I was just wondering why the NBA and the NHL have a draft lottery for their top picks and the NFL and MLB do not. Why didn the NBA and NHL change to a lottery format a few years ago?
2007-05-25 05:33:11 · 9 answers · asked by Ty Cobb 4 in Sports ➔ Basketball
it's the best way to eliminate tanking (losing games on purpose to get a high pick)
2007-05-25 05:36:38 · answer #1 · answered by what? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
According to the Draft Lotter rules, a team can only move up in the draft order 4 spots from where they sat down at the bottom in points in the regular season. This means that only the bottom 5 point getters in the league have a chance to win the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Obviously, the lower you are in that group, the better chance you have of winning the lottery. All of the other non-playoff teams are thrown into the lottery just to see where they'll pick in the draft, inside or outside the top 10. It is likely more logical to just have teams pick in descending order from the previous regular season, but the NHL is not the only league with a draft lottery. The NBA also has a draft lottery that is not entirely based on team's performance in the regular season. However, your point is valid, as having a lottery can be sort of confusing for people who don't really know how the system works for it. Maybe that is why the NHL does not televise it's Draft lottery because they find it too confusing and might think that maybe the fans would get too confused as to what is actually going on. I don't know, but that's the way things are, and I doubt that they will change in the future.
2016-05-17 12:08:59 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the NBA, One player can greatly greatly improve a teams record. So there is a need for a draft lottery so teams don't lose on purpose. In the NFL the top pick does not improve a team's chances over night but in the NBA it does. Look how long it took the Bengals to turn it around even though they had many top draft picks.
I personally think that the last team out of the playoffs should get the top pick and the teams with the next best record should follow. This would stop teams from losing games on purpose and encourage competitive play.
2007-05-25 06:13:30 · answer #3 · answered by EdTheFed 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The 1st few guys who said it prevents teams from losing on purpose are correct. Another good reason for a lottery is that there are usually only about 3 or 4 guys who everybody really wants each draft. In MLB and NFL the talent is more diverse and the difference between the #5 pick and # 25 pick can't really be seen until the players have played in a few pro games. In the NBA it is easy to figure out who the more valuable players are based on height, speed, leaping ability, and there are usually only 2, 3 or 4 guys who are going to make a team better in each draft. Take Tom Brady and Kurt Warner for example, neither guy went in the 1st, 2nd or even 3rd round, and nobody knew who they were until they proved themelves in the playoffs. In basketball, most top 5 picks become starters, and most 2nd round picks usually don't see much playing time. Everybody knew Jordan and Hakeem were going to be great in the 84 draft. Everybody knew LeBron, Carmelo and Wade were going to be great as well in 2003. Its like the real lotto in that there is only 1 grand prize and a few consolation prizes.
2007-05-25 06:04:33 · answer #4 · answered by Cub_Fanatic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That way the NBA league office can decide who they can give the first pick to. The NBA lottery is fixed, how else do you explain a team getting Penny Hardaway and Shaq, or David Robinson and Tim Duncan? its a marketing tool. Now the NBA gets a great chance to clean up the Blazers, that franchise has had nothing but trouble makers the last 5+ years, now they get the best player and a chance to clean it up.... ....
2007-05-25 05:43:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Oden happens to be a big-time character guy too. Let's not forget that the NBA also happened to secure their basketball market / interest in Seattle by sending them the number 2 pick (Durant). Did you noticed the season ticket buying frenzy that occurred after the team moved up in the lottery? Looks like the Sonics aren't going to move anytime soon.
2007-05-25 05:52:51 · answer #6 · answered by JR 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
the answer is simple.
it is a method that enables the league to be able to direct where the best talent coming into the league goes.
the lottery certainly defies the odds in the NBA nearly all the time and at the same time, the ping pong balls is not something that the public is privy to see happen.
the 'lottery' for the nba is one of the biggest phonies in pro sports today and in fact does not happen.
the nba lottery happens only in the minds of league officials who decide where the talent will go and not by chance as they would have you believe.
2007-05-25 05:43:12 · answer #7 · answered by nostradamus02012 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
To prevent teams from losing on purpose during the season so they'll get the top pick. (IE: Boston Celtics (LOL))
2007-05-25 05:39:01 · answer #8 · answered by "T-Chitown" 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To make it interesting for the sorry teams to see who will get first pick.
2007-05-25 05:39:22 · answer #9 · answered by J Dub 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋