Make It Quick: NBA Draft Lottery

Just a few short words on the NBA Draft Lottery ... which I love.

Rarely do I make it a point to watch anything related to the NBA in a given year (we've discussed this matter before). But I make sure I watch the NBA Draft Lottery every year.

Why do I make it a priority? I'm not sure. But there are a few known reasons here, which will be listed numerically but without significance:

1. I like the "chance" the event is rigged. Nobody likes David Stern and he definitely let the New York Knicks get Patrick Ewing in 1985 but who cares? The whole season is predictable to a degree and you can count on the top teams finishing in the catbird seat (I just wanted to use that phrase). The lottery is so stupid and ridiculous that I have to watch it. I do wish it was live, so we could see the true despair in David Kahn's face, instead of getting it ten minutes later when he infers that Dan Gilbert's kid was the reason Minnesota lost the lottery last year. I don't care that the Timberwolves, who I claim to be my favorite team, have NEVER moved up in the lottery. Or that Minnesota finished with the worst record and landed with the third pick in 1992 with Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning going No. 1 and 2. Minnesota has been poorly run for a while, so I can see why Stern might not want to give them the No. 1 pick. ESPN tells me the team with the best odds has only received the No. 1 pick three of 18 times since 1994. The Draft Lottery is hysterically unpredictable.

2. The unpredictable order is beautiful. I like it when the eighth-worst team gets the top pick because everyone else in the room is pretty much indifferent or miserable. In typical NBA fashion, you have to be skillfully bad and be lucky when it counts. It makes us watch, much like the actual draft, something that requires no jumpshots or inbound plays.

3. The fate of a franchise is decided quickly. The actual process takes about six minutes (counting the tedious commercial break when they get down to the final three picks. A short period to decide the future of a team for at least five years.

4. I like how David Stern doesn't even show anymore.

5. I like how I know where the Wolves will finish. That's nice.

Can you believe it? Back to back NBA posts.

Make It Quick: Tailoring an NBA Fan

Publisher's Note: This is a new periodical blog feature called Make It Quick, where I make a point quickly and usually leave you, the reader, wondering what all of the commotion was about. The point is to avoid the lengthy stuff that I sometimes write. (That rule is more for myself than it for anyone else. When I do get the urge, I'll write some long stuff, so don't worry. Also, I'm the publisher of this blog, so I can call myself the publisher.)

On a seasonal cycle, the NBA is at its annual peak. The playoffs are always great drama but this is the best part right now with the conference semifinals and the conference finals. (the Elite Eight and Final Four, if you will. Oh, you won't. I apologize.) The best storylines and teams still remain and the quality of play continues to improve. Plus, as odd as this may sound, my interest usually wanes when the playoffs go down to the final two.

The storylines are clear. The Miami Heat are falling apart despite being mostly dominant in the regular season. They could snap at any moment and look great and win the NBA title, too. We know they have the talent but maybe not in the playoffs. The Lakers are a mess and Mike Brown looks continuously overwhelmed. The Oklahoma City Thunder are dominant on their home court and have the all important 'Big 3' that you need to win in the Association. (I feel dopey writing "the Association.") The Spurs are playing the best of the eight teams left but nobody cares because all of their players are boring.

Those are also the storylines fed to us by ESPN (and somewhat by TNT) because those are the most important teams. I don't argue that the Heat and Lakers are the two most important teams. They are.

But I'm uncomfortable in agreeing with ESPN. In this round, it's been almost scary how I've sort of eaten up their coverage. ESPN says the Heat-Pacers and Lakers-Thunder are the two biggest series and they've largely ignored Spurs-Clippers and they've danced with the big market showdown of Celtics-Sixers.

I feel similarly. I don't care about the Spurs-Clippers because that series is over. Celtics-Sixers doesn't do anything for me. And I've been oddly enamored with Heat-Pacers and Lakers-Thunder because I would much rather see OKC and Indy win than Miami and LA. Plus, I don't like LeBron or Wade (FWIW, I liked both before 'The Decision') and I hate every Laker, with a shred of respect for Kobe Bryant. I always root for the underdog and I care about those series because I see the Pacers and Thunder as underdogs, even though they are proving they are not. Now though, I'm interested in how the Heat and Lakers are co-existing as a unit. I'm enjoying it because it's a psychology and group teamwork project more than it is about sports. It's possible that I'm subconsciously hating on the Heat and Lakers and that's fine with me. I'm not sure.

It makes me uneasy to agree with ESPN is all. I've scarfed down a lot of Sports Center in the last week or two, oddly caring about what the Heat and Lakers and Thunder are doing on their off days. I'm becoming the fan that ESPN and the NBA are trying to create and I'm not very comfortable with it. They want to build fans who care about the national teams and the superstars. I don't like it because everything ESPN does is so flimsy and about personal/corporate interests. (I like Magic Johnson and he's a good analyst but I think it remains a conflict of interest to have him loving/hating the Lakers.)

In the end, I'll be alright. This will pass. I'll go back to my usual NBA-hating self by the time the Finals roll around because there's no way I'm taking Kurt Rambis seriously on TV.

P.S: I'm writing this as Game 4 of the Sixers-Celtics game just ended. Why the hell does confetti come down after a Game 4 win? It was Game 4, not Game 7. They made the series 2-2. The Sixers did not win the World Championship or win the Flint, Michigan MegaBowl. If they did, they would have a reason to celebrate. That is annoying.

P.P.S: The Lakers gave away shirts before their Game 3? I never thought that would happen. Another side note, Jack Nicholson is 75. He looks old but not 75 old. You know what I mean?

P.P.PS: I don't think Oklahoma City has committed to a color scheme yet. They use blue, orange, black, red, yellow, dark blue. Unless Adidas just send them factory seconds for warmups and sewed "Oklahoma City" on the front, which appears to be a possible.

Frost Arena Fallacies

*I’ll keep this short because it’s Finals Week and this is a terrible time for me to be addressing this in a ungraded blog post but I feel this is worth the time.

I’ve made my point pretty clear over the past few days about how I feel regarding the SDSU athletic department’s decision to move student seating for basketball games at Frost Arena from the sidelines to both ends. If you want a refresher, check out my Twitter page.

You won't see SDSU's student section like this anymore.

I’ll start right there. I don’t think that it’s a very good idea to split what has become one of the best student sections in the Summit League. Two smaller groups located on each end will not be as impactful as the one solid contingent that occupied the sideline in prior seasons. I point to one of the most anticipated Summit League regular season games the SDSU men’s team has ever played earlier this season when the Jackrabbits hosted Oral Roberts. The students were on their game for this one, with the venom clearly directed at the conference leading Golden Eagles. Mind you, not a nearby rival but a team that has asserted themselves as a pesky foe in the conference because of ability, not proximity.

The students relentlessly badgered coach Scott Sutton and did the same with the players, most notably Dominque Morrison when he fouled out with four minutes or so left in the game. He marched over to the sideline, raising the collar of his T-shirt to his chin and let out a breath of frustration combined with exhaustion. The students were going after him for his signature hair and, more importantly, the fact that he was a good player.

Student sections are strong because they are cohesive and can work together. The best or most creative cheers don’t come from the cheerleaders. With the two end setup, SDSU’s student section will be anything but cohesive.

As for the money side of it, I get that season-ticket holders are the guaranteed money in sports. You have to have them and SDSU, coming off a run to the NCAA Tournament, has an absolutely golden opportunity to capitalize on that by selling more season tickets. On a personal front, SDSU could create some demand for tickets, which wouldn’t be that bad of a thing. I realize that an upgrade in reserved seating is needed because there are some real duds for seats in the arena, especially in the reserved corner sections. That said, you jeopardize your rapport with students by moving them.

According to a report from the Board of Regents, 19 percent ($2.3m of $11.9m) of SDSU’s athletic budget in Fiscal Year 2011 came from the General Activity Fund, which is driven by student fees. In FY 2010, student fees made up 21 percent ($2.4m of $11.3m) of the schools athletic income. For this semester, the GAF fee per credit was $24.95. Multiply that by 15 for the average student load per term. It’s important to note that the fee also funds the Students’ Association budget, helps fund the Wellness Center, etc. The fee will likely go up $1 in either 2012-13 or 2013-14 to help pay for The Union expansion and the current proposal to add the addition onto the Wellness Center would include a $4 increase in student fees. As you can see, this is adding up. (For reference, USD’s activity fee is $36 a credit hour.)

Of course, not every student goes to games. Some will never watch Nate Wolters dribble a basketball or watch Kelli Fiegen put down a kill or Austin Sumner throw a touchdown pass. (But that issue is a different subject.)

It is student dollars, which they have no control over because it’s not optional and the fees are something that have been around forever. However, on the reports for FY10 and FY11, only “General Funds” bring in more money to the department coffers. Not gate receipts or guaranteed money or donations. Then, the student money that accounts for roughly 20 percent of the overall budget looms large.

Back to the actual seating choice, the argument that seats on the end are just as good as the seats on the side of the court is absolute baloney. Look at the seating chart map for any professional, semi-professional or college basketball team that has seating on all four sides of the court. None of those parties charge the same rate for seats at midcourt in the 10th row as they do for seats behind the basket in the 10th row. Why? Because those seats are not the same. It’s the same reason why a seat on the 50-yard line is more expensive than a seat in the endzone at a football game.

Because of the way that Frost Arena is setup, it really is like real estate: All about the location. The student section was prime real estate to be bought out by season-ticket holders.

And is this about the money? Of course it is. This is college sports. Yes, blaming the money is the easy answer but it’s easy because it’s true. If money didn’t matter, nobody gets moved, everyone remains happy and I’m not writing this post. We know why I am.

If the athletic department values season tickets and donations, they should try looking at it like this: Students, at the beginning of each semester make donations — some knowingly and most unknowingly — to tennis and golf and soccer and equestrian. They make donations to swimming and diving and cross country and to softball. Students also donate to football and basketball and they are consistent in their donations from year-to-year.

I hope that the athletic department doesn’t take student money for granted because students are more than just a card swipe at the gate.

I also want to make clear that the Students' Association missed on this one. They had a clear chance to stand up for student seating and instead they nodded their heads and went along with this. Not exactly what you have in mind when you vote for your leaders. They probably wouldn't have been able to stop the change but at least put up a fight.

I’m not sure why I’m getting worked up about this. First, the decision has been made and with the end of semester here, there is not going to be student opposition. The seats will be done for volleyball season. I still stand by my original plan: If you’re going to move the students, move them to one end. That would keep them together as a unit, not split the group up and the group still can look imposing.

I’ve never watched a basketball game from the stands because I’ve always watched from press row. Sitting there, I would think to myself that students have pretty good seats too, all things considered.

I can’t say that anymore.


*This did not end up being a short post.