OT - Dikembe Otumbo tweets congratulations to 76ers before lottery was held

[The Gr8est]

OK, fair warning, the link is from ESPN.

Dikembe Mutombo congratulates 76ers on lottery ... before it begins

"Yes, that's right -- the former All-Star center congratulated one of his former teams, the Philadelphia 76ers, on winning this year's lottery. The only problem? He sent out the tweet hours before the lottery was due to be held.

This crap in pro sports is really moving me closer to the breaking point."

If this isn't corruption it will do until real corruption comes along.

As corrupt as the NFL* is just be glad they haven't listen to the siren's call to institute a lottery yet. Currently the only way they can manipulate the results is to steal draft picks from the best team.

Imagine if the Celtics had gotten Tim Duncan instead of San Antonio, who wasn't really a bad team but had suffered through an injury-riddled down season.

 

[Joey007]

@dikembe has some explaining to do...

 

[Fixit]

This is the ultimate in disrespecting the clock.

 

[signbabybrady]

I'm sure they share all their rigged info with former stars for the teams that benefit from the rigging.

I'm not saying it isn't rigged just saying Dikembe didn't know and just made a mistake.

 

[oldrover]

Unfortunately, Dikembe's clock was set to Brian Tyme.

 

[Joker]

I'm sure they share all their rigged info with former stars for the teams that benefit from the rigging.

I'm not saying it isn't rigged just saying Dikembe didn't know and just made a mistake.

The NBA isn't rigged?...uh...WUT?

 

[ViperGTS]

OK, fair warning, the link is from ESPN.

Dikembe Mutombo congratulates 76ers on lottery ... before it begins

"Yes, that's right -- the former All-Star center congratulated one of his former teams, the Philadelphia 76ers, on winning this year's lottery. The only problem? He sent out the tweet hours before the lottery was due to be held.

This crap in pro sports is really moving me closer to the breaking point."

If this isn't corruption it will do until real corruption comes along.

As corrupt as the NFL* is just be glad they haven't listen to the siren's call to institute a lottery yet. Currently the only way they can manipulate the results is to steal draft picks from the best team.

Imagine if the Celtics had gotten Tim Duncan instead of San Antonio, who wasn't really a bad team but had suffered through an injury-riddled down season.

The Colangelos are in charge now in Philly and their are bed fellows with the NBA. And LA would lose its pick if it fell out of the top 3 and voila, they get number 2. It's rigged and has been for quite a long time. It's pathetic that no one in Congress will do anything. NFL, NBA..

I even heard Manfred the MLB commissioner talking about how they need to keep every city relevant. Wow. Wonder what that will lead to hmmm?

Takes the NBA for example. Ever hear "He's a superstar so he will get that call". Wait, so he can foul or travel and it won't be called because he's a superstar? Huh. That's basically creating an unfair advantage. Yet people say it ALL the time without batting an eye.

It's no wonder they do it. We don't seem to care.

 

[XLIX]

I don't know about the "old days" but these days, there are representatives from each team in the room where the ping pong balls are drawn. If it was rigged, you would need all 14 teams to be in on it.

 

[signbabybrady]

The NBA isn't rigged?...uh...WUT?

I'm not saying it isn't rigged just saying they don't keep Dikembe in the loop.

 

[blackglass3]

Imagine if the Celtics had gotten Tim Duncan instead of San Antonio, who wasn't really a bad team but completely gave up once their one great player went down and showed zero integrity in doing so.

FYP, and it's true. I hate the "we tank when or star goes down to get more stars. If you're going to suck, suck like the Knicks and REALLY bottom out with an egomaniacal owner AND President (both of who thing things are going A-OK!)

 

[ViperGTS]

I don't know about the "old days" but these days, there are representatives from each team in the room where the ping pong balls are drawn. If it was rigged, you would need all 14 teams to be in on it.

Listen to Chris Mannix from earlier tonight. He said he's been in the room and said good luck trying to figure it out. So if he is saying that, I'm sure anything can be done such as having balls being a slight bit heavier so they don't have as much of a chance to get sucked up. I think they let it ride outside of the top 5, but once it's there it's on like donkey kong.

 

[XLIX]

Listen to Chris Mannix from earlier tonight. He said he's been in the room and said good luck trying to figure it out.

Just because Chris Mannix is a moron doesn't mean the rest of us are. It is a very simple system to figure out.

So if he is saying that, I'm sure anything can be done such as having balls being a slight bit heavier so they don't have as much of a chance to get sucked up. I think they let it ride outside of the top 5, but once it's there it's on like donkey kong.

Gimme a break. We all saw the ping pong balls on TV. None of them were any heavier than the others. They were all bouncing around the jar like normal.

All of this conveniently ignores the facts that:

1) If the NBA was going to rig the outcome, it makes a helluva lot more sense to go with the Lakers, and
2) Using Dikembe's tweet as "evidence" is ridiculous.... you know, like they would rig the outcome AND spill the beans to Dikembe beforehand.....

 

[ausbacker]

OK, fair warning, the link is from ESPN.

Dikembe Mutombo congratulates 76ers on lottery ... before it begins

"Yes, that's right -- the former All-Star center congratulated one of his former teams, the Philadelphia 76ers, on winning this year's lottery. The only problem? He sent out the tweet hours before the lottery was due to be held.

This crap in pro sports is really moving me closer to the breaking point."

If this isn't corruption it will do until real corruption comes along.

As corrupt as the NFL* is just be glad they haven't listen to the siren's call to institute a lottery yet. Currently the only way they can manipulate the results is to steal draft picks from the best team.

Imagine if the Celtics had gotten Tim Duncan instead of San Antonio, who wasn't really a bad team but had suffered through an injury-riddled down season.

You didn't start questioning the NBA Lottery when Cleveland magically fell into 700 #1 picks after LeBron left or New Orleans fell into Anthony Davis after CP3 left? I don't generally buy into conspiracy theories but you can look at things with a reasonably suspicious eye these days.

 

[XLIX]

You didn't start questioning the NBA Lottery when Cleveland magically fell into 700 #1 picks after LeBron left or New Orleans fell into Anthony Davis after CP3 left?

Yes, it's an amazing coincidence that when superstars leave teams, those teams have horrible years and end up with one of the worst records in the league.

Cleveland only won it twice after LeBron left. The fact that you have to so ridiculously exaggerate only proves you have a weak point to begin with.

If the NBA was going to rig the draft lottery, why in the world would they rig it for Cleveland??? Not to mention that it has been many years since we've seen a truly extraordinary #1 such as a LeBron, Shaquille, Duncan, Robinson or Ewing. No player over the past decade has even been worth rigging the lottery over.

 

[ViperGTS]

Yes, it's an amazing coincidence that when superstars leave teams, those teams have horrible years and end up with one of the worst records in the league.

Cleveland only won it twice after LeBron left. The fact that you have to so ridiculously exaggerate only proves you have a weak point to begin with.

If the NBA was going to rig the draft lottery, why in the world would they rig it for Cleveland??? Not to mention that it has been many years since we've seen a truly extraordinary #1 such as a LeBron, Shaquille, Duncan, Robinson or Ewing. No player over the past decade has even been worth rigging the lottery over.

They rigged it for Cleveland because they knew Bron Bron wanted Love in Cleveland. So, they get the 1st pick (Wiggins) that was acquired with astronomically bad odds to flip to Minny for Love. Without that, no Bron Bron in Cleveland and there goes that story line. Bron Bron wins in his hometown round 2. Massive new interest obtained.

It isn't even about the players as such. It's about assests. For instance the Lakers now have currency to possible trade for s proven player if they so choose. They wouldn't if they had fallen out of the top 3. The. You have the connections from Silver to the Colangelos. Read up on that and the whole Philly debacle and then tell me there wasn't some back scratching going on.

Mutumbo didn't say that with ingorance. He knows how the draft lottery works and I would posit the theory that someone he knows with ties to the organization had loose lips. If anything, what he said added to the Silver-Colangelo stuff makes for a good base for a federal investigation. I could really care less that the Cs ended up at 3. They didn't have to work for that pick. It's a bonus. That being said, something is smelly with the top 2.

Take Philly and LA out and put 2 other teams in and keep the Cs at 3? Fine by me. Just something isn't right.

 

[XLIX]

They rigged it for Cleveland because they knew Bron Bron wanted Love in Cleveland. So, they get the 1st pick (Wiggins) that was acquired with astronomically bad odds to flip to Minny for Love. Without that, no Bron Bron in Cleveland and there goes that story line. Bron Bron wins in his hometown round 2. Massive new interest obtained.

Gimme a break. All those maneuvers to bring Kevin Love to Cleveland? You cannot possibly be serious.

And you still haven't answered why they would do all this for Cleveland. NBA would have been better off if LeBron just stayed in Miami, or gone to a major market, so why would they rig things for him to go to sad sack Cleveland?

It isn't even about the players as such. It's about assests.

Of course it's about the players. There haven't been any truly great players selected #1 since LeBron.

For instance the Lakers now have currency to possible trade for s proven player if they so choose. They wouldn't if they had fallen out of the top 3. The. You have the connections from Silver to the Colangelos. Read up on that and the whole Philly debacle and then tell me there wasn't some back scratching going on.

Mutumbo didn't say that with ingorance. He knows how the draft lottery works and I would posit the theory that someone he knows with ties to the organization had loose lips. If anything, what he said added to the Silver-Colangelo stuff makes for a good base for a federal investigation. I could really care less that the Cs ended up at 3. They didn't have to work for that pick. It's a bonus. That being said, something is smelly with the top 2.

Take Philly and LA out and put 2 other teams in and keep the Cs at 3? Fine by me. Just something isn't right.

The thing that amuses me most about the conspiracy theorists is that they cry "CONSPIRACY!" no matter what happens! If the Lakers had won, you'd be yelling conspiracy just as loud. Big market team wins? CONSPIRACY! Small market team wins? CONSPIRACY! Expected result? CONSPIRACY! Unexpected result? CONSPIRACY!

Fact is this year's draft lottery produced the most likely single result, and people are still yelling CONSPIRACY! It was all pretty anti-climactic as nobody moved up at spot at all. If the lottery was fixed, then all 14 people from the 14 lottery teams would have all had to have been in on it.

 

[ViperGTS]

Gimme a break. All those maneuvers to bring Kevin Love to Cleveland? You cannot possibly be serious.

And you still haven't answered why they would do all this for Cleveland. NBA would have been better off if LeBron just stayed in Miami, or gone to a major market, so why would they rig things for him to go to sad sack Cleveland?
Of course it's about the players. There haven't been any truly great players selected #1 since LeBron.
The thing that amuses me most about the conspiracy theorists is that they cry "CONSPIRACY!" no matter what happens! If the Lakers had won, you'd be yelling conspiracy just as loud. Big market team wins? CONSPIRACY! Small market team wins? CONSPIRACY! Expected result? CONSPIRACY! Unexpected result? CONSPIRACY!

Fact is this year's draft lottery produced the most likely single result, and people are still yelling CONSPIRACY! It was all pretty anti-climactic as nobody moved up at spot at all. If the lottery was fixed, then all 14 people from the 14 lottery teams would have all had to have been in on it.

It's sad. A former player tweets out congratulations hours before the event even happens, deletes it, and we're just supposed to shrug and say, no big deal?

I bet your the type of person who if an alien ship landed in your backyard and little green dudes with big heads and only eyes said, "Hello earthling!", you'd tell them they aren't real and to get off your lawn. Am I right?

 

[Wiluven]

Not here to comment about whether or not the draft lottery is rigged but what I found odd is the amount of smiling, hand shaking, etc that was done once the 76ers won. I understand that you will (likely) get a good player but celebrating your award for being a **** stain team just seems.... odd.

 

[ViperGTS]

Not here to comment about whether or not the draft lottery is rigged but what I found odd is the amount of smiling, hand shaking, etc that was done once the 76ers won. I understand that you will (likely) get a good player but celebrating your award for being a **** stain team just seems.... odd.

That's because they are old friends. Colangelos and the NBA are as is described by some NBA royalty. There was a lot of smoke that Philly was getting the number one pick because of their close ties to the NBA and Silver.

I keep trying to figure out a good NFL comparo to the Dikembe tweet. It's pretty hard because there isn't a lottery type system anywhere else. If there was an equivalency and a Pats former player had stated that and it held true in the future, an apology such as Dikembes wouldn't exactly be met with empathy. There would be a massive uproar and most likely and investigation.

Dikembe Mutombo Just ‘Randomly’ Congratulates 76ers On Winning Lottery Hours Early

Some interesting stuff here. Especially the Rose thing. 1.8 percent chance. Boom. And it's happened numerous times.

 

[Kontradiction]

Anyone who thinks the lottery isn't rigged should look no further than the Cavs winning the draft lottery in 3 out of the 4 years LeBron was gone. They really wanted to bring the Cavs back to relevancy. As for last night? I was actually surprised the Lakers didn't win it.