Re: The rest of the season

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

> p.s. Can someone clarify how the lottery works this year?  I think one
> of you mentioned that only the three worst teams will be put in a
> lottery (the rest of the non-playoff teams will pick according to where
> they finished). Is this true?

I don't think there is any change in the lottery this year.
Every team in the lottery has a chance at the top three picks.
Basically, after the top three picks have been allocated, the remaining
lottery teams choose in reverse order of their finish. 

So if the Celtics finished eighth, they could possibly be given the 
1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 8th pick (or even 9th, 10th, or 11th), but not 
the fourth pick, which is why Pitino protected the pick in the event
of a top three pick. 

The Potapenko trade is looking better every game. Potapenko's April stats,
in 12 games: 
  11.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg (3.0 offensive), 51.3% fg, 2.1 apg in 27.6 mpg.

Over the season, as a starter:
  10.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 49.8% fg, 1.5 apg in 29.3 mpg.

If he continues putting up these numbers and playing the solid man-to-man
defense that he's shown, or better yet, improving every year (as he has
done in his first three years), we could have a great bargain at center.
I have to say that I'm very impressed by Cav GM Wayne Embry's eye for
talent.

Alex