So while teams theoretically still can lose on purpose, they're not necessarily guaranteeing themselves favorable draft position.
The losingest teams still have the best chance to secure the top overall pick, but they no longer have the only chance. Though the weighting system has varied through the years, all non-playoff teams are given some sort of opportunity to end up with a player that could jumpstart a franchise. The Knicks, Spurs and Cavaliers are shining examples.
An interesting start
Conspiracy theorists have suggested the very first lottery in 1985 was rigged since it allowed the Knicks, who finished with a better record than four other teams during the regular season, to move up and select Patrick Ewing, one of greatest big men in college basketball history. The presumption was that the league always wants a successful team in New York, which would generate fan interest and TV ratings. Each of the seven non-playoff teams had an equal chance for the No. 1 pick, and there was speculation that the envelope containing the Knicks logo in 1985 was tampered with.
"I wish I had as much sway as the conspiracists attribute to me," commissioner David Stern recently told the Associated Press.
Hitting it biggest
When the Spurs hit it big in 1987, they were transformed from also-ran to contender. When they hit it again 10 years later, San Antonio became dominant.
