Ed Snider Wants to Change the NBA Draft Lottery System

Back to the way it used to be — one ping pong ball for all teams that failed to make the playoffs. Look, I fully believe the NBA needs to amend the system in order to correct the problem of having teams intentionally tank games at the end of the year to boost their chances of winning the top overall pick, but that’s not how I would do it. In the interest of competitive balance, the worse you are, the more of a chance you should have to improve in the draft.

Here’s the deal: having more ping pong balls in the lottery does not guarantee you anything. All it does is increase the odds you will have a higher selection. There is already a price that inept teams pay — embarrassment, inability to draw crowds, and fan alienation. They’re the ones that need the help. Why should the Clippers — who barely missed the playoffs — have the same shot at landing a guy like Greg Oden as say, the Trailblazers? It makes no sense. Baseball and football operate drafts where teams select based on worst record. The NBA should just do the same thing. And while Mr. Snider says he’s not complaining because the Sixers are one of those fringe lottery teams, I think he is. That’s the exact type of team this rule would help, not harm.