So we have a team. We're still less than ebullient about this. Why? My working theory is that we've been beaten two straight years in this thing. Beaten hard. Never underestimate the psychological damage that 2009 disaster did; we suffered through a completely awful season (17 wins! that's Wolves bad!) and fell as far as we freaking could in the lottery. To fourth in a two-player draft. That's no small thing. A year later, another rough season? We fell two spots, to fifth in a four-player draft.

(Standard playoff thread at 2. Lotto thread at 5. Reaction after. Prada and I are previewing every lottery team's stakes at the mothership.)