bskball on lotto movement

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

DESPITE TALK TOP PICKS MAY NOT CHANGE- The team holding on to the top 5
picks have been active, not only in looking at talent, but in talking about
trades. The top teams in this draft, need more than 2 year projects, they
need impact guys now, and beyond Eddie Griffin, Shane Battier, and maybe
Eddy Curry (C'mon, he's 7 foot and 285 at 13% body fat that can hit free
throws!). This draft class has a lot of "possibilities" but not many
"probables". Because of that, most teams have weighed seriously trading
those picks. I mean all top 5 selections have been offered out in trade this
week alone... Washington went after Andre Miller and Mike Bibby... The
Clippers entertained the Magic, Rockets and the Celtics... Atlanta talked
about moving down a few notches... Chicago has talked with Houston and
Boston about the #4... Golden State is trying to mask their intensions, but
I have heard they shopped the # 5 to Houston for multiple picks, and that
they were the team trying to swap with Atlanta. So movement options are
there, but the fact is no one walks away from a lottery ticket...especially
one that you know is a winner. I mean imagine Atlanta's fate is the 3 teams
in front of them pass on Griffin or Battier, or if the Bulls actually land
the rights to draft Eddy Curry. So despite the talk that teams want to move
the picks, the odds that any picks change hands before draft day is slim,
and the likely outcome, of any deal would be a team selecting a player with
the pick, and trading the player later to a team offering the best deal,
that's why Portland and Minnesota are scouting this class, they don't want a
high pick, they want a specific player, and those are obtained after the
hats are put on.