**Official Celticsblog 2016 NBA Draft Lottery thread**

[jpotter33]

Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle are a nice little young core for the Lakers.  Sounds like they will strongly consider moving the pick though... perhaps for someone like Jimmy Butler or Cousins so they can be more appealing for max contract talent?

They might try, but it's not going to help. Derozan is the only potential decent free agent that will go there this summer, no matter what they trade for. They just don't have the surrounding cast to attract free agents this summer.

Any trade for a star will cost their #2 pick and one of Russell or Randle, because number two isn't sufficient in itself and they don't have the other type of prospects to include in the deal. So let's say they trade #2 plus Russell for Cousins (which is highly doubtful that Sacramento would trade their star to a division rival). That would leave them with:

PG: Clarkson (resigned to a near-max deal)
SG: Lou Williams
SF: Young
PF: Randle, Bass
C: Cousins

You're not winning anything with that team anytime soon, and it's pretty highly imbalanced.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Man oh man people. Just earlier today nearly everyone was saying "I am expecting 6 or 5. Anything else is a bonus." Here we are with the 3rd pick and everyone's mad. Is it disappointing when things don't work out the way we want them to? Sure, but we are in a dang good spot!

Seriously.

When I said the Nets pick was "likely a top 5 pick" at the beginning of the season many people scoffed at the idea. If someone had said the Nets pick would be third the entire board would be jumping for joy.

Now it's the same "doom and gloom" people who somehow think the 3rd pick in the draft is somehow garbage. Personally, I can't wait to see what the Cs do but I feel like it's Christmas.

C'mon man, that's just how some people cope with the stress.

Imagine you go downtown on a friday night, and don't expect to get laid, then this beauty shows up and flirts with you for an hour, but ultimately leaves you hanging, do you say to yourself "Oh well, I didn't expect to score, anyway"?

or you go out not expecting to get laid and a fat ugly woman flirts with you and you go home with her and get aids to boot, that's pick 4+ had we dropped back. With the 3rd pick at least you had a pretty woman make you feel good about yourself, go home and pleasure yourself with the thought of her and have no added disease... 3rd pick!

[Granath]

If people are rioting over the fact that the Celtics have the 3rd pick, I can't imagine if they landed the 6th pick.

I understand the disappointment.  We probably are not going to get any better of a player at 3 than we would have at 5 or 6.  Somehow it feels better to get Hield at 5 than at 3.  I know that isn't necessarily rational but I think it is how people are feeling.

You are very, very wrong. Look at historical trends and you'll find the #3 pick is quite valuable and quite a bit more valuable than a #5 or a #6.

http://www.82games.com/nbadraftpicks.htm

Since 1980 49% of #3 picks have been All Stars. That number is 29% for #4s, 31% for #5s and 20% for #6s.

http://www.nba.com/magic/gallery/cohen-8ball-history-picking-1-8-nba-draft-percentage-all-stars-1980

[mctyson]

People are dismissing this because the 'difference between 3-6 is minimal at best'.....

But at #3 - WE control that whole string, and those having #3 is very good.

[Chris22]

Bender is Tyler Zeller at best.

If Tyler Zeller could cover three positions and shoot threes he'd be pretty awesome.

Bender is slow as Christmas....plays in a joke league.

[LarBrd33]

The great news about this is that #3 is as high as we can get for a pick most of us will have no problem trading away.  If we had #1 or #2, it would be a really tough decision to move Simmons or Ingram.  But with #3?  Trade away, baby.  Whether it's for Jahlil Okafor or whatever, I'm game.

[Ilikesports17]

If people are rioting over the fact that the Celtics have the 3rd pick, I can't imagine if they landed the 6th pick.

I understand the disappointment.  We probably are not going to get any better of a player at 3 than we would have at 5 or 6.  Somehow it feels better to get Hield at 5 than at 3.  I know that isn't necessarily rational but I think it is how people are feeling.

You are very, very wrong. Look at historical trends and you'll find the #3 pick is quite valuable and quite a bit more valuable than a #5 or a #6.

http://www.82games.com/nbadraftpicks.htm

Since 1980 49% of #3 picks have been All Stars. That number is 29% for #4s, 31% for #5s and 20% for #6s.

http://www.nba.com/magic/gallery/cohen-8ball-history-picking-1-8-nba-draft-percentage-all-stars-1980

This draft is unique. The quality of prospect at 3 and 6 here are pretty similar. Bright side is we get our pick of the litter,

[jpotter33]

People are dismissing this because the 'difference between 3-6 is minimal at best'.....

But at #3 - WE control that whole string, and those having #3 is very good.

Yeah, Max215 said it best when he labeled Tier 1 picks 1 and 2 and Tier 2 pick 3, since we ultimately control who we pick at three in that bunch of similarly rated players. I think we end up trading the pick anyways, so I don't think it ultimately matters for us.

[mqtcelticsfan]

If people are rioting over the fact that the Celtics have the 3rd pick, I can't imagine if they landed the 6th pick.

I understand the disappointment.  We probably are not going to get any better of a player at 3 than we would have at 5 or 6.  Somehow it feels better to get Hield at 5 than at 3.  I know that isn't necessarily rational but I think it is how people are feeling.

You are very, very wrong. Look at historical trends and you'll find the #3 pick is quite valuable and quite a bit more valuable than a #5 or a #6.

http://www.82games.com/nbadraftpicks.htm

Since 1980 49% of #3 picks have been All Stars. That number is 29% for #4s, 31% for #5s and 20% for #6s.

http://www.nba.com/magic/gallery/cohen-8ball-history-picking-1-8-nba-draft-percentage-all-stars-1980

This draft is unique. The quality of prospect at 3 and 6 here are pretty similar. Bright side is we get our pick of the litter,

Yeah, I mean it's not like it's terrible that we're third, but it does suck picking third in a 2 player draft.

[jambr380]

If people are rioting over the fact that the Celtics have the 3rd pick, I can't imagine if they landed the 6th pick.

I understand the disappointment.  We probably are not going to get any better of a player at 3 than we would have at 5 or 6.  Somehow it feels better to get Hield at 5 than at 3.  I know that isn't necessarily rational but I think it is how people are feeling.

6th would have meant LAL getting 5th - I would have been quite a bit happier if that had happened. I realize that the 6th pick carries a bit more in terms of trade value, but the idea that the Lakers get a stud prospect and we don't kinda blows.

[Chris22]

I hope we pick an athletic player with the biggest upside.

[jambr380]

People are dismissing this because the 'difference between 3-6 is minimal at best'.....

But at #3 - WE control that whole string, and those having #3 is very good.

Yeah, Max215 said it best when he labeled Tier 1 picks 1 and 2 and Tier 2 pick 3, since we ultimately control who we pick at three in that bunch of similarly rated players. I think we end up trading the pick anyways, so I don't think it ultimately matters for us.

Basically what we need is for a team with a 'star' to fall in love with one of Hield/Murray/Dunn and desperately want to trade with us. Hopefully one of them really steps up to be the consensus number three in workouts.

The other hope is for Simmons and Ingram to remain in Philly and LA and turn into utterly average players.

[alldaboston]

What are the odds that either Philly or LA becomes enamored with Bender, and lets either of Simmons or Ingram fall to us?

[dreamgreen]

Bender is Tyler Zeller at best.

What you don't want some skinny kid that can't score 5 ppg in Europe?

[Neurotic Guy]

Another bright side is that every one of the bottom 7 NBA teams will get a bit better via the draft -- except one team: Our beloved NJ Nets.