NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told the Boston Globe yesterday that he and the NBA owners have decided to postpone any lottery reform, saying "It will be a couple of years.
Silver cited the drastically increasing salary cap from the new NBA TV deal as reason for the pause, saying the uncertainty created by such a drastic increase in available salary suggests the owners use caution in changing team building strategies.
“There’s a recognition that the lottery is only one aspect of how to build a team,” Silver said following Thursday’s Hall of Fame Family Reunion dinner. “And given the inflow of the new television money next season and the large increase in the cap, ultimately the owners concluded that while we think we need to take a fresh look at the lottery system, let’s wait and look at the system holistically once the new money comes in.
Personally I don't find this news to be terribly surprising. I've argued previously that lottery reform is likely politically untenable for the NBA owners. While I don't doubt that the increasing cap might change some owners view on lottery reform, I'm also positive that some of them view this as a convenient excuse to table an issue that has no easy resolution.
As for the Sixers, the longer it takes to do lottery reform the less it should (in theory) matter. One would have to think (have to, right???) that this year marks the teams ascent up the basement stairs. If in 2-3 years lottery reform does come in the form of better lottery odds for middling teams, then Hinkie may have pulled ANOTHER fast one on the league.
