Draft+Lottery

= Draft Lottery =

In an effort to gain attention of both the media and fans, Stern decided to change the format of the draft. He decided that the old format was becoming boring and that nobody was interested in it anymore. In addition to these reasons, there had been speculation that the Houston Rokets were deliberately losing games, popularly known as "tanking", to become one of the two worst teams in the NBA. This was done so that every team that did not make the playoffs would have an equal chance of aquiring the first pick of the draft. Prior to 1985, the two teams with the worst records would flip a coin to determine which team would have the first pick in the draft. If the two worst teams were in the same division, "the second-worst team would never have a chance to obtain the first pick."(Wikipedia) The rest of the teams would then continue to pick in reverse order of each teams' win-loss record.

= The First Draft Lottery =

In 1985, all seven of the teams that did not make the playoffs participated in the first ever Draft Lottery. This was not the actual draft, but it did determine the order of the seven teams that did participate. The seven teams would have envelopes with the teams logo put inside of a raffle drum. The first envelope Stern would choose would be the team with the first pick and so on and so forth. He would then reveal the seven teams pick's in descending order. This almost gave the draft lottery a dramatic effect since tention would rise after an envelope was opened.

The ultimate prize of the 1985 draft was not only the first round pick, but a player that was considered a franchise player and one that can lead a team to a championship. This player was none other than Patrick Ewing. This 7'0 tall center had just finished his senior year at Georgetown and had recently won his second NCAA Championship. Most commonly known for his defensive play, Ewing was going to end up being the franchise player of one of the seven teams participating in the draft lottery.

The seven teams participating were the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Seattle Supersonics, Los Angles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and the Atlanta Hawks. The first team revealed with the seventh pick in the 1985 NBA draft was the Golden State Warriors. This franchise picked a future all star in Chris Mullin, but the Golden State Warriors "lost" the first NBA Draft Lottery. The next four teams in descending order were the Kings, Hawks, Supersonics, and Clippers. The final teams remaining were the Indiana Pacers and The New York Knicks. Both teams were in desperate need of a superstar. After a long pause by Stern, he uttered, "The second pick of the 1985 NBA Draft goes to... The Indiana Pacers."(Bauer) With this, the first NBA draft was completed and the New York Knicks had a franchise changing player.

= The Innovation =

Within his first year as the commissioner, Stern had an immediate impact. The concept of a lottery draft had never been thought of before. He made a mundane, and somewhat lackluster occasion into one of the most anticipated nights of the year. This "luck of the draw" system sparked intrest in the media and attracted many people to the NBA. He was beginning to expand the NBA and the sport of basketball with something as minuscule as the draft. The creation of the Draft Lottery was not the only innovation of Stern's inaugural season. Stern institute a new regulation into the NBA that would send shockwaves not only through the league, but through the sports world. This regulation is know as the salary cap.

Wikipedia contributors. "NBA draft lottery." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

Bauer, Ted. "24 Years Later: David Stern and the NBA Draft Lotery." __ESPN: The Magazine__ 28 June 2009.

Hiergesell, Dan. __Ewing Jersey__. 19 June 2012. 19 November 2013 .