When is Charles Barkley not saying something controversial?  I must admit this one has crossed my mind as well. In an appearance on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, Barkley gave his thoughts on the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery and it’s legitimacy.  Read more after the jump.
“I’ve got to tell you something, I’m really concerned about the number one pick in the draft this year. Well, number one, I think Michael would take Anthony Davis or I’d kill him (laughs). I can’t say this, but I’m going to be watching the draft lottery very closely because I don’t want no shenanigansâ€
He went on to discuss what he meant by shenanigans.
“I’m going to be very leery if Anthony Davis ends up in Brooklyn. You know, I’m going to be very leery because I know the NBA has a lot riding on that new arena, especially if Deron Williams leaves New Jersey. They didn’t get Dwight Howard. I’m going to be very leery if New Jersey gets that number one pick.”
Barkley actually has a point this time. The legitimacy of the NBA Draft lottery has come under scrutiny many times even dating back to the first one. They initially used three envelopes to select who gets the first pick and to avoid teams tanking. The Knicks received the first pick with the new system and drafted Patrick Ewing. Many accused commissioner David Stern and the league of rigging the lottery and continued to do so even when they changed it to a weighted system. Let’s not forget the coincidence of the Cleveland Cavaliers landing the first pick and choosing Ohio native Lebron James.  Chicago also was granted such luck when they were able to draft hometown hero Derrick Rose.  There’s also the case of the Orlando Magic getting the first pick two years in a row when they were a new franchise. So it’s basically in the cards for the new Brooklyn Nets to receive the first pick and draft Anthony Davis bringing star power to the young New York team. For Stern’s sake maybe this won’t be the case.
