Clippers have 17.7% chance of winning lottery

CLEVELAND â€”  Mike Dunleavy, the Clippers’ general manager and coach, settled into his seat to watch a potential Clipper of the future.

Good passer, he thought.

Dunleavy also liked the way the player shot during the pre-game warmups. Then, Ricky Rubio got hurt.

Twelve minutes in.

Wait a minute. Isn’t the Clippers curse supposed to hit players after they get drafted by the organization, not beforehand?

And so much for Dunleavy’s long scouting mission to Spain to check out 18-year-old Rubio. But Dunleavy was assured that Rubio’s injury -- believed to be a groin injury or a hip pointer -- was not serious and that he would be playing again in short order so Dunleavy could better evaluate the dynamic guard.

Whether the Clippers get a shot at Rubio or, better yet, the consensus No. 1 choice Blake Griffin of Oklahoma will be determined tonight in Secaucus, N.J., at the NBA’s Draft Lottery. It’s the main course of ping-pong balls, and must-see TV (on ESPN), for fans of beleaguered franchises such as Sacramento, Washington and the Clippers, those three with worst records in the NBA. The 14 teams in the lottery are the non-playoff clubs.

Sacramento has a 25% chance of winning the top lottery pick, followed by the Wizards at 17.8 and the Clippers at 17.7. The Clippers and Washington finished with identical records, but the Wizards won the coin flip after the end of the regular season. Of course, a downright desultory record does not assure success in the lottery.

Chicago, armed with a mere 1.7% shot, won last year’s lottery and the right to pick Derrick Rose, and the rest, as everyone knows, is history. The Clippers cannot drop below the sixth pick, and last year they grabbed a gem, at No 7, in shooting guard Eric Gordon.

Dunleavy spoke about what getting a No. 1 pick would mean to a franchise.

“It’s a great lift to an organization,� he said in a telephone interview from Barcelona on Sunday. “It gives you greater options. You’ve added a major asset.�

Representing the Clippers at tonight’s lottery will be team President Andy Roeser. There will be a mix of different representatives for the various lottery teams. Coach Scott Brooks is representing Oklahoma City and former UCLA player Kevin Love, who just finished his rookie season, will be on hand for Minnesota.

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