The NBA has announced who will be sitting on the dais representing the 14 teams for Tuesday’s draft lottery. Here’s who’s coming to New York and, in some cases, who we think would be a better choice than the designated representative. Teams are listed in order of those that have the best chance of winning the lottery to those that have the worst chance.
Minnesota – Owner Glen Taylor will be on hand for the Timberwolves, who are the favorites to win the No. 1 pick after winning only 16 games this past season. But that almost never happens. Anyway, they should have sent Mr. T-Wolf, Kevin Garnett. Then again, there’s no telling if the Big Ticket would be OK meeting with the media after the results came in.
Knicks – Team president Phil Jackson should have swallowed his pride and owned the franchise’s historically bad, 17-win season by sitting on the dais. But he wouldn’t be caught dead at this event. So the team is sending GM Steve Mills in hopes that he’s lucky and that the franchise takes home the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since getting all-time great Patrick Ewing in 1985.
Philadelphia – Nerlens Noel is the rep. Who? During another terrible season, the always-rebuilding Sixers are having their power forward, who had a good season after sitting out his first season with the club because of a knee injury. The Sixers would have put some juice into this event if they had decided to send Allen Iverson, their former superstar who isn’t very busy these days.
Lakers – The Lakers just completed their worst season since moving to Los Angeles in 1960, winning only 21 games. Coach Byron Scott will come to New York, but they should be sending Kobe Bryant. He’s nearing the end of his illustrious career and his reaction to winning or sliding down in the draft order would be priceless.
Orlando – The Magic are no strangers to the draft lottery, once getting one of the all-time grand prizes in the drawing when they won it in 1992 and ending up with Shaquille O’Neal. Next week the team’s chief executive officer, Alex Martins, will be on the dais. But they should have had sent long-time executive Pat Williams, who represented the team when they went home with the pick that brought them O’Neal.
Sacramento – The Kings had their hearts broken in 2009 when they came in with the worst record but fell to No. 4. So instead of getting the pick to take Blake Griffin, who has been the MVP of the 2015 playoffs for the L.A. Clippers, they ended up with Tyreke Evans, who is no longer with the team. They’re sending Vlade Divac, their former center and owner Vivek Ranadive’s new top basketball executive.
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Denver – The Nuggets have never won the lottery and have never finished higher than No. 3 in the drawing since it started in 1985. In 2003, the No. 3 pick got them Carmelo Anthony, two picks after the Cavs got the top prize in LeBron James. They’ll be represented by team president Josh Kroenke, son of team owner Stan Kroenke.
Detroit – We’d pay money to have Stan Van Gundy, the team’s president and coach, sit on the dais. He’s never shy about expressing his opinions. But when the Pistons make their seventh straight appearance in the lottery next week, they’ll be sending Jeff Bower, their general manager.
Charlotte – The Hornets should be sending owner/NBA icon Michael Jordan, but he’s probably off playing golf somewhere. Even Brooklyn native Lance Stephenson would be a good choice, but they could be worried that Stephenson might blow in the ear of the team representative sitting next to him. So they’re playing it safe by sending forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who went to Charlotte in 2012 with the No. 2 pick. Trouble is, New Orleans won the drawing and came away with Anthony Davis, everybody’s choice to be a future MVP.
Miami – We didn’t expect to see Pat Riley, Miami’s president, on the dais, and he’s not coming to New York. Riley was present for the 2008 lottery and expected to land the No. 1 pick after Miami’s league-worst 15-67 record. But he left hugely disappointed, finishing with the No. 2 pick, meaning he had to take career backup Michael Beasley while the Bulls landed a future MVP player in Derrick Rose. This time, Riley has decided to send one of his top aides, Alonzo Mourning.
Indiana -- NBA icon/Indiana president Larry Bird will represent the Pacers, who finished second to the Knicks in the original lottery in 1985. How much did that alter Indiana’s history? Instead of coming away with Ewing, the Pacers took Wayman Tisdale with the No. 2 pick and didn’t make the Finals until ‘Tis was long gone.
Utah – The Jazz is another one of those franchises that has never won the lottery and has never finished higher than No. 3, but Utah has been in the drawing only a handful of times. GM Dennis Lindsey, who has been entrusted with the latest rebuilding effort out in Salt Lake City, will be on the dais.
Phoenix – The Suns are sending center Alex Len, who was their top pick in 2013 when they finished fifth. If they could somehow have arranged to send ex-Suns superstar Charles Barkley to represent them, they’d steal the show.
Oklahoma City – There’s no question who the best point guard will be in New York on lottery night. The Thunder will be represented by Russell Westbrook, who performed like an MVP over the final weeks of the season and nearly carried the Thunder into the playoffs. Westbrook is a former lottery pick, going No. 4 overall in the 2008 draft. When you consider that Miami took Beasley at No. 2 that year and O.J. Mayo went the pick before Westbrook, the Thunder got the steal of the draft.
Longtime New York columnist Mitch Lawrence continues to write about pro basketball, as he’s done for the last 22 years. His columns for NBCNewYork.com on the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and the NBA, along with other major sports, will appear twice weekly. Follow him on Twitter @Mitch _ Lawrence
