One of Nets fans' biggest fears is that on Draft Night, they'll hear David Stern call out, "With the fourth pick in the NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select..." Of course, that's just Blazer fans want to hear.
As of now, not happening.
Because of the complexity of the Draft, that is, the league's desire to keep the proceedings as fair as possible and avoid tanking, there are different outcomes for the Nets and Blazers. The Nets' pick, sent to Portland in the Gerald Wallace trade, is protected top three. But for the Blazers, where it falls is a different story.
That's fine, writes Tom Ziller, as long it's not justifying what he still believes is "a dumb trade."
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Framing The Nets' Dumb Gerald Wallace Trade - Tom Ziller - SB Nation
Right now, the Nets have the 7th worst record.
Only the top 3 picks are drawn in the lottery, and the rest fall into place in order of teams' regular season record.
So, if the Nets don't get one of the top 3, it's impossible under any circumstances for the Blazers to get #4, #5, or #6.
Best case for the Blazers, only teams with worse records get the top three picks and the Blazers get #7. Worst case, three teams with better records get the top 3 picks (jump ahead of them) and the Blazers get #10.
So, the only current possibilities are #1, #2, #3 for the Nets; #7, #8, #9 and #10 for the Blazers.
If the Nets pass Detroit and Golden State in the standings, they'll have the 9th worst record and the pick will essentially be protected #1 - #8. Only possibilities would be #1, #2, #3 for the Nets; #9, #10, #11 and #12 for the Blazers
Bottom line, Wherever you are in the lottery, you have only three possibilities:
1. Move up to #1, #2 or #3.
2. Stay where you are.
3. Move down one, two or three spots.