It could all change tonight for the Nets. Not just a change for the better, but for a change to be the best.
Tonight the Nets head to the NBA Draft Lottery in Secaucus, where their new Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov will sit among representatives of 14 teams hoping to emerge as the luckiest man in the room.
The Nets may have had the worst record in the league this season at 12-70, but all that misery will have been worth it if a ping-pong ball bounces in their favor tonight. With 250 of 1,000 combinations in their favor, the Nets have the best chance to land the top pick in the draft, or the best chance to get Kentucky’s 6-foot-4 guard John Wall, considered the best prospect this decade not named LeBron James or Dwight Howard.
Truth is, the Nets don’t even have to get that lucky. If they wind up with the second pick, Ohio State guard Evan Turner could turn out to be a superstar as well. Picks No. 4 through 14 are determined by record with the worst record left receiving the highest pick, which means the Nets can’t do any worse than fourth, though that would seem a downer, considering the excellent odds of getting Wall or Turner.
Securing the first or second pick in the draft along with an available $26 million for free agency gives the Nets the chance to go from zeros to heroes in an instant. It puts them in position to change the course of their franchise for the better into the next decade.
“Everybody is talking about the Knicks getting LeBron,” said an NBA insider. “But it’s the Nets who can really improve their team this offseason.”
Hefty odds, however, don’t guarantee getting the top pick. Since the NBA went to their current system in 1990, just three teams with the worst record have won the lottery, including the Nets in 1990. The last time the Nets won the lottery was in 2000, when they used the pick to take Kenyon Martin. His arrival along with the acquisitions of Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson helped the Nets build a team that won the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2002 and 2003.
If history repeats itself, the Nets might not only be in position to be an elite team again but also a serious contender in the LeBron James sweepstakes. With all the local talk about whether James is going to sign with the Knicks, it’s the Nets who will be the more attractive team.
The Knicks are without a first-round pick this year, having lost it in the Stephon Marbury trade. With more than $30 million in cap space, the Knicks could sign two free agents to max contracts, but they still lack a big man like the Nets have in Brook Lopez.
Though the Nets not having a head coach in place might seem like a detriment, it’s actually a plus, especially if a remote possibility exists the Nets can work out some sort of package deal for LeBron and Kentucky coach John Calipari.
To their credit the Nets have a jump start on promoting their new era. “It’s All New” is the name of a marketing campaign launched last month when it became official the team would be playing in Newark for the next two years before moving to the yet-to-be-built Barclays Center Brooklyn.
And what better way to celebrate a new beginning than to throw a party? The team is hosting a “Lottery Viewing Party” for fans at its practice facility. About 300 invited guests are expected to attend. Whether the party turns in celebration will depend on how the ping-pong ball bounces.