Re: random thought snd questions?

[Jim McMaster <mcmaster@sweng.stortek.com>]

In message <Pine.SGI.3.93.970302123517.19576A-100000@world.std.com>, Adam A Suc
hocki said:

> 2. Why is there so much talk about Dallas being only the 8th or 9th pick.
> Dallas is currently is 7th place and is only 2 wins out of 5th place?  

Basically, because the teams below them are even worse.  I hope you are right, 
though...how much better can a night get for the Celtics than Dallas losing to 
Phoenix?

> 3.  Why are so many people treating order of finish the same as the
> outcome in the lottery.  There is not much of an advantage between number
> one and number two in the lottery, and there is not that much of a
> guarantee that the a top three team will get a top three pick.  Likewise,
> the Dallas pick has a realistic chance of winning the lottery.  It may end
> up being around 5% or so, but thats also roughly the advantage number 1
> has over number two in winning the lottery.  In the past, it is more
> likely than not for the worst team to not get the number one pick.  Philly
> got lucky last year in that the expansion team that won the lottery
> couldn't get the pick.  But in the past, Minnesota, Dallas, the Clippers,
> and others have been burned by getting worse picks than their last place
> finish.  Finishing last does improve the odds, but we are still talking
> about percentages on the order of Eric Montrosses free throw shooting.
> 
This is not correct...together, the top (bottom) three teams have a 60.7% of 
getting the first pick.  If you add the fourth-worst team, you get almost a 
3/4 chance that one of them will get the top pick.  After the top three picks, 
the order of finish *is* the draft order.

> 5.  Ok, I've seen Sura play several times now (last night was the worst) -
> other than one pre-season game, I have seen little (besides a vertical
> leap) to get excited over.  Why have there been so many calls to trade for
> him?
> 
Uhhhh....because he is a far better SG than anyone the Celtics have?  Of 
course, you can say that about practically every other SG in the league, too.

> 6.  Is it just me, or has Rick Fox suddenly become a clutch player?  There
> haven't been many winning moments this year, but it seems like Rick Fox
> has been at the center of all of them.
>
I still do not like Fox.  He still makes rookie mistakes all too often. 
> 
> Adam
> 
> 

- -- 
Jim McMaster
mailto:mcmaster@sweng.stortek.com