The NBA Draft Lottery hasn’t been exactly kind to the New York Knicks over the years, though part of it has to do with their inability to tank in order to better their chances.
Since 1985, New York has been in the lottery 15 times. Only once did they get the No. 1 pick and many believe it was rigged in order to get Patrick Ewing in the Big Apple in 1985.
That was the only year the Knicks attained a better pick than their pre-lottery position as every other year has seen them remain at the same spot or sink down the draft board thanks to those infernal ping-pong balls.
It’s unlikely that things will change this year as the Knicks’ pre-lottery position is at No. 9 where they’ll have an 81.3-percent chance at staying at that exact spot.
Their chances to move all the way up the big board look to be slim to none. The Knicks have a 6.1-percent chance to get a top-three pick and just a 1.7-percent chance at the No. 1-overall selection.
Here are the current odds of the 14 teams in the draft lottery:
1. Phoenix Suns (21-61): No. 1 pick chances- 25%. Top-three pick- 64.2%
2. Memphis Grizzlies (22-60): No. 1 pick chances- 19.9%. Top-three pick- 55.8%
3. Dallas Mavericks (24-58): No. 1 pick chances- 13.8%. Top-three pick- 42.6%
4. Atlanta Hawks (24-58): No. 1 pick chances- 13.7%. Top-three pick- 42.6%
5. Orlando Magic (25-57): No. 1 pick chances- 8.8%. Top-three pick- 29.1%
6. Chicago Bulls (27-55): No. 1 pick chances- 5.3%. Top-three pick- 18.3%
7. Sacramento Kings (27-55): No. 1 pick chances- 5.3%. Top-three pick- 18.3%
8. Cleveland Cavaliers, via Nets (28-54): No. 1 pick chances- 2.8%. Top-three pick- 9.9%
9. New York Knicks (29-53): No. 1 pick chances- 1.7%. Top-three pick- 6.1%
10. Philadelphia 76ers or Boston Celtics, via Lakers (35-47): No. 1 pick chances- 1.1%. Top-three- 4.0% (Celtics get the pick if it’s between Nos. 2-5. Sixers get the pick if it’s at any other spot)
11. Charlotte Hornets (36-46): No. 1 pick chances- 0.8%. Top-three pick- 2.9%
12. Los Angeles Clippers, via Pistons (39-43): No. 1 pick chances- 0.7%. Top-three- 2.5% (Pistons retain the pick if it’s between Nos. 1-4)
13. Los Angeles Clippers (42-40): No. 1 pick chances- 0.6%. Top-three- 2.2%
14. Denver Nuggets (46-36): No. 1 pick chances- 0.5%. Top-three- 1.8%
