For our first weekly edition of Four Random Lottery Questions, we’ll have Brandon Garland and James Plowright answering questions. Brandon’s responses are preceded by “B:”, and James’ responses are preceded by “J:”. This week’s questions have been submitted by our own Dustin Tanner.
1. Which 2012-2013 lottery team had the best season in your opinion?
B: Without a doubt, the team who is “borrowing” Toronto’s lottery pick, the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite an early exit at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, have had by far the best season of any team in the top 14 picks. But Thunder aside, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the best season. A team who put up solid numbers, largely led by center Nikola Pekovic, missed their best player, Kevin Love, for the vast majority of the season. Add a lottery player, a healthy K-Love, an improved Ricky Rubio (ideally with a usable jumper), then resign Pekovic, and we may see a playoff team next year from Minnesota.
J: First of all, we must decide what defines “best”. Is it number of wins? Development of players? To what extent a team has exceeded expectations? For myself, it is which team has put themselves in the best position going forward, and for this reason, I would pick the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have a very exciting backcourt with Wall and Beal and some above average vets in Okafor and Nene. The team suffered from injuries for most of the year and once healthy, had a respectable record. On top of this, Washington has earned another high lottery position pick which will more than likely allow them to pick at 7th in the draft. Their drafting position doesn’t really represent their true talent level, and I expect them to make a big jump next year.
2. Which 2012-13 lottery team needs the most help to improve next season?
B: There are certainly some very bad teams in the NBA right now. The Charlotte Bobcats are right there in the race for worst franchise in sports, but with Kemba Walker, they have one sure player to build around. Teams like Phoenix, Washington and Sacramento certainly aren’t good, but they do have a few building blocks. The Orlando Magic have no guaranteed man to focus the franchise around. Nikola Vucevic has shown signs of being a very good NBA player, but you certainly don’t want to make him the focal point of a squad. The Magic have a lot of work to do to even be relevant, let alone good.
J: Phoenix – The Suns may not be the team with the least talent in the NBA, but they do have the least potential as a team and a lack of talented youngsters. They may have talent right now in Scola, Gortat and Dragic, but Scola is on the decline, Gortat has struggled to reach his potential and Dragic only began to earn his contract towards the end of last season. Phoenix needs a total rebuild and to find some young talented players who aren’t Michael Beasley.
3. Which 2012-2013 lottery team has a chance to make the playoffs?
B: The Dallas Mavericks will be a major player in the Free Agent market this off-season, and names like Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum will absolutely be linked to a move there. But if no major adjustments are made outside of the draft, of course, I really like the Toronto Raptors to be a playoff contender next season. With athletic wings Rudy Gay and Demar DeRozan, sharpshooting point guard Kyle Lowry, and solid bigs Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas, this team is poised for a run.
J: Dallas – This is a risky choice, and I don’t have any idea what their team will be like, but I am going to take a flyer on this one. I take Cuban’s statements of wanting to go big this off-season as legit, Dallas has championship pedigree less than two seasons old, and I believe that Dallas is an attractive situation for free agents. If they can get some talent and can keep Dirk healthy, I can see the Mavs getting back into the playoff race.
4. Which non-lottery team will be in the lottery next year?
B: As for a team outside of the lottery looking to make an entrance into it, watch for perennial 8th seed Milwaukee to undergo a rebuilding year, as both Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis likely will not return next year. The team is always a bit shaky, even with these two mismatched backcourt men, but without them, they may not even be competitive.
J: Atlanta Hawks – I sort of like the Mavericks for this, but I don’t know what the Hawks will look like next year with Josh Smith leaving and Harris, Korver, Jones, Pachulia, Petro, Teague (restricted), and Johnson all hitting Free Agency. Atlanta has been needing to abandon the Al Horford-Josh Smith experiment for a while, but I am not sure that they are going to be able to compete in Free Agency. Couple this with the improvement of the Raptors, Cavs and Wizards, who could all challenge for a playoff spot.
By Brandon Garland & James Plowright
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