Tonight We Ask 4 Questions

nutlow: Why would the 76ers really want to get into 8th place in the East and face the Pistons? Bill Walton was talking about teams that missed making the playoffs by virtue of tiebreakers… he said that in recent memory there have been four teams who missed making the playoffs and drafted, by virtue of their better draft position, Gary Payton, Rik Smits, Corey Maggette and Chris Webber?! Needless to say, the four teams who made the playoffs all got blown out in the first round. Not sure which is more amazing, that factoid or that I am quoting Bill Walton for purposes other than ridiculing him. farfel: There's some value in reaching the playoffs and allowing younger players like Andre Iggy, Korver, Dalembert, and Hunter a chance to play in that atmosphere. And there's the possibility that with a guy like AI on your team, the 76ers can pull a miraculous upset. The 76ers upside is mainly via draft, less likely to be free agency or trade - the Sixers have little to trade. With that in mind, the pick - and the minute chance it would be a top 5 pick - would clearly be much more valuable. The Webber case is amazing. Orlando finished at 41-41 that year, after 21 wins in the previous season allowed them to secure the top draft pick and Shaq. After the 20 game improvement, the Magic still didn't make the playoffs (they went 2-2 vs Indiana in the regular season and had the same conference record but were outscored by 5 points in their 4 meetings with Indy) and had a 1-in-66 chance of winning the lottery. They won the lottery. As a result they were able to aquire Penny by trading Webber. Seattle drafted Maggette 13th after a 25-25 season. The Supersonics traded Maggette to Orlando, along with Dale Ellis, Don MacLean and Billy Owens for Horace Grant and a couple of 2nd round picks. I can't imagine what they were thinking. The Pacers "lost" a three-way tie with the Bullets and Knicks in 1988 and used the second pick in the draft to select the Dunking Dutchman. This was a coup, however had they not outscored Orlando by 5 points over their 4 games in the 1993 regular season, they would have been rewarded with Shaq (insert mental photoshoped picture of Shaq in a Pacer uniform). In 1990, Seattle tied Houston in the regular season but lost the tie-break. The Sonics moved up in the lottery to the #2 pick and drafted Gary Payton. Not only did that change the history of their franchise but imagine the Rockets selecting Gary Payton! So, keep an eye on whether Philly or whomever wins by virtue of winning percentage against like opponents, because it might just chance the course of the league. Q. Why are the Orlando Magic 16-5 SU at home since January 1st? A. If I knew this, I woulda been dropping a load on them. Absolutely no idea. My first instinct was the Francis trade, but he wasn't traded until March. Q. Why are the White Sox 5/2 to win the American League and 19/4 to win the World Series? A. Because they upgraded their pitching staff and added a necessary big bat in Thome and solid reserves. What am I missing? Q. Why am I so unsuccessful at sports betting? A. Howard "Bub" Lederer said if you're going to make sports bets as a hobby, you're going to lose. The only way to win is to go full time. Do you know anyone who's a winning sports better? I don't. I'll be sticking to NBA season over/unders in the future.