I don't see the point in being so disappointed about the coin flip. Our odds of getting into the top 3 are still the same, and honestly, this is the year that is worth tanking for a top 3 pick with Wiggins, Parker, and Embiid. Most years, teams would be desperate for the #1 pick, as there would be only 1 projected superstar like Duncan, Shaq, Anthony Davis, etc., so getting 2 or 3 pick was a disappointment. Or, well, last year's draft when there were no players worth a top pick at all. This year however there is really no clear drop off from 1-3, so having a 33% shot at a top 3 pick was worth it.
People on here are putting Exum into that top tier category, but there is no clear reason to do so. Many mock drafts have Randle or Smart going before him, and many teams may not be projecting Exum so highly. I like Exum, but honestly, I'm not sold on him. He could be the next Yi Jianlin or Darko for all we know, it's tough to rate him with no NCAA experience. Also, I would rank Saric about equivalent to him in terms of potential.
Draftexpress currently has Exum at 5, being picked by Boston, and NBADraft.net has Exum at 6, picked by the Lakers, with Boston taking Smart at 5.
It's basically a second tier of Randle, Exum, Smart, Gordon, Vonleh, with no clear cut difference between the 5, so in terms of perceived value of the pick, if we don't land a top 3 pick, then 4-8 is roughly the same value. Sure, you can argue that Ainge may have someone as a clear #4 pick on his board and miss out on him, but that in no way means Ainge's #4 is the same as most other GMs #4. Ainge has his own way of ranking players, and besides, it doesn't affect the perceived value of the pick much if we want to trade it.
I fully believe that if we don't land in the top 3, Ainge is trading the pick, and the coin flip doesn't change those odds much at all, or the perceived value of the pick in a trade.
Anyway, let's wait for the lottery results before freaking out. We are lucky to have as many lottery balls as we do.
Topic: Coin Flip Results: Celtics get 5th Slot & 17th pick UPDATED (Read 37256 times)