The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery is set to take place at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17. ESPN will broadcast the event live and give fans of non-playoff teams the chance to watch something actually relevant to them. For Detroit Pistons fans there hasn't been much going on since the end of the season, but the NBA Draft Lottery will break the spell of nothingness and hopefully generate discussion about having a top pick from Tuesday night until the night of the 2011 NBA Draft (June 23).
The Pistons finished with the seventh-worst record during the 2010-11 season, so they have the seventh-best chance of landing the top overall pick. They also have the seventh-best chance of landing a top three pick. Here is a full rundown of the NBA Draft Lottery odds:
| Team | No. 1 Pick | Top 3 Pick |
| Timberwolves | 25.0% | 64.3% |
| Cavaliers | 19.9% | 55.8% |
| Raptors | 15.6% | 46.9% |
| Wizards | 11.9% | 37.8% |
| Jazz (from Nets) | 7.6% | 25.4% |
| Kings | 7.5% | 25.3% |
| Pistons | 4.3% | 15.0% |
| Cavaliers (from Clippers) | 2.8% | 10.0% |
| Bobcats | 1.7% | 6.1% |
| Bucks | 1.1% | 4.0% |
| Warriors | 0.8% | 2.9% |
| Jazz | 0.7% | 2.5% |
| Suns | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Rockets | 0.5% | 1.8% |
In all likelihood, the Pistons will pick seventh for the second year in a row. Only the top three picks are determined by the NBA Draft Lottery, and unless Detroit gets some luck from Greg Monroe, their representative on Tuesday night, it's unlikely they will land a top pick. Stranger things have happened, though, so perhaps we shouldn't completely rule out the Pistons getting a shot at drafting someone like Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams just yet.