The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery is almost here. It will take place Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) live on ESPN.
The Detroit Pistons are hoping that by the end of the night they will have moved up from No. 7 in the NBA Draft order to one of the top three spots. They will need some luck on their side for that to happen considering the odds are stacked against them.
One good luck charm they are sending to the NBA Draft Lottery is Greg Monroe, who was selected with the seventh overall pick a year ago and had a solid rookie season. He will take a Chuck Daly lapel pin with him for added luck, according to Keith Langlois.
The Pistons have never won the NBA Draft Lottery before. They almost did in 2003, coming in second behind the Cavaliers. Of course, the Pistons ended up taking Darko Milicic instead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade. The rest, as they say, is history.
Twice in the history of the NBA Draft Lottery teams with the seventh-worst record have secured the top overall pick. The 76ers did it in 1986, the second year of the Draft Lottery. The Nets did it in 2000. Since then no other team with the seventh-worst record has secured the top overall pick. Hopefully the Pistons will change that this year.