With all the conspriracy theories surrounding the CP3 trade etc, does NOH winning the lottery bring the legitimacy of it into question?

The good thing is that Golden State keep their pick instead of it going to Utah

I think it's justice that the one team that was actively trying to win games towards the end of the season despite being in lottery contention won it all over the one team that had been actively tanking all season (Charlotte).

There is no conspiracy surrounding the CP3 trade: Stern veto'd it to get two competitive teams in the enormous two-sport LA market, instead of one. The Hornets actually got more out of the original Lakers trade IMO.

Should he be allowed to? Probably not, but hey, it's all business.

Had to go look up a picture of the guy and found this:

wish cav's got it :(

Hereschenes, I wouldn't be so quick to comment on that.

There have been past instances where the NBA has been 'rigged'. Most notably the 2002 WC series.

You can't not talk about the question of illegetimacy here!!

Im not saying Stern played a part in this, but its something a smart man would do, and Stern is a smart man. Think about it, CP3 gets traded, attendances plummet and investors shy away.

Perhaps this was Benson's going away present? And a way to get attention back to a declining franchise.

2002 WC final was "rigged" by Chris Webber getting outmuscled in the post and shooting dumb jumpers and fadeaway hooks.

Don't forget in game 7 Webber in the 4th quarter caught the ball with his back to the basket at the top of the key and DID NOT FACE UP!!! Way to show the Lakers you're not going to shoot the ball so we don't need to double team you

Exactly. Watch that game again in full (its all over youtube) and you'll see C-Webb absolutely CHOKING, not the refs gifting anything to the Lakers...

What you guys are forgetting is that there shouldn't have ever been a game 7.

Remember the dialogue "It would be in the interests of the NBA for it to be a 7 game series".

If the thing was never rigged in the first place, Kings would have won the series in game 6; instead of closing it out 4-2, Donaghy made it 3-3.

The fact that Weber may have choked is irrelevant because it should have been over in 6 anyway.

Macdub, I'm not saying the NBA is squeaky clean, and of course everyone would agree that the whole Donaghy affair was beyond the pale.

Still, are the odds manipulated for the purposes of the lottery (which is essentially what the conspiracy theorists are suggesting)? That would suggest the existence of sophisticated and systematic corruption across the highest levels of NBA administration, which just doesn't seem plausible to me. Stern couldn't pull that off on his own. Such corruption would barely even be comparable to the independent actions of a couple of dodgy refs... and besides, I think it would be nigh impossible to do without someone finding out and reporting it.

Anyway, IMO, YMMV, etc.

(Full disclosure - I am a Hornets fan!)

There was a article on Grantland a couple of days ago where Simmons rates the consipracies theories (he rates 5 of them). So if 5 out of the 13 lottery teams someone would be screaming?

Patrick Hruby wrote this a little while ago - long, but worth it.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/hruby-tuesday/201205/conspiracy-theory-david-stern-michael-phelps-patrick-ewing-michael-jordan