Once Again, Clippers Play the Lottery

It cannot accurately be reported that the Clippers have no shot at winning the jackpot in the NBA’s draft lottery today in Secaucus, N.J.

In fact, there is a 0.6% chance that they could move from 12th place to first. They also have a 0.71% chance of advancing to the second slot and a 0.87% chance of moving to the third position.

What’s more, the Clippers have a shot at gaining the Atlanta Hawks’ pick, giving them two in the top 13. Atlanta, currently with the eighth pick, will fork over their pick to the Clippers if the Hawks do not move into the top three spots. The deal was part of the trade that sent Lorenzen Wright to the Hawks on Aug. 8, 1999.

The lottery will determine the order of the first 13 picks of the June 26 draft in New York. By virtue of their 39-43 record, their best in almost a decade, the Clippers were 12th out of 13 teams that did not make the playoffs.

Or to put it another way, they had the second-best record of any team that failed to advance to the postseason. Among the nonqualifiers, only the Milwaukee Bucks, who were 41-41, were better than the Clippers.

The Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors have the best shots at securing the No. 1 pick, which means they each have 22.5% odds of gaining the opportunity of perhaps selecting Yao Ming, a 7-foot-5 center.

The Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets round out the top five teams with the best chances of moving to No.1.

Moving up is a distinct possibility for some teams. Last season, for instance, the Washington Wizards moved from third to first in the lottery and selected Kwame Brown.

The Clippers went from eighth to second, selecting Tyson Chandler from Compton Dominguez High, then traded his rights to the Bulls for power forward Elton Brand. They also went from third to first in 1998, taking Michael Olowokandi.

However, the Clippers also have dropped several spots in the past, falling from first to third (and selecting Darius Miles) in 2000. They also dropped from second to fourth in 1999, when they drafted Lamar Odom.