May 20, 2008

Prior to the 2008 NBA Draft lottery, the Knicks had held five lottery picks over the 27-year history of the event. Here's a year-by-year look at past Knicks lottery positions and the players selected.

1985 -- No. 1 Overall Pick
Seed entering draft: Fifth
In one of the truly landmark moments in franchise history, the Knicks jumped ahead of four other teams to win the inaugural Draft Lottery, often referred to as the "Patrick Ewing Sweepstakes", on May 12, 1985. The superstar center out of Georgetown went on to earn NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1985-86. Over the course of his career, Ewing made 11 All-Star rosters and was a member of the NBA 50th Anniversary's "Fifty Greatest Players" list. Ewing remains the Knicks' all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocked shots, steals and field goals made, and was recently chosen for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

1986 -- No. 5 Overall Pick
Seed entering draft: Fifth
After claiming Ewing a year earlier, the Knicks held their No. 5 seed entering the 1986 draft and selected Kenny "Sky" Walker out of Kentucky. Walker played five solid seasons in New York, averaging 7.7 points per game while pulling down 1,457 rebounds and recording 235 blocks. A tremendous athlete, he won the 1989 NBA Slam-Dunk contest, however knee injuries derailed his career and he left the NBA to play in Spain following the 1990-91 season.

2002 -- No. 7 Overall Pick
Seed entering draft: Seventh
Thanks to the foundation set by Ewing, the Knicks would not be eligible for another lottery pick for 16 years. With the No. 7 overall selection, New York drafted Brazilian forward Nene Hilario, whose Knicks tenure lasted all but a few minutes. Moments later, Hilario was traded, along with Marcus Camby, to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for All-Star Antonio McDyess and the 25th overall selection, which became Frank Williams. McDyess suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason, and after appearing in just 18 games in 2003-04, he was traded to Phoenix in exchange for Stephon Marbury and Anfernee Hardaway. Williams played two full seasons in New York before he was traded to Chicago in the summer of 2004 as part of the deal thatbrought Jamal Crawford and Jerome Williams to the Knicks.

2003 -- No. 9 Overall Pick
Seed entering draft: Ninth
Without MyDyess' services in 2002-03, the Knicks found themselves back in the lottery, where they landed the ninth of 13 selections. Perhaps recalling their past success in drafting a frontcourt player from Georgetown, the Knicks went back to the Big East well and selected forward Mike Sweetney. The beefy forward played two seasons in New York, averaging 7.0 points per game, before he was traded in the off-season as part of the deal that brought Eddy Curry from Chicago to the Knicks.

2005 -- No. 8 Overall Pick
Seed entering draft: Eighth
With their most recent lottery pick in 2005, the Knicks selected Channing Frye out of Arizona with the eighth overall selection. Frye started 73 games in two seasons, averaging 10.8 points per game and recording 769 rebounds in 137 total games. He was eventually traded on draft day two years later, going with Steve Francis to Portland in exchange for Zach Randolph and Fred Jones.

Luck of the Draw
The Knicks enter the 2008 NBA Draft lottery with the same No. 5 seed they held in the year Ewing was chosen. Here is a look at how No. 5 seeded teams have fared since 1985:

No. 5 seed track record
1985 -- Won lottery (Patrick Ewing)
1986 -- No. 5
1987 -- Finished second, drafted No. 2 overall
1988 -- Finished fourth, drafted No. 4 overall
1989 -- Finished second, drafted No. 2 overall
1990 -- Displaced by Seattle, drafted No. 6 overall
1991 -- Won lottery (Larry Johnson)
1992 -- Displaced by Charlotte, drafted No. 6 overall
1993 -- Finished second, drafted No. 2 overall
1994 -- No. 5
1995 -- Won lottery (Joe Smith)
1996 -- No. 5
1997 -- Finished second, drafted No. 2 overall
1998 -- Finished second, drafted No. 2 overall
1999 -- Displaced by Charlotte, drafted No. 6 overall
2000 -- Displaced by New Jersey, drafted No. 6 overall
2001 -- Finished third, drafted No. 3 overall
2002 -- Won lottery (Yao Ming)
2003 -- Displaced by Memphis, drafted No. 6 overall
2004 -- Displaced by Charlotte, drafted No. 6 overall
2005 -- Displaced by Milwaukee, drafted No. 6 overall
2006 -- Finished second, drafted No. 2 overall
2007 -- Finished second, drafted No. 2 overall

Summary: The No. 5 team has won four of the past 23 lotteries for a 17.4 percent success rate. That is twice the amount won by the No. 1 seeds. Only one other draft position -- the No. 3 spot --has had more luck with the first pick than No. 5. Teams seeded fifth have also moved up to draft higher in 13 of the 23 lotteries (56.5 percent).

Here is a breakdown of the seeds that have produced the past lottery winners;

Where Lottery Winners Came From
No. 1 -- 2 wins (8.7 percent)
No. 2 -- 4 wins (17.4 percent)
No. 3 -- 5 wins (21.7 percent)
No. 4 -- 1 win (4.3 percent)
No. 5 -- 4 wins (17.4 percent)
No. 6 -- 3 wins (13 percent)
No. 7 -- 3 wins (13 percent)
No. 11 -- 1 win (4.3 percent)