2009 NBA Draft: LA Clippers Win Draft Lottery, Earn No. 1 Pick

The Los Angeles Clippers won the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, earning them the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

The Clippers entered the lottery with the third-best chance of winning the lottery, behind the Sarcamento Kings and the Washington Wizards. The Clippers earned the third-worst record in the NBA last season. The Kings ended up with the No. 4 pick, followed by the Wizards with the No. 5 selection.

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder earned the second and third selections, respectively. The Minnesota Timberwolves has the sixth pick followed by the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns.

The No. 1 pick gives the Clippers their third top selection in franchise history, tying them with Orlando Magic for the most of any team in NBA history. However, unlike the Magic, the Clippers have not had nearly as much success with their picks. The Clippers selected Danny Manning in 1988, which was a pretty good selection, but selected Michael Olowokandi in 1998, one of the biggest busts in NBA Draft history. The Magic, on the other hand, drafted Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber (who was traded on draft day to the Golden State Warriors for Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway), and Dwight Howard, all of which have been All-Stars.

The 2009 NBA Draft has been referred to as “The Blake Griffin Sweepstakes” as the 6-foot-10 Oklahoma forward is unanimously considered the best prospect in the draft. Griffin, who swept the national player of the year awards this year in college basketball, led the nation with 30 double-doubles and 14.4 rebounds per game, and led the Big 12 with 22.7 points as a sophomore.

The Clippers could use Griffin to bolster their frontcourt, allowing current starter Chris Kaman to play his more natural position of center. Last season, the Clippers had a good nucleus with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Kaman and Marcus Camby. Griffin can be the final piece to developing a strong core for the future.

Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio and Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet are considered to be top-three selections in the draft as well, but they both have a few questionmarks: Rubio’s lack of constant competition and age, and Thabeet’s lack of offensive production.

Look below to see the full first-round draft order for 2009:

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