I get it. There’s something to be said for playing hard. Especially at home games, when hard-working fans are paying to watch players play hard. I appreciate that the Nuggets are doing so for interim coach Melvin Hunt, and I congratulate Danilo Gallinari for ascending here in these final months of a dreadful season that can’t end fast enough.
But that’s the problem — it’s not ending fast enough.
Each win puts Denver in a precarious situation of being “not bad enough” to earn a high draft pick. Front-office types will say that you best not mess with karma, and that tanking does just that, but fans and media say if you’re gonna be bad, be abysmal.
The website is one-stop shopping for NBA draft lottery positions. As I type this Wednesday morning, the Nuggets currently have the seventh-worst record in the league, 27-44, heading into their game against Philadelphia, which, at 17-54, is clinging on to third-worst.
With the way the lottery works, the seventh-worst team has a 15 percent chance of catapulting into the top three and a 4.3 percent change of nabbing the No. 1 overall pick.
With 11 games left this season, the Nuggets could possibly rise to as high as the fifth slot (although that’ll be tough, and Denver hurt itself by beating No. 5 Orlando last weekend).
But the Nuggets could possibly drop all the way to 12th. Could you imagine, after all this, 11 teams get a better pick than Denver?
So, yes, some fans are going to root for Denver to play hard. But, admittedly, many fans are rooting for it to fall hard and thus rise in the lottery rankings.
Here are the current standings (records through March 24):
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| Team | Record | Top 3 chances (%) | Top pick chances (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | New York | 14-57 | 64.3 | 25.0 |
| 2. | Minnesota | 16-54 | 55.8 | 19.9 |
| 3. | Philadelphia | 17-54 | 46.9 | 15.6 |
| 4. | L.A. Lakers | 18-51 | 37.8 | 11.9 |
| 5. | Orlando | 22-50 | 29.2 | 8.8 |
| 6. | Sacramento | 25-45 | 21.5 | 6.3 |
| 7. | Denver | 27-44 | 15.0 | 4.3 |
| 8. | Detroit | 27-44 | 10.0 | 2.8 |
| 9. | Brooklyn | 29-40 | 6.1 | 1.7 |
| 10. | Indiana | 30-40 | 4.0 | 1.1 |
| 11. | Charlotte | 30-39 | 2.9 | 0.8 |
| 12. | Utah | 31-29 | 2.5 | 0.7 |
The dang Magic will be hard for Denver to catch. Realistically, Denver is in contention for the No. 6 slot, which belongs to Sacramento, coached by our old friend George Karl. Of course, just like his former assistant Hunt, Karl is going to coach passionately down the stretch. But how bonkers would it be if Karl’s Kings prevent Denver from nabbing a higher draft pick?
The Nuggets’ final 11 games begin against the aforementioned Philadelphia 76ers, followed by a game Friday against Utah, sitting 12th on the list above.
After that, Denver has only three games against under-.500 teams, including Karl’s return to Pepsi Center with the Kings on April 12th, the Nuggets final home game of the year. So in its final nine games, Denver plays six playoff teams, but it’s possible that Golden State, on the season finale, will have the No. 1 playoff seed locked up and rest its top players.
So while some of you root for Will Barton, others will wonder “Will Denver lose enough?”
CHEW ON THIS
• This is super-cool: a map by Mitchell & Ness, the company that makes throwback jerseys, of the most popular throwback jersey in each state. Still not sure how San Diego Dave Winfield is so popular in Maine, but it’s a cool map, nevertheless.
• Really? this season?
• Zach Harper of CBSSports.com at transition offense in the NBA.
• Watching is worth it for the Dick Vitale joke.
• I still say “She’s All That” is a legitimately entertaining movie. And man, Freddie Prinze Jr. is now going gray. And he’s been married to Buffy for 13 years. Celebrity couples never stay together this long! (I guess since both of their celebrity is dwindling, though …)
Anyway, of the happy couple through the years.
• Wait, Paul McCartney is this summer? And Metallica, too?
• And finally, happy 40th birthday to the man who’s forever .
Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or
Visit each weekday near noontime for a serving of dish concerning Colorado’s sporting landscape from a Denver Post sports writer. Care for another helping? Scan .
