A Royal Pain
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NBA Draft Lottery 2017: Is it rigged?

By Tyler Watts

Feb 4, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) and Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) guard each other during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. UCLA won 107-66. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) and Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) guard each other during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. UCLA won 107-66. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives against Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives against Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

2008 Lucky Bulls Victory

In the 2008 NBA Draft lottery, the improbable happened.  The Chicago Bulls finished with the ninth-worst record that season and had just a 1.7% chance of winning the lottery.  The winner had the right to select Chicago-native Derrick Rose, and magically the Bulls win the lottery with those small odds.  Sure, I have a chance to win that Powerball drawing every Saturday, but I never do, and yet, the Chicago Bulls win the lottery with a less than two percent chance when their hometown kid is going to the first overall pick.  That seems like slightly more than a coincidence to me.

Luck or More in Cleveland

The Cleveland Cavaliers are perhaps the luckiest team in the NBA.  They have found themselves in the lottery seven times since 2003 and have won the lottery an improbable three times in that span.  Let us take a look at each case to examine further.

2003: LeBron James Experience

In 2003, the NBA Draft was the talk of every town.  It has turned into a historically great class featuring Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, but the first overall pick was LeBron James.  James from Cleveland and touted as perhaps the best high school player ever.  The Cavs did have the worst record and the best odds to select first overall, but the fact that they won the year a hometown kid was projected to be the top pick appears to be a trend.

2013: Floundering with LeBron

Flash forward to 2013 and Cleveland once again wins the lottery.  James had bolted for Miami a few years earlier, and the Cavs were struggling.  They had the third worst record and a 15.6% chance of securing the top pick, and they pull it off again.  The selection of Anthony Bennet was a total bust, though.

2014: The improbable happens again

The next year the lottery rolls around again, and the Cavs are back in the lottery.  James would announce he was coming home two months later, so no guarantees there yet.  The Cavs did have a busted pick the year before, and the NBA knew James in Cleveland would mean big dollars for a city that struggled to sell in his absence.  The Cavs needed to have pieces though, so with just a 1.7% chance of winning the lottery, Cleveland is selected again.  If any of the lotteries were rigged, it was this one.  LeBron James probably does not return home this season if Andrew Wiggins is not selected.  That pick made the Kevin Love trade to Cleveland happen and propelled the current Cavaliers’ run.  This one smelled fishy from the moment they announced the Cavaliers had the pick to this observer.

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