With the playoffs rolling and Uncle Ted edging towards making everything official, I can't help but keep my focus on May 18th, the day of the 2010 NBA lottery, aka the John Wall lottery. As if there is any doubt about what is at stake in the lottery, here is some awesome-ness:
Through an absurdly awful season, the lottery has been a source of hope that has inspired me to play ESPN.com's draft lottery simulator 27 times until 'we' got the first pick. You could say the Wizards hands are tied until we know our draft slot, but I beg to differ. One of Uncle Ted's first orders of business will likely be selecting who the Wiz send to the lottery to represent the franchise. Given that it took me 27 times to get John Wall, I should be eliminated from consideration, but here are some more realistic options after the jump:
The obvious options:
Ted Leonsis: The Caps choke job aside, Uncle Ted is a beloved figure and this would be a nice announcement that the Wiz are entering a new era under his leadership. He inspires hope, thanks to the 'success' of the Caps, and is incredibly likeable.
Ernie Grunfeld: A pretty straight-forward choice and one that would show that Grunfeld has the backing of Leonsis.
Flip Saunders: Another straight-forward choice showing the backing of the Leonsis regime. He was on-stage last year though when we fell all the way to #5, so probably time to give someone else a chance.
Gilbert Arenas: Our best player and franchise cornerstone.
Milt Newton: The Wiz VP of Player Personnel, and a solid alternative to Grunfeld, who was our lottery room representative last year. I also just found out that he is available by email for anyone interested in trying-out for the Wizards. I'm glad Milt is a proponent of leaving no stone un-turned, but wish I could see some of those emails.
The not-so obvious/call me crazy options:
Rod Higgins: Sure, you say he's not a member of the organization anymore, working as GM of the Bobcats, but so what? Since when do rules apply to this ceremonial event? I'll throw whoever I want in this mix, and I want the guy who represented the Wiz when we 'won' the 2001 lottery. So it happened to be the worst lottery to win in awhile and we drafted Kwame Brown, but maybe Higgins has the magic touch.
My friend Ben: He managed to win the ESPN.com lottery simulator on his 5th, 9th, 10th and 23rd attempts. Some people just have 'it'.
Irene Pollin: I saved the best for last because she is my favorite choice. This season was overshadowed by the passing of the father of the franchise, and I can think of nothing better to honor his legacy than having his wife, Irene, represent the Wiz at this lottery. Irene would not only be the most talked about representative at the lottery, but karma would most certainly be on our side. She could also make good on her promise that, "In spite of everything, next year will be better, I promise you that."
We know Gil isn't going, so who do you want on the podium? Has anyone outperformed my friend on the ESPN.com lottery simulator?