NBA Draft Lottery Results

Entering the NBA Draft Lottery, the order of worst to best that teams had entering were the following:

1. Minnesota Timberwolves
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Toronto Raptors
4. Washington Wizards
5. Sacramento Kings
6. New Jersey Nets
7. Detroit Pistons
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Houston Rockets

In the Draft Lottery, the #1 pick is decided by drawing a combination of balls and the team that is drawn first gets the last pick. The team that is drawn last gets the 1st pick. Because of this, there is a somewhat high probability that the worst team in the league does not get the 1st pick, which has been the case in most of the drafts this past decade.

The Clippers traded away their draft pick to the Cavaliers in the deal that sent Baron Davis to Cleveland and Mo Williams & Jamario Moon to LA, so the Cavaliers had a realistic chance of getting 2 draft picks in the top 10. The Utah Jazz also received the Nets' draft pick as part of the Deron Williams trade. After some shocking results, this is what order teams will draft players in the 2011 NBA Draft:

• First Round

1.  Cleveland Cavaliers (from LAC)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves 
3. Utah Jazz (from NJN)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Toronto Raptors
6. Washington Wizards
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Houston Rockets
15. Indiana Pacers
16. Philadelphia 76ers
17. New York Knicks
18. Washington Wizards (from ATL)
19. Charlotte Bobcats (from NOH via POR)
20. Minnesota Timberwolves (from MEM via UTA)
21. Portland Trail Blazers
22. Denver Nuggets
23. Houston Rockets (from Orlando via Phoenix)
24. Oklahoma City Thunder
25. Boston Celtics
26. Dallas Mavericks
27. New Jersey Nets (from LAL)
28. Chicago Bulls (from MIA via TOR)
29. San Antonio Spurs
30. Chicago Bulls)

• Second Round

1. Miami Heat (from MIN)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Detroit Pistons (from TOR)
4. Washington Wizards
5. New Jersey Nets
6. Sacramento Kings
7. Los Angeles Clippers (from DET)
8. Houston Rockets (from LAC)
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Los Angeles Lakers (from GSW via NJN)
12. Indiana Pacers
13. Chicago Bulls (from UTA)
14. Golden State Warriors (from PHX)
15. New Orleans Hornets (from PHI)
16. Los Angeles Lakers (from NYK)
17. Los Angeles Clippers (from HOU)
18. Atlanta Hawks
19. Memphis Grizzlies
20. Philadelphia 76ers (from NOH)
21. Portland Trail Blazers
22. Detroit Pistons (from DEN)
23. Orlando Magic
24. Cleveland Cavaliers (from OKC via MIA)
25. Boston Celtics
26. Los Angeles Lakers
27. Dallas Mavericks
28. Los Angeles Lakers (from MIA)
29. San Antonio Spurs
30. Sacramento Kings (from CHI via MIL)

In the 1st round, the Utah Jazz shockingly obtained the 3rd pick and the Cavaliers secured 2 draft picks in the top 5, the first time any team has done so since the mid 80s. The Houston Rockets that did that went to the NBA Finals 3 years later. There's quite a few teams in the first round with 2 picks, so it'll be interesting to see what tandems are drafted. In the 2nd round, the Lakers shockingly have 4 draft picks that they can all use as leverage to trade away garbage players like Luke Walton in exchange for pretty much ANYONE still on their rookie contract.

One team that's down in the dumps that won't be able to turn to the draft for help are the Spurs, with only 2 picks in the draft, both based on their season record. Because of their futile push to get the best record in the NBA and eventual crash in the 1st round of the playoffs, the rebuilding phase for the Spurs will be long and painful, with the Boston Celtics in not much of a better position.