Was the NBA draft lottery fixed?

[Deberg_1990]

Hmmmmmmm



http://www.huliq.com/13303/conspirac...2012-nba-draft



The Hornets, who had the 4th-best chance of winning the No. 1 pick at 13.7 percent, were chosen to select first in June's NBA Draft. The revelation puts the Hornets in a prime position to select Kentucky big man Anthony Davis, the consensus top prospect in this year's draft.

The Charlotte Bobcats, who suffered through the worst season in NBA history, held the best chance of grabbing the top pick, but unfortunately for owner Michael Jordan and company, the team fell to the second pick.

Rounding out the top five were the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings.

With the Hornets jumping three spots to the top selection, several eyebrows were immediately raised. New Orleans had been operated by the NBA and commissioner David Stern since 2010 before being sold to Tom Benson last month. Stern famously invoked his powers as team operator to reject a proposed trade before last season that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers. In that deal, New Orleans would have landed Luis Scola and Kevin Martin from the Houston Rockets, as well as other draft considerations.

Several columnists immediately referenced the conflict of interest surrounding the draft lottery results.

"No. 3 pick to Washington; No. 2 to Charlotte, No. 1 to league-owned New Orleans. Conspiracy theorists sound off...now," tweeted Sam Amick, basketball writer for SI.com.

"The Fix is In! The Fix is In! Just kidding....," tweeted Aaron Bruski of NBC Universal.

Whether by luck or with the help of the commish, the Hornets will certainly accept the top pick with open arms. New Orleans limped to a 21-45 record, as Eric Gordon, the key piece acquired in the eventual Paul-to-Clippers trade, missed much of the season and failed to make an impact.

With the freshman Davis likely headed to the Big Easy, other lottery teams will turn their attention to a variety of other prospects. Davis' teammate at Kentucky, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, is considered a top-five talent, as are UConn big man Andre Drummond and Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson.

The NBA Draft takes place on Thursday, June 28, at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.

NBA Draft Lottery Results
1. New Orleans Hornets
2. Charlotte Bobcats
3. Washington Wizards
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Sacramento Kings
6. Brooklyn Nets (pick traded to Portland)
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Toronto Raptors
9. Detroit Pistons
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (pick traded to New Orleans)
11. Portland Trailblazers
12. Milwaukee Bucks
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Houston Rockets