In a 17-13 vote in favor of a reform of the NBA Lottery system, the proposal fell six votes short of the required 23 needed to pass. The decision was somewhat unexpected, the NBA league office reported they expected little to no opposition to the proposal that would discourage teams from throwing away their season in hopes of getting the number one draft pick.
Currently, the lottery system is set up so that the team with the worst record has a 25% chance of getting the number one pick, followed by the second worst team with a 19.9 percent chance, and the third worst team with a 15.6 percent chance and so on. The reform, if passed, would have considerably cut those odds and distributed those chances fairly evenly among the lottery teams, giving the bottom four teams an even chance of roughly eleven percent.
The vote to not change the system will be crippling to the competitive nature, or therefore lack of competitiveness, to the game.
According to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, NBA owners may be trying to avoid “unintended consequences” by not pushing the reform through. Whatever the reason may be, tanking will still be a damper to the sport and sucking all of the life out of certain team’s seasons (sorry eastern conference fans).
In an unexpected turnout, Chicago and Washington, both larger markets, voted against the reform while Sacramento, a considerably smaller market was all for reform. Prior to the vote, the league was under the impression that the only opposition would be from Philadelphia, a “larger market with small market tactics”.
“I don’t necessarily disagree with the way it works now,” Silver said in a post-vote press conference. “I’d say from a personal standpoint, what I’m most concerned about is perception out there right now and frankly the pressure on a lot of our teams, even from their very fans, to somehow underperform because it’s in some peoples’ view the most efficient and quickest way to get better.”
The Philadelphia 76ers and their infamous owner Sam Hinkie, who have been scrutinized for their tanking strategy, had come to terms with the idea of the reform passing. Hinkie, whose philosophy for the Sixers in recent years was to lose, lose, lose, to eventually be competitive “in a few years or so”, will continue to be the game plan under the lottery’s current system.
In a post Allen Iverson era, Sixers fans, those that are left, are expected to keep waiting for wins. Although the Sixers have a very aggressive tanking agenda, the last time they had a first pick was in ‘96.
Despite questionable lottery antics that gave the Cavs the number one pick three out of the last four years, the recent lotto picks have been good to Philly; last year they picked up Kansas center Joel Embiid. The year before brought Syracuse point guard and Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams to the ‘Sixers, and since then the roster has been blessed with Nerlens Noel and European player Dario Saric. Some would even venture to say the Sixers are building a “Big 3,” pretty bold of a prediction for a team that aspires to lose, but to each his own.
The decision to not reform the lottery system has others around the league biting their tongue. Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, visibly frustrated with the vote, decided to withhold his comments knowing they would most likely lead to a hefty fine for criticism.
Expect to hear talk of the reform come back around soon with new terms and less “risk” for smaller market teams that thrive to be next year’s number one pick. A reform to the system is nearly inescapable, but when and under what terms are still to be disputed.
But who knows? Maybe this season the Sixers will give the oddly stacked and competitive Cleveland Cavs a run for their money. Maybe the eastern conference teams will see the competitive nature fans have been longing for. Or maybe it will be another long, sad, tanking season. That is probably more likely after all.
