So, Tell me Again How the NBA isn't Fixed...

[Hornsby]

Minnesota, for about the 93rd time in it's history, has the worst record in the league. So who get's the #1 pick? Cleveland...because it's a much better story. Lebron scorned them and left, and now they'll rise like a Phoenix with 2 of the top 4 picks in the draft.

Nobody gives a rats ass about Utah or Minnesota, so rig those balls baby!

[chancellor]

Sooooo....explain to me how the Bucks managed to get the first pick twice, Shar...Horns?

[Judge Jude]

The big markets like San Antonio and Orlando always get all the best lottery picks - now Cleveland.....

[Hornsby]

The big markets like San Antonio and Orlando always get all the best lottery picks - now Cleveland.....

Cleveland will now be an NBA storyline for the better part of a decade...the poor rust belt city that was spurned by the hometown boy fights for redemption. Think that's not an easy one to sell?

Simple way to shut up the conspiracy theorists...allow the media into the room during the actual ball drop. Don't allow them to show the video until the show is over...easy enough to do. Or better yet, actually do it LIVE on national TV! What a freakin' concept...

[Judge Jude]

Would you have put Shaq in Orlando or Tim Duncan (or David Robinson) in San Antonio if you were in on the fix?

And actually some media has been present when the actual ball drop has been held. They have to surrender cell phones, watches, everything.

But like the 'Osama lives' believers, anyone can say, "Well, sure, but if you look inside the machine there weren't really 1,001 ping pong balls!"

You can't ever disprove a conspiracy, basically.

[Hornsby]

Would you have put Shaq in Orlando or Tim Duncan (or David Robinson) in San Antonio if you were in on the fix?

And actually some media has been present when the actual ball drop has been held. They have to surrender cell phones, watches, everything.

But like the 'Osama lives' believers, anyone can say, "Well, sure, but if you look inside the machine there weren't really 1,001 ping pong balls!"

You can't ever disprove a conspiracy, basically.

During the years that those players were picked, sure, there was no compelling reason not to have them go there. Both markets were ripe for the NBA, with no competition for the sports entertainment dollar.

Again, all you have to do is to give me a reasonable answer as to why they don't do it live...do you have one?

And in the interests of full disclosure, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I believe that Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK all by himself, I'm also convinced that we landed on the Moon. But some things just defy rational explanation.

[Judge Jude]

They don't do it live in case there is a mechanical glitch that leaves a vain David Stern looking like Geraldo at the Al Capone vault.

But what difference does "live" make, anyway?
If someone wants to say the system is rigged, that won't matter.

Also, Orlando and San Antonio have/had great local ratings, but the NBA took an overall beating on the "wrong" players landing on both franchises. Minnesota would have been a similar situation, or slightly more attractive.

Why would the NBA favor Orlando/San Antonio/Cleveland over Minneapolis?

Already some are saying Cleveland lost out because they have to pay No. 1 money to a not-No 1 pick quality...

[Hornsby]

They don't do it live in case there is a mechanical glitch that leaves a vain David Stern looking like Geraldo at the Al Capone vault.

But what difference does "live" make, anyway?
If someone wants to say the system is rigged, that won't matter.

Also, Orlando and San Antonio have/had great local ratings, but the NBA took an overall beating on the "wrong" players landing on both franchises. Minnesota would have been a similar situation, or slightly more attractive.

Why would the NBA favor Orlando/San Antonio/Cleveland over Minneapolis?

Already some are saying Cleveland lost out because they have to pay No. 1 money to a not-No 1 pick quality...

The difference that "live" makes is monumental...it takes out about 99% of the doubt out of the equation. You'll always have your skeptics about just about everything, but the vast majority are more than happy to believe their own eyes when they see something. It's when they DON'T see it, that the imagination takes off.

And with the rookie slotting in the NBA, the money is pretty much irrelevant. Last year the difference between picks one and two was something around 500 grand...a pittance in pro sports.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9303

Again...San Antonio and Orlando were the only game in town for the NBA at that time, which made them more desirable for the possibilities of building a fan base, and increasing revenues. Minnesota has 3 other professional sports teams to divvy up the pie, it's never going to be an NBA city.

[Hammer]

The difference that "live" makes is monumental...it takes out about 99% of the doubt out of the equation. You'll always have your skeptics about just about everything, but the vast majority are more than happy to believe their own eyes when they see something. It's when they DON'T see it, that the imagination takes off.

So you agree it just your imagination then.....

[Hornsby]

So you agree it just your imagination then.....

Most things are Pete...it's what makes the world a wonderful place.

[Trautdiggity]

I don't buy the rigged argument

As to why they don't do it live, it would be extremely boring to watch. Imagine they have to keep pulling balls and tossing out repeats, they'd draw about 20 Minnesota balls before they draw the 5th or 6th team. It would be more boring than watching an actual draft.

Now the real argument to be made is why they have this asinine lottery in the first place.

[dslaw]

I don't know about a conspiracy but 14 times in the lottery, 6 times no movement and 8 times move down pretty much sucks. But you have to trust the NBA. It isn't like the Wolves lost 89 first round picks for tampering while the Lakers trade a retired guy to get a star or referees admit they bet on games.

[Hornsby]

I don't know about a conspiracy but 14 times in the lottery, 6 times no movement and 8 times move down pretty much sucks. But you have to trust the NBA. It isn't like the Wolves lost 89 first round picks for tampering while the Lakers trade a retired guy to get a star or referees admit they bet on games.

LMAO....this is one FANTASTIC post...kudos! Click on this link for a little reward...

http://youtu.be/oZzgAjjuqZM

[Trautdiggity]

LMAO....this is one FANTASTIC post...kudos! Click on this link for a little reward...

http://youtu.be/oZzgAjjuqZM

These are so f-ing hilarious. Here's the first one for reference:
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ysmLA5TqbIY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Hornsby]

I laughed so hard at these I literally cried...the 2nd one wouldn't embed for some reason, but you all owe it to yourselves to click the link.