Summer League tournament proves NBA Draft Lottery tournament would work

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I so wish that the Hawks would've won on Thursday, because watching these Summer League tourney games have been great today.  Someone wasn't thrilled though ...

 

Her:  "I thought basketball was over with?"

Me:  "This is Summer League, where the rookies and young players are playing."

Her:  "Summer League?  So they play year round now?"

Me:  "No, it's like practice games. Preseason games, but it's not preseason until like October.  Then they'll play real games around Halloween."

Her:  "Ugh. You're a basketball crackhead."

Me: ( laughing )

 

But as I'm watching these games, it just reaffirms how great a Draft Lottery tournament in Vegas would be.

No matter what format they choose, having a 3 - 5 day tourney before the playoffs start, to determine who gets the #1 pick, would be a great way to do it.

I personally would let the 2 teams that make the Tournament Finals get the top 2 picks, with the winner getting the top pick.  Then have slots 3 - 14 go in order of record.

The issue would come with playoff teams who also have a lottery pick.  Do they forfeit their spot, or do they send their scrubs to play in the Tourney?

Anything but the non dramatic ping pong balls, that you never see.

How cool would it have been for Kobe's last gift to the Lakers to win the Draft Lottery Tournament and give the Lakers the #1 pick?

Or see one of the teams whose playoff bubble burst, like a Utah, win that thing and get the top pick?

The entertainment value would be like watching a college conference tournament.

 

[sillent]

Interesting... I'm debating with myself on whether this would be fair since I'm assuming real nba players would be involved. Then a tanking job would be too easy for someone with say Kobe ' s talents to yank & then win that tourney just to increase debt. We should atleast be able to see the ping pongs though so you're right something has to change. 

[AHF]

On 7/16/2016 at 9:20 PM, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Or see one of the teams whose playoff bubble burst, like a Utah, win that thing and get the top pick?

I am afraid this would happen routinely.  Last year's Utah Jazz, Bulls and Wizards would beat the pants off of teams like Philly, Lakers, Nets, etc.  The race to tank out of the bottom playoff spots into the lottery in a year with a true franchise player (think Duncan, Lebron, etc.) would be intense.