NBA Lottery-Tonight's the night!

[BloopOracle]

Tonight is when all our dreams come true, we have a 5.3% chance of winning it all and roughly a 19% of placing in the top 3. even the #3 slot would be an absolute boon this year so let's hope Wiggins brings us luck!

There is some extra drama for the Lakers tonight, they might have more riding on this lottery than any other team in NBA history in terms of potential picks lost. If they don't place in the top 3 they lose their pick and their 2019 picks no matter where it lands! Let's hope it happens

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Why do you want LA to lose its pick?

Personally, I don't care much either way, but I admire the fact that when all signs pointed to "tank" they really went out there and competed down the stretch. Plus I think Luke Walton is a generally good guy. Having some experience with this because of the Joe Smith fiasco, I wouldn't wish that on anybody, and I think it would be pretty hard on a franchise to lose two first rounders like that.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for luck, but no matter what happens, I just hope we end up with a good player out of the deal. I think there are some good players in this draft, and if Thibs trades it, we could get a good player too. And if we get really lucky with a high pick, it wouldn't be crazy to think we could potentially land a star via trade.

[BloopOracle]

I think they do a garbage job honoring George Mikan inside Staples Center but yet have no problem raising the trophies he won to the sky and claiming the as their own so I am always fond when they do bad

[Coolbreeze44]

Just stay in the top 7. That should happen.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Why do you want LA to lose its pick?

Personally, I don't care much either way, but I admire the fact that when all signs pointed to "tank" they really went out there and competed down the stretch. Plus I think Luke Walton is a generally good guy. Having some experience with this because of the Joe Smith fiasco, I wouldn't wish that on anybody, and I think it would be pretty hard on a franchise to lose two first rounders like that.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for luck, but no matter what happens, I just hope we end up with a good player out of the deal. I think there are some good players in this draft, and if Thibs trades it, we could get a good player too. And if we get really lucky with a high pick, it wouldn't be crazy to think we could potentially land a star via trade.

No. The Lakers blatantly tanked this season as it progressed. They were never in any serious jeopardy of falling outside the top 3.

Sure. They won 5 games in a row very late in the season. But the important thing to note is that they were already entrenched in the top 3... yet not quite able to out-tank Phoenix.

After a .500 start... they went 11 - 45 during the heart of the schedule while benching or trading vets... and by putting in Ron Artest to gun them out of games in 4th quarters.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Why do you want LA to lose its pick?

Personally, I don't care much either way, but I admire the fact that when all signs pointed to "tank" they really went out there and competed down the stretch. Plus I think Luke Walton is a generally good guy. Having some experience with this because of the Joe Smith fiasco, I wouldn't wish that on anybody, and I think it would be pretty hard on a franchise to lose two first rounders like that.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for luck, but no matter what happens, I just hope we end up with a good player out of the deal. I think there are some good players in this draft, and if Thibs trades it, we could get a good player too. And if we get really lucky with a high pick, it wouldn't be crazy to think we could potentially land a star via trade.

No. The Lakers blatantly tanked this season as it progressed. They were never in any serious jeopardy of falling outside the top 3.

Sure. They won 5 games in a row very late in the season. But the important thing to note is that they were already entrenched in the top 3... yet not quite able to out-tank Phoenix.

After a .500 start... they went 11 - 45 during the heart of the schedule while benching or trading vets... and by putting in Ron Artest to gun them out of games in 4th quarters.

Did they suck? Yes. Did they tank? Ehhh, sort of, they sat some vets, but I think it's more like they came back down to what their talent actually suggested. That team was never as good as their start suggested. And yes, in my book, that 5 straight wins in the last stretch definitely counts for something.

Besides. Look at our history of soft tanking. Hell, you could argue we've been soft tanking just about every year for about a decade! And then there's Mark Madsen. I don't think we can really point fingers on tanking. So yeah, I don't get the Laker hating.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I'd rather the Sixers get the pick to potentially strengthen the East a lot more than to have the pick stay in the West and potentially put another road block in our way.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I think they do a garbage job honoring George Mikan inside Staples Center but yet have no problem raising the trophies he won to the sky and claiming the as their own so I am always fond when they do bad

I'm with you, Bloop...always cheer for the Lakers to fail. I'll never get over the bitterness of the Lakers moving to LA, and then keeping the name despite the absence of even one lake in LA. Yes, I like Kerr too, but my dislike for the Lakers is permanent. My perfect night tonight would be for the Wolves to get one of the top three spots, thereby costing LA their pick. That would be a home run!

[SameOldNudityDrew]

I think they do a garbage job honoring George Mikan inside Staples Center but yet have no problem raising the trophies he won to the sky and claiming the as their own so I am always fond when they do bad

I'm with you, Bloop...always cheer for the Lakers to fail. I'll never get over the bitterness of the Lakers moving to LA, and then keeping the name despite the absence of even one lake in LA. Yes, I like Kerr too, but my dislike for the Lakers is permanent. My perfect night tonight would be for the Wolves to get one of the top three spots, thereby costing LA their pick. That would be a home run!

LST I knew you were old, but you're old enough to have bitterness over something that happened in 1958?!? I thought I was one of the geezers around here!

[AbeVigodaLive]

Why do you want LA to lose its pick?

Personally, I don't care much either way, but I admire the fact that when all signs pointed to "tank" they really went out there and competed down the stretch. Plus I think Luke Walton is a generally good guy. Having some experience with this because of the Joe Smith fiasco, I wouldn't wish that on anybody, and I think it would be pretty hard on a franchise to lose two first rounders like that.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for luck, but no matter what happens, I just hope we end up with a good player out of the deal. I think there are some good players in this draft, and if Thibs trades it, we could get a good player too. And if we get really lucky with a high pick, it wouldn't be crazy to think we could potentially land a star via trade.

No. The Lakers blatantly tanked this season as it progressed. They were never in any serious jeopardy of falling outside the top 3.

Sure. They won 5 games in a row very late in the season. But the important thing to note is that they were already entrenched in the top 3... yet not quite able to out-tank Phoenix.

After a .500 start... they went 11 - 45 during the heart of the schedule while benching or trading vets... and by putting in Ron Artest to gun them out of games in 4th quarters.

Did they suck? Yes. Did they tank? Ehhh, sort of, they sat some vets, but I think it's more like they came back down to what their talent actually suggested. That team was never as good as their start suggested. And yes, in my book, that 5 straight wins in the last stretch definitely counts for something.

Besides. Look at our history of soft tanking. Hell, you could argue we've been soft tanking just about every year for about a decade! And then there's Mark Madsen. I don't think we can really point fingers on tanking. So yeah, I don't get the Laker hating.

I am almost certain nobody has ripped the Wolves for the Mark Madsen game more than me. For me, it remains one of the most insulting moments in modern NBA history. I mention it often here.

Even if I didn't, it wouldn't marginalize my take on the Lakers tanking. I'm not alone. One cursory look around the internet would garner dozens of articles about it.

The Lakers doled out $136M for two guys they inexplicably shut down even though they were healthy because the #3 spot was in serious jeopardy. The one thing they must not have counted on in its quest for the lottery... the Suns shutting its best player down for the final few weeks. So that allowed the Suns to hold them off for #2 and 9% better odds tonight.