J.Ross: Is Today’s Coin Flip a Big Deal for the Kings?
Apr 13, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:26 am
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Today at 2:45 there will a coin flip to decide if the Sacramento Kings will enter the NBA draft in the 6th spot or the 7th. The tie between the Kings and the Chicago Bulls will be settle via the luck of a coin. What does this all mean? Both teams ended the year with identical (27-55) records but one of the teams has to assigned the 6th spot and one the 7th spot. Both teams will share the same lottery odds of moving up to the top 3 but the order is a big deal. The best way to explain it is if the Kings get the 6th spot and 3 teams with better records jump them in the lottery then the Kings would slide the maximum spots back to 9. In that same scenario if they were picking 7th they would slide to 10. That is extreme and would likely not happen. Here are some numbers on what the 6th and 7th pre-lottery slot has done since the last time the Kings were in the playoffs back in 2006.
In those 11 years, the pre-lottery position 6th pick has stayed at 6 just 3 times. It has moved back 1 spot 5 times to 7. It has moved into the top 3 three years in a row. In 2009 the 6th spot jumped to 2, it did the same in 2010 and in 2011 it jumped to 3.
In the same 11 years, the pre-lottery position 7th pick stayed at 7 five times. It moved back 1 spot 5 times. It moved into the top 3 in 2007 when the 7th seeded Portland Trail Blazers won the lottery and selected Greg Oden.
Just something to think about today and even going forward. It will take some good fortune for the Kings to move up, something they haven’t had a lot of over the years.
