Bulls voted against changing draft lottery
NBA owners voted against draft lottery reform on Wednesday. According to a yahoo.com report, the Bulls were one of 13 teams that voted no.
Under the current system, which has been used for more than 15 years, the team with the worst record has a 25 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick and can choose no lower than No. 4.
The current system hasn't always been good to the biggest losers. The worst team has not won the top pick in the draft since Orlando in 2004.
The new proposal would have given the worst teams longer lottery odds. The four worst teams would have had a 12-percent chance at the top pick, the fifth-worst team would have had an 11.5 percent chance and so on down the line, according to yahoo.com. The team with the worst record could have chosen as low as No. 7 in the proposed system.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau started to offer an opinion on the lottery, then backed off.
"I want what's best for the game," he finally said. "I guess there's always flaws in any system you use. But I think the intent of trying to do your best is important for the game. When there's so-called incentives to lose, I don't think that does anyone any good.
"We have a great game. It's in a great place. I do like the fact they're looking at those type of things."
The Bulls, obviously, owe some of their recent success to lottery luck. They won the first pick in 2008 with the ninth-worst record and selected Derrick Rose.
Bulls win some votes:
In the annual survey of NBA general managers, the Bulls were given the third-best chance to win the championship. San Antonio was a heavy favorite to repeat, followed by Cleveland and three teams tied for third - the Bulls, L.A. Clippers and Oklahoma City.
Not surprisingly, the Bulls dominated most defensive categories. They were named best defensive team and Tom Thibodeau was picked best defensive coach by landslides. Joakim Noah finished first as best defensive player.
In some other notable categories, Noah was named the third-best center after Dwight Howard and Marc Gasol. Doug McDermott was second in biggest draft steal, behind Utah's Rodney Hood. Kirk Hinrich was third in which current player would make the best coach, behind Chris Paul and Steve Blake. Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic each received votes for most underrated offseason acquisition.
Bull horns:
Kirk Hinrich skipped Wednesday's practice, which coach Tom Thibodeau termed a "maintenance day." Hinrich started in place of Jimmy Butler on Monday against Cleveland. … Sky coach Pokey Chatman was a visitor at practice and chatted with Thiobdeau after his media session.