Kahn knows it's all a scam!

[karch34]

It's a joke and clearly meant that way. Is there some truth behind it? Of course as there is with almost any joke. Problem is 1) a lot of media wants to crucify Kahn and 2) David Stern doesn't have a sense of humor.

[Krapinsky]

I would be very surprised if he's fined.

[shangrila]

Agreed. Coaches make plenty of jokes about bad reffing without getting fined.

[Krapinsky]

Agreed. Coaches make plenty of jokes about bad reffing without getting fined.

I don't know if that' sarcastic or what, but it's completely different. It's one thing to blame the referees and break a written league rule, it's another thing to make a joke about a ridiculous conspiracy theory. Obviously, any GM that's been a part of the process isn't going to think it's rigged. How do you rig a bubble/lottery machine?

[Beas]

Saw the video earlier and it sounded like he was definitely taken out of context. The way he said it he was obviously joking around but I still expect Stern to fine him, I'm curious to see for how much.

[Breakdown777]

If Kahn does get fined, I'm blaming the media for turning it into a big deal. What's funny is the wiretap article even says "They may forgo fining him, as it could bring more attention to the issue."....Odds are the media has already gotten a hold of it, and anyone who wanted to suggest that it's rigged is going to mention Kahns comments....so the people who want to hear about it are going to regardless. It was a pretty innocent comment, Kahn just chose his words poorly. Any other GM would've said, "I knew when we got up there with the 14 year old, we were toast. Last year a Widow, and this year the kid." But Kahn had to go and stress the word "Habit" and then liken it to incredible scenarios. I still think it's pretty stupid for anyone to think that Kahn actually thinks the lotto is rigged.

[funkatron101]

PeeDee said it perfectly when we were talking about it. If he said "fate" instead of "league" no one would have batted an eye.

[Tirion]

Kahn is an idiot and his idiocy is going to cost him and this franchise... again.

[C.lupus]

If he gets fined over this I will be hugely disappointed in the league. A guy should be able to have some innocent, good hearted banter without it costing him tens of thousands of dollars. Stern needs to grow a sense of humor or gtfo.

[wiLQ]

The article really doesn't tell the whole story. Yesterday I was under the impression that Kahn was angry at the whole process and hinted that it actually was rigged.

IMHO Kahn was simply bitter… and surprisingly I don’t blame him because Wolves have been the most unlucky team regarding lottery since 1994!
http://weaksideawareness.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/a-date-with-lady-luck-during-nba-draft-lottery/

[funkatron101]

The article really doesn't tell the whole story. Yesterday I was under the impression that Kahn was angry at the whole process and hinted that it actually was rigged.

IMHO Kahn was simply bitter… and surprisingly I don’t blame him because Wolves have been the most unlucky team regarding lottery since 1994!
http://weaksideawareness.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/a-date-with-lady-luck-during-nba-draft-lottery/

I don't even think he was all that bitter. Just defeated.

Thanks for finding and posting this. I was looking for a breakdown like this.

[Diggler]

Well if they WERE going to rig it, I imagine that it would be done just the way it is now. They roll out the pretend lotto ball machine and do a mock bubble machine drawing so you think to yourself, "seems legit, no way to rig that." Then they cut to commercial and a couple people go into a sealed off room. Back from commercial and they announce the results. What really happened? Who knows.

The lottery percentages are all over the place too, so that teams aren't a "lock" for certain positions at the top, which is handy for plausible deniability if you DID want to fix it.

But with millions of dollars on the line, I suppose it's probably left to chance.