FanHouse NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA buzz this week has been all about how Portland and Seattle struck gold. Yeah, with a chance to draft to of the highest rated draft prospects in the last ten years, I'd say that they both did pretty well for themselves. However, there is probably one other team that feels like they hit the jackpot on Tuesday. That team is the Atlanta Hawks.

As a provision of the Joe Johnson sign and trade deal, the Hawks would have had to send the Phoenix Suns their first round draft pick unless the pick ended up in the top three. With the Hawks finishing with the fourth best record, the odds were that they'd end up with a pick no higher than number four and end up having to send the pick to the Suns. Everyone (myself included) was already making plans for what Phoenix, not Atlanta should do with their potential first round pick.

The thought of losing their first round pick in a draft this deep was almost too much for their front office staff to handle. Things became so tense that Hawks GM Billy Knight didn't even watch the draft. Instead he sent fellow Hawks front office mate, Dominique Wilkins to represent the team at the draft lottery.

"It's like pitching pennies. It's grossly unfair to the team, but I've said it before, I don't think the lottery is fair. I never liked it. I don't think it's a good system at all, period.

"There have been a lot of picks in the lottery that have [failed]. There are two in the lottery this year that are not going to fail. There are two superstars in the draft. I think for the teams fortunate enough to get them, the fortunes of their franchises have changed forever."