2009 Draft Lottery

The 2009 Draft Lottery is due to begin tonight at 7:00 PM EST, and picks 1-13 will be revealed in short order! Feel free to follow along. Some housekeeping:

Default Odds: tsfbl.proboards.com/thread/2801/default-lottery-odds

Tiebreakers:
Celtics over Suns
Spurs over Wizards
Trail Blazers over Mavericks
76ers over Hawks
Kings over Warriors over Clippers
Pacers over SuperSonics
Raptors over Hornets

The 13th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Los Angeles Clippers, by way of the Milwaukee Bucks!

(95.18% chance of landing in this spot)

Returning to the playoffs after a two year drought, the Clippers will have picks #13 and #17 in the first round to add to their nucleus.

The 12th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Philadelphia 76ers!

(11.65% chance of landing in this spot)

Early drama! After a 7-year comatose, the Atlanta Hawks have jumped all the way from the twelfth-best odds into the top four. As for the Sixers, they'll use this pick to retool after missing the playoffs for the first time in four years.

The 11th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Dallas Mavericks!

(17.07% chance of landing in this spot)

Just like last year, the Mavericks will have two picks in the lottery this draft. While they may still be on the outside of the contender's inner circle, these two picks should help to form one of the league's best young cores.

The 10th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Dallas Mavericks, by way of the Portland Trail Blazers!

(27.4% chance of landing in this spot)

This pick lands directly in front of the Mavericks' own, and comes their way thanks to the Mike Miller trade this past off-season. While they didn't have any luck tonight, a draft as deep as this will net them two solid players ready to contribute immediately.

The 9th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Atlanta Hawks, by way of the Detroit Pistons!

(12.37% chance of landing in this spot)

The Houston Rockets have now also joined, ironically enough, the Atlanta Hawks in the top four! While the Hawks did get the jump they wanted, the more promising of their two lottery selections actually falls two slots lower than its expected landing spot

The 8th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Washington Wizards!

(19.61% chance of landing in this spot)

After missing the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, the Wizards will again fall under a new general manager who will hope to finally end their postseason drought. In theory, the player drafted here will have to compete for minutes immediately with the Wizards' talented starting lineup.

The 7th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Denver Nuggets, by way of the San Antonio Spurs!

(27.73% chance of landing in this spot)

After a surprise season and even more surprising Conference Finals run, the Nuggets will pick twice in the top seven, as the owners of both this pick and the Rockets' pick which already jumped into the top four.

The 6th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Phoenix Suns!

(24.65% chance of landing in this spot)

The Suns have won just one playoff series since 2003, and are nearing a crossroads with star forward Carmelo Anthony. With future management in question, the franchise is in need of stabilization.

The 5th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The New York Knicks!

(27.84% chance of landing in this spot)

After finally embracing a full rebuild, the Knicks have themselves in position to make their first top five pick since Stephon Marbury in 1996. This means our top four consists of the Hawks, Nuggets (via Rockets), Celtics, and Timberwolves. Stay tuned to find out the order!

The 4th pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Denver Nuggets, by way of the Houston Rockets!

(7.27% chance of landing in this spot)

Adding two top seven picks to Derrick Rose and Paul George is about as good of an outcome as the Nuggets could have hoped for in this lottery, as the lottery luck continues in the Mile High City.

The 3rd pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Boston Celtics!

(12.42% chance of landing in this spot)

After missing the playoffs four seasons in a row, the Celtics will have major (#TheMandate) pressure to finally put something together in 2009. This pick will pair nicely with the young core they've already built, but will it be enough to crack the playoffs in a loaded Eastern Conference?

The 2nd pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Minnesota Timberwolves!

(13.48% chance of landing in this spot)

After dropping precipitously from the playoffs to a sub-twenty win season, the Timberwolves entered tonight as the likeliest team to land the #1 overall pick. While they fell one pick short, they will still land a great prospect out of #2 overall. And that means...

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The 1st pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft belongs to:



The Atlanta Hawks!

(1.71% chance of landing in this spot)

Without question, this is the wildest lottery jump we've had in the league to date. After waddling in mediocrity for seven seasons, the Hawks have landed the jump of a lifetime to secure an absolutely slam dunk prospect that will forever change the direction of the franchise.

Full Order:
13. Los Angeles Clippers (from Bucks)
12. Philadelphia 76ers
11. Dallas Mavericks
10. Dallas Mavericks (from Trail Blazers)
9. Atlanta Hawks (from Pistons)
8. Washington Wizards
7. Denver Nuggets (from Spurs)
6. Phoenix Suns
5. New York Knicks
4. Denver Nuggets (from Rockets)
3. Boston Celtics
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
1. Atlanta Hawks

Boo!