NBA Draft Lottery 2011: New Jersey Nets Are The Big Winners

At the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night the Cleveland Cavaliers were seen as the big winners, with the pick they acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers jumping from eighth all the way up to the top spot.  Also coming up with a big move were the Utah Jazz, taking the pick they got from the New Jersey Nets in return for Deron Williams and going from six to three despite just a 9.39% chance of that happening.

Both the Cavs and Jazz are winners for sure, but the biggest of the night?

Hardly.

That honor belongs to Billy King, Mikhail Prokhorov and the Nets.  After all, there is only one team that is guaranteed to turn their 2011 first-round pick into a top 10 NBA player and that is New Jersey with Williams.

Don't get me wrong, the fans in Cleveland should be excited about building their future around Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, and the same goes for the folks in Utah who have two of the top 12 picks in the draft.  However, there's no doubt that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert would happily send the first overall pick to the Garden State for Williams, and the same goes for the Jazz if they knew their former point guard would stay in town.

So before you start whining about the Nets not protecting their pick this year, remember that at the end of the day New Jersey has a player better than anyone coming out of this draft class.

Plus, the Clippers make the Williams trade look even better as they have to watch the point guard they desperately need go to the Cavaliers with nothing to show for it.  Well, that's not completely true... they have Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.

Enough said.

NBA Draft Order: Cleveland Cavaliers Get No. 1 Pick In Draft Lottery

The Cleveland Cavaliers had to suffer a miserable 2010-2011 season after LeBron James left for the Miami Heat. The Cavaliers were rewarded Tuesday night, though, earning the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by winning the annual NBA Draft Lottery. The Cavaliers also own the fourth overall selection.

The New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets were not part of the Draft Lottery, though the Nets had to be interested bystanders. The Nets had sent the Utah Jazz their No. 1 pick in the trade that netted New Jersey Deron Williams. The Jazz came out of the lottery with the third overall pick.

The Knicks have the 17th pick in the first round. The Nets have the 27th pick, which they acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Los Angeles Clippers)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
3. Utah Jazz (via New Jersey Nets)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Toronto Raptors
6. Washington Wizards
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Houston Rockets
15. Indiana Pacers
16. Philadelphia 76ers
17. New York Knicks
18. Washington Wizards (from Atlanta Hawks)
19. Charlotte Bobcats (from New Orleans Hornets)
20. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis Grizzlies)
21. Portland Trail Blazers
22. Denver Nuggets
23. Houston Rockets (from Orlando Magic)
24. Oklahoma City Thunder
25. Boston Celtics
26. Dallas Mavericks
27. New Jersey Nets (from Los Angeles Lakers)
28. Chicago Bulls (from Miami Heat)
29. San Antonio Spurs
30. Chicago Bulls

-- See SB Nation's complete Draft Lottery coverage. See Fear The Sword to join Cavaliers' fans as they celebrate getting the top pick.

NBA Draft Lottery 2011: Who Will Get No. 1 Pick?

The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery is Tuesday night (ESPN, 8:30 p.m.) in Secaucus, N.J., meaning the fates of 14 NBA franchises hang on the bounces of some ping pong balls. The New York Knicks don't have a dog in the fight here, as they pick 17th in the Jun 23rd NBA Draft. Our Chris Celletti details  how that might be a good thing, considering the Knicks' history in the lottery. The New Jersey Nets will also on the sidelines tonight. They traded their No. 1 pick to Utah in the Deron Williams deal, and will pick 27th in the first round.

How do those ping pong balls work? Well, there aren't 1,000 of them placed in a big hopper and pulled out at random. The NBA uses a complicated mathematical formula I can't explain. If you have a need to know the deep, dark secrets of the formula, you can find an explanation here. Then again, maybe that will just make your brain hurt.

Maybe you should just tune in to find out what happens. Or come back here later this evening and we will tell you.

2011 NBA Draft Lottery Odds (from NBA.com)

They Took Who? A New York Knicks Draft Lottery History

With the Knicks' history of drafting in the lottery, it's probably a good thing they're not in Tuesday night's drawing.