Lady Luck strikes Wizards, Sixers

By John McMullen

Secaucus, NJ - Legend has it that the phrase "Lady Luck" refers to Fortuna, the Greek goddess of fortune and personification.

Fortuna evidently wasn't a big fan of NBA teams along the I-95 corridor last year.

From the nation's capital all the way up to Madison Square Garden, a wretched brand of basketball was being played. In fact the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks combined for 94 wins and an astounding 234 losses.

The worm may have turned for at least two of those teams on Tuesday, when the Wizards and Sixers jumped up in the NBA's annual Draft Lottery.

Armed with a minuscule 10.3 percent chance of leaping from No. 5 to the top spot coming in, the Wizards, represented by Irene Pollin, the wife of late owner Abe Pollin, did exactly that, climbing into a position to select Kentucky freshman sensation John Wall in the draft on June 24.

The jump-up into the prime position may have been thanks to a lucky charm, as Irene wore the 1978 Bullets championship ring of her late husband, who passed in November, during the lottery.

"This is wonderful. My husband never took this ring off his finger," said Irene Pollin.

Washington (26-55), of course, was plagued by poor play on the court along with off-court indiscretions headlined by the suspension of former All-Star Gilbert Arenas for bringing guns into the Verizon Center locker room.

The Wizards could select Kentucky freshman sensation John Wall in the draft on June 24.

"We deserved a break and I just had a good vibe," incoming Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said. "I just said if ever a franchise deserved some good luck, it's this [one], because last year was an incredibly tough year for the city, the fans and the Pollin family."

The Sixers made an even more unlikely leap when they garnered the second selection, up from No. 6. The likelihood of Philadelphia making that jump was 6.03 percent and gives the moribund franchise a chance to take the National Player of the Year, Ohio State star Evan Turner.

The Sixers brought up their own lucky charm, a used hockey stick from the Philadelphia Flyers' stunning rally from three games down to topple the Boston Bruins in the NHL's Eastern Conference semifinals.

"We hope our fans are as excited by the outcome of [Tuesday's] draft lottery as we are," said Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski. "We are fortunate that the ping-pong balls bounced our way tonight."

Of course, if you believe in luck, you understand it can be good or bad.

The Nets, who entered the lottery with a 1-in-4 chance to land the top selection, dropped to third despite finishing an NBA-worst 12-70.

New Jersey and its new owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, were banking on the top pick, along with building blocks Brook Lopez and Devin Harris, to entice soon-to-be free agent LeBron James away from Cleveland.

Now, the Nets will have to settle for one of three solid prospects in forwards Derrick Favors of Georgia Tech and Wesley Johnson of Syracuse, along with Kentucky Center DeMarcus Cousins.

"Sometimes luck makes all the difference, but it never comes down to one player," Prokhorov said. "We are going to get a great player."

The team with the worst record hasn't won the lottery since 2004, when the Orlando Magic selected All-Star center Dwight Howard, a fact that NBA commissioner David Stern thinks breeds competition and excitement for the annual event.

"I think the results of the Lottery, if anything, are causing teams with the worst record to feel as though a paucity of wins is not being adequately recognized and compensated," Stern said before the event kicked off. "So for us, it works well. It's taking care of the main reason for which it was enacted."