011 class as a whole is quite weak, particularly after the losses of: Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger. Still this draft contains one true impact player in PG, Kyrie Irving whom the Raps would have to finish first in the lottery to draft, or second if Washington wins the lottery, and a potential impact SF/PF in Derrick Williams. Needless to say, the hope is that the Raptors win one of the first two lottery spots tonight.

Draft Order Before the Lottery:

1.. Minnesota Timberwolves
2.. Cleveland Cavaliers
3.. Toronto Raptors
4.. Washington Wizards
5.. Sacramento Kings
6.. New Jersey Nets
7.. Detroit Pistons
8.. Los Angeles Clippers
9.. Charlotte Bobcats
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Houston Rockets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPP7pf2Ng3s[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KfE-fOB-9I[/youtube]

I see we have a lot of interest in the NBA in here....lol

We're winning the fucking lottery!! KYRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Also looks like BC is extended! I like the move..

bcool wroteCOLONAlso looks like BC is extended! I like the move..

He is one of the best in the business, we were not getting a better replacement manager, so I too love the move.

Back to the draft...If we can't get one of the top 2 players in this draft, I would hope we go after Enes Kanter. He is under sized for a 5, but coming into the year alot of scouts felt he had the advanced frame, IQ and athleticism to play the position effectively, aside from him I am intrigued by the scoring potential of Brandon Knight and quickness on defense.

bcool wroteCOLONWe're winning the fucking lottery!! KYRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I've been salivating at the possibility of drafting Irving or Jones since September. Needless to say I will lose my shit if we finish 1st, but with the Raps luck we will draft third, just outside of the impact player range.

MSP4LYFE wroteCOLON

bcool wroteCOLONWe're winning the fucking lottery!! KYRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I've been salivating at the possibility of drafting Irving or Jones since September. Needless to say I will lose my shit if we finish 1st, but with the Raps luck we will draft third, just outside of the impact player range.

I just hope we stay top 3. According to the percentages, it's most likely that we drop to the 4th position which would take us out of the Irving, Williams, or Kanter running.

What would we do at 4? Kemba Walker? Brandon Knight? Some Euro? Vesely? Valuniuscius? Trade down? Trade our pick outright? I'm not excited at all about this possibility.

MSP4LYFE wroteCOLONBack to the draft...If we can't get one of the top 2 players in this draft, I would hope we go after Enes Kanter. He is under sized for a 5, but coming into the year alot of scouts felt he had the advanced frame, IQ and athleticism to play the position effectively, aside from him I am intrigued by the scoring potential of Brandon Knight and quickness on defense.

Brandon Knight reminds me of Brandon Jennings..I'm not sure if that's the guy I want to be our PG of the future. I'm more intrigued with Kemba Walker, I think he'll be a better pro.

irving or bust!

Kemba Walker is 6'0, and that's being polite...Brandon Knight is the superior talent today, and is two years younger to boot. Brandon Jennings upside is not a bad thing, especially if you play him as a 2, but besides that, Brandon Knight is a much more gifted passer than Jennings, so I'm not entirely sure that comparison is valid. Kemba Walker on the other hand projects as an average to below average 1, who will struggle to defend against the taller guards in the game.

Frankly, the only thing Walker has on Knight is speed, and Knight is not a slow man.

bcool wroteCOLON

MSP4LYFE wroteCOLON

bcool wroteCOLONWe're winning the fucking lottery!! KYRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I've been salivating at the possibility of drafting Irving or Jones since September. Needless to say I will lose my shit if we finish 1st, but with the Raps luck we will draft third, just outside of the impact player range.

I just hope we stay top 3. According to the percentages, it's most likely that we drop to the 4th position which would take us out of the Irving, Williams, or Kanter running.

What would we do at 4? Kemba Walker? Brandon Knight? Some Euro? Vesely? Valuniuscius? Trade down? Trade our pick outright? I'm not excited at all about this possibility.

Outside of: Irving, Williams, Kanter and to a lesser degree Brandon Knight I have no interest in this class. Walker, and those two euros can go fuck themselves for all I care...

Raps finish 5th, which was is near the worst case scenario. I hate that Cleveland picks twice before we pick once, as if that wasn't rigged...

Fuck. So rigged.

the NBA turning into a complete joke is good for the NHL.

let them destroy their credibility (even more so).

the game of basketball as played in the NBA is flawed to begin with in my opinion based on how it's officiated. combine that with the donaghy thing and the fact that questionable shit like cleveland "winning" the lottery behind closed doors the year after they lose lebron seems to happen more in the NBA than any other professional league, and you have a shit show.

the majority of players are brainless and/or criminals
the officials are corrupt or at the very least play favourites/show bias
league officials have their hand in the lottery

the bullshit is at all levels in the NBA

The draft pool is getting more and more shallow each year since it seems the number of 1-and-dones in college increase and the number of 3 or 4 year players from top programs decrease. The NHL and MLB has the best draft systems in which you can draft a guy when they become a certain age but they don't have to immediately take the leap to the pros. In the NBA, you're drafting very immature and raw 19-year-olds with one year (or in the case of Irving, less than a year) of college playing experience. At least with the NHL, you have established pipelines set up with either pro leagues in Europe, junior hockey in Canada and the US along with major college hockey. Also, these players aren't as hard up for cash an NFL or NBA prospect might be. I'm sure there's a socioeconomic angle that can be drawn towards what makes the drafts in the NBA and NFL more risky than the MLB and NHL. The NBA has tried to globalize their game more and more because the draft pool gets weaker and weaker so a player that is European-trained can become an option more than before. Gone are the days when the best players in the draft were the guys that hung around college and truly refined their game. Now, players don't want to go to college and want the payday sooner rather than later. It in turn, hurts the college game because there are no more powerhouse programs anymore but it does make for a more unpredictable NCAA tournament each spring.

Shoalzie wroteCOLONThe draft pool is getting more and more shallow each year since it seems the number of 1-and-dones in college increase and the number of 3 or 4 year players from top programs decrease. The NHL and MLB has the best draft systems in which you can draft a guy when they become a certain age but they don't have to immediately take the leap to the pros. In the NBA, you're drafting very immature and raw 19-year-olds with one year (or in the case of Irving, less than a year) of college playing experience. At least with the NHL, you have established pipelines set up with either pro leagues in Europe, junior hockey in Canada and the US along with major college hockey. Also, these players aren't as hard up for cash an NFL or NBA prospect might be. I'm sure there's a socioeconomic angle that can be drawn towards what makes the drafts in the NBA and NFL more risky than the MLB and NHL. The NBA has tried to globalize their game more and more because the draft pool gets weaker and weaker so a player that is European-trained can become an option more than before. Gone are the days when the best players in the draft were the guys that hung around college and truly refined their game. Now, players don't want to go to college and want the payday sooner rather than later. It in turn, hurts the college game because there are no more powerhouse programs anymore but it does make for a more unpredictable NCAA tournament each spring.

There are a few false statements here, one, NBA draftees do not make more money than top slot MLB draftees, in fact it is not even close. Secondly, the draft has not been getting weaker and weaker, save for 2011 and 2006, there has been more than a few very strong classes. The increase of 'one and done' college players merely means the best players make it to the pros sooner (on average), it is important to note that before high school players were allowed to declare eligible for the draft, that is no longer the case. So all in all, it has averaged out on the whole.

And for the most part, the top college programs are still the top college programs...As long as colleges like: Duke, UNC, UCONN, KAN etc. have the money, prestige and history they will get their guys, and that has not changed.

anton wroteCOLONthe NBA turning into a complete joke is good for the NHL.

let them destroy their credibility (even more so).

the game of basketball as played in the NBA is flawed to begin with in my opinion based on how it's officiated. combine that with the donaghy thing and the fact that questionable shit like cleveland "winning" the lottery behind closed doors the year after they lose lebron seems to happen more in the NBA than any other professional league, and you have a shit show.

the majority of players are brainless and/or criminals
the officials are corrupt or at the very least play favourites/show bias
league officials have their hand in the lottery

the bullshit is at all levels in the NBA

The officiating issues are overstated, it has existed in basketball for a long time, I am not sure why it would be a bigger issue now than it was before. Star players get the benefit of the doubt more often than not, and players with a history will get the short end of the stick, the same holds true in baseball, soccer, and increasingly so in hockey. The only real exception in my mind is football. That said, I completely agree with you in regards to the lottery and FA/Cap System, it is such that the big markets will always be good, and the smaller markets need to get very lucky in the draft to have any kind of impact, and even then they have a smaller window because of the increased movement of players from smaller to bigger markets in FA.

However, there is a lockout upcoming, and from talking to people who are involved in the game, it is my understanding that the owners will be fighting tooth and nail for a hard cap, somewhere in the neighborhood of seventy million, which will make a ginormous difference in the way the game is managed currently.