By Matt Rochinski
bobcats.com
May 8, 2008

Return to Bobcats Draft Central

The Bobcats will be looking to make history on May 20 in Secaucas, New Jersey, as they look to become the first team to move from the No. 8 spot all the way up to No.1 at the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery. This will be the second year Charlotte will attempt to pull off this feat. The Bobcats entered the lottery at No. 8 last season and held onto their spot after the lottery balls had been drawn.

Charlotte enters the lottery with a 2.8 percent chance of landing the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, which will be held on Thursday, June 26 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

If the Bobcats do not win one of the top three spots in the lottery, they will draft in either the eighth, ninth, 10th or 11th spot, depending on if any teams slotted 9-14 move into the top three, but will draft no higher than 11th.

If the Bobcats are able to move up to the top spot, it would be the first time in NBA Draft Lottery History the No. 8 team won the No. 1 pick. Since the NBA began using a weighted system in 1990, the team with the fifth-most losses has won the top selection a league-best four times, while the team with the worst record at season's end has been drawn for the No. 1 pick only three times. The team with the third-most chances has also won the top pick three times in the last 17 years.

However, if recent history is any indication, then Charlotte might have a shot to land the coveted top spot. Toronto moved up from the No. 5 spot to land the top pick in 2006 and Portland jumped from No. 6 to No. 1 in 2007 - evidence that the No. 1 pick is trending towards longshots, right? Right? Let's hope so.

BOBCATS LOTTERY HISTORY

Year	Record	Position Entering Lottery	Lottery Result
2008	32-50	No. 8	TBD
2007	33-49	No. 8	No. 8
2006	26-56	No. 3	No. 3
2005	18-64	No. 3	No. 5
2004	Expansion Year	N/A	Given No. 4 by NBA (traded for No. 2)

NBA DRAFT LOTTERY HISTORY

Year	Worst Record	Lottery Winner	Position Entering Lottery
2008	Miami	TBD	TBD
2007	Memphis	Portland	Sixth
2006	Portland	Toronto	Fifth
2005	Atlanta	Milwaukee	Sixth
2004	Orlando	Orlando	First
2003	Cleveland/Denver	Cleveland	Tied - First
2002	Golden State/Chicago	Houston	Fifth
2001	Chicago	Washington	Third
2000	L.A. Clippers	New Jersey	Seventh
1999	Vancouver	Chicago	Second
1998	Denver	L.A. Clippers	Third
1997	Vancouver (Boston Most Chances)	San Antonio	Third
1996	Vancouver (Philadelphia Most Chances)	Philadelphia	Second
1995	L.A. Clippers	Golden State	Fifth
1994	Dallas	Milwaukee	Fourth
1993 (Slightly Weighted)	Dallas	Orlando	11th
1992 (SlightlyWeighted)	Minnesota	Orlando	Second
1991 (Slightly Weighted)	Denver	Charlotte	Fifth
1990 (SlightlyWeighted)	New Jersey	New Jersey	First