Not getting ahead of ourselves here, but eight times in the last 15 years, a team with the fifth worst record or lower has won the overall #1, producing Kenyon Martin, Yao Ming, Andrew Bogut, Andrea Bargnani, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Kyrie Irving. So if the Nets win the lottery Wednesday, would they keep it, pick Anthony Davis or trade it for Dwight Howard?
You can call this our Draft Lottery preview where we offer positive reinforcement for those optimistic fans. The Draft Lottery will be a big deal for the franchise and there is some reason for hope: In eight of the last 15 drafts, and in four of the last five, a team that finished with the 5th worst record or lower vaulted into overall #1.
Starting shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday night, the heat will be on. The Miami Heat may be on at 8:30. We're talking about the Draft and Billy King. As King has said, after the Draft Lottery is when everyone will know the draft order and when everyone will be able to see who's got what and start making phone calls.
The teams and times have been set for Wednesday's Draft Lottery, with an ESPN pre-lottery show to begin at 7 p.m. and the actually lottery countdown an hour later. The Lottery is being held at ABC's Times Square Studios.
The biggest surprise statistically of the Nets Combine was Zach Rosen's speed. The Ivy League Player of the Year recorded one of the fastest times of any player timed at an NBA combine, only a "a fraction of a second slower than Derrick Rose." Other surprises included Jae Crowder's height, listed at 6'6" by Marquette, but less than 6'4" in reality.
Twice during Sunday's Nets Combine, Tony Mitchell took a pass in the open court and flushed it with a reverse dunk. The 6'6" Alabama swingman with a 39" vertical was probably the most talented player at the two-day combine and one the Nets have their eye on, but may wind up in the second round because problems dealing with his coach at 'Bama.
The Nets calendar finally gets interesting. Over the next two weeks, the Nets will have their first ever free agent mini-camp, start individual workouts, learn whether they will have a top three pick (and the #60 pick), and participate in another mass workout in Minneapolis.
The second day of the Nets Combine open Sunday morning, with another group of 22 in house to impress the NBA GM's and scouts from Boston to L.A. And the basketball operations types won't just be talking talent, says Billy King. They may be talking Draft Night trades.
Deron Williams and Brook Lopez both made appearances at the Nets Combine Saturday with Williams watching the whole first session of the mass workout while seated with Billy King and Bobby Marks. Neither Williams nor Lopez spoke with the media, but Billy King did. In particular, King said that while Lopez's recovery remains on track, he is not permitted running or jumping
Donte Poole is not on anyone's mock draft, but the 6'3" shooting guard from Murray State is in New Jersey Saturday morning, hoping that his play at the Nets mass workout will earn him individual workouts with one or more of the 30 teams whose scouts will be sitting behind two rows of tables at the PNY Center.
