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Will the Brooklyn Nets be able to get help from the 2012 NBA Draft? Well, that depends on the bounce of the balls in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery, which will be held May 30th.
The Nets traded a top three protected first-round selection to the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2011-2012 season for veteran forward Gerald Wallace. Brooklyn gets to keep the pick if it lands in the top three of the NBA Draft Lottery. If it lands anywhere else, the Trail Blazers get the selection. In that event, the Nets would not have a pick until late in the second round, 57th overall. According to odds released by the NBA, the Nets have a 7.5 percent chance of winning the lottery and getting the No. 1 pick. The Nets apparently have a 25 percent shot at landing in the top three, which would allow them to keep their pick.
That, of course, would be a huge bonus for a franchise that needs a talent infusion as it begins a new era in Brooklyn -- and tries to convince star player Deron Williams to be part of it.