The Joy

Washington, Toronto, and Charlotte have climbed out of the lottery, bringing new hope of sustainable success.

Wizards fans, stop what you’re doing. Shut down Washington D.C. Seriously, shut it all down, its time to put on Pharrell’s hat and throw a parade in front of the Verizon Center. The Wizards are in the playoffs for the first time since 2008, and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so dark anymore.

But they aren’t the only ones. Toronto is making their first appearance since 2010, and while Charlotte hasn’t officially clinched yet, only a complete collapse and miracle run by either Atlanta, New York, or Cleveland keeps them out. An awful lot of time is spent analyzing player and team performances, and far too much time is placed on the tanking debate. Those conversations will continue to exist, but neither amount to the warmth of optimism that comes with a playoff berth. For fans of lottery dweller franchises like Washington, Toronto, and Charlotte, the joy making the playoffs brings can only be quantified in a series of gifs:

(As you’ve clearly noticed, this is step one of The Lottery Mafia’s transformation into BuzzFeed).

While Wizards fans will undoubtedly miss the Era of Airwolf, and Charlotte fans reminisce the reign of Lord Byron Mullens, making the playoffs means the NBA still has personal investment past the All-Star break. It means sold out stadiums for at least two games, and a new level of optimism washing over the players, the fans, and the city.

So how did the Eastern Conference’s newest additions to the playoffs get out of the lottery? Well, they tanked (and this is where my anti-tanking stance gets punched in the gut). Washington, looking to be as far away from Gilbert Arenas as possible, won just 19 games in 2008-09 and 26 a year later before landing John Wall. Jan Vesely would come next year (yikes), and Beal the year after. Following Bosh’s depature, Toronto drafted Ed Davis (meh), Valanciunas (yes!) Terrence Ross (initially no, now yes!). Charlotte went way overboard in 2012 (seriously, there was no need to lose that much), and it ended without Anthony Davis.

With that brief bit of relapse into the past out of the way, the turning points for each team came not necessarily from who they drafted but who they placed around their draftees. The Bobcats signed Al Jefferson, the Wizards traded for Marcin Gortat just before the season began, and the Raptors attempted to tank by trading Rudy Gay but instead got better with the role players brought in. The consistency is that whether by trade or free agency, these teams made themselves playoff bound by surrounding their young players with talent.

Seems obvious, but the skeptics will claim each team has doomed themselves of ever winning a championship. Why settle for Gortat when Monroe is available this summer? Why push for the playoffs when Wiggins/Parker/Randle/Exum/Based God is available in the draft? Because part of building a playoff contender means, well, actually making the playoffs. Not only that, it means staying in the playoffs, and sustaining a level of competitiveness that makes a franchise attractive to potential free agents. The critics can claim they are dooming their chances at contending, that tanking for another season will prove successful in the long term. That of course, would mean tanking the tank job, since Washington and Toronto have been in the lottery for six straight seasons, and Charlotte 9 out of 10 seasons. At a certain point, the lottery needs to be abandoned for on the court rewards. Continuing to put out an inferior product isn’t going to win over many fans, and isn’t likely to keep good players around for the long term. John Wall didn’t sign an $80 million dollar contract to lose another 50+ games, Kemba Walker didn’t recruit Al Jefferson to be Charlotte’s new tank commander, and Masai Ujiri didn’t trade Rudy Gay to increase their chances of drafting Andrew Wiggins to let Toronto lose their lead in the Atlantic Division (its all right Ujiri, you look like a genius now).

At a certain point, the goal must be making the playoffs as a means of changing the culture of the franchise. Gain a reputation of a well run organization, and there is incentive for free agents when considering who to play for. The big vs. small market can be debated, and while the big cities will always hold attraction to a lot of players, work environment often trumps location. As New York scraps into the playoffs a collective mess with its roster, cap space, and lack of draft picks, are they really a more attractive destination over any of the smaller markets sitting ahead of them in the standings? While it’s hard to predict now how aggressive Washington, Toronto, or Charlotte will be in free agency this summer, all three have become more attractive destinations for free agents than in years past. Continuing to make the playoffs for the next couple of seasons will only increase their stock, indicating to the league there is something sustainable going on, and are only one or two pieces away from contending. Often that is all free agents need to see. Remember David West’s comments when he signed with Indiana over Boston?

“You know, I just think that — I think everybody’s kind of realistic about the window that the Celtics have,” West said. “I think, me, looking at where I am, I think my window’s a little bit wider. I’m only 31, so I figure with this young team here, in the next few seasons we have the pieces to be able to compete. We’ve talked about it — maybe not this year, but definitely in a couple years. In terms of maturity and keeping this core together, the pieces are here to get up there.”

The Pacers at that point, had been roaming just outside the playoffs for a few years. The success would come quicker with West joining the team, as the Pacers would jump from the — wait for it — 8th seed the previous season to the 3rd seed, going from a borderline playoff team to taking two from Miami in one season. A season later, they nearly beat the Heat in seven. Before West signed they were a team with young, improving players, and West’s addition proved a big difference in improving the team. George and Hibbert had came into their own, and Frank Vogel had a full season as head coach. The pieces came together at the right time, and the Pacers found themselves a higher seed in the East. While not entirely similar, the Wizards and Bobcats find themselves one or two pieces away from making that leap as well. The Raptors, now a three seed, are a trickier situation. How they perform in the playoffs will predict to some extent whether they are future contenders or not. The good news is their young core of Derozan, Ross, and Valanciunas should continue to improve. The key will be keeping Kyle Lowry.

Unfortunately, there is not room for all three teams to make the jump to contender. When a play is made for that missing piece, it’s important that player fits with roster and system. Detroit is a good example of why signing a talented player doesn’t guarantee success if he doesn’t fit with the rest of the team. Smart free agent signings and success in the draft (even with a late round selection) is also important for sustaining playoff success. All three teams should keep this in mind, but for the moment the Eastern Conference’s latest escapees of the lottery should enjoy the progress made. Attempt to play spoiler for Miami or Indiana, and come the offseason make moves that ensures the playoffs are the goal again next year.