[Cactus Jack]

You bring up a great point CJ. Only when the draft classes are weak, is when you see the small market teams get the #1 pick. 

Another interesting case is Lebron. Cleveland is far from a big market like L.A/New York but the powers that be knew what it would mean for the city, but above all else what it would mean for the league publicity wise, and financially. Hometown kid, generational talent going #1 to his hometown team? It only made sense for that to happen. But like you said, in most every other case, when it's a generational talent like we've got this year, especially after a team gets fleeced in a trade, then they get the #1 pick.

Yep. Amazing how the lottery nearly always works out well for the league that controls it's process.

LeBron is another really good example. Cleveland was pretty terrible and actively trying to get him, but it also made more sense that he ends up there. Keeping him in his hometown guaranteed at least two decades of relevance for them.

One top player that makes sense for a small market team is enough to carry a their franchise for a decade if you include the fact that there'll still be some fan interest in the team for awhile after they're gone. If it's a generational player like LeBron and you play your cards right, it's a good two to three decades of interest in their market that will keep everyone from losing all interest in them and calls to relocate.

But if you are an expansion team or franchise that has relocated? Give it until years four and five and they'll land a really good #1 overall pick, followed by another top pick (Orlando had #1 Shaq and #2 Webber; Charlotte had #1 Larry Johnson and #2 Alonzo Mourning). The numbers cooled off a bit for Vancouver and Toronto, but they were still able to get some really high picks (#2 for Camby, #9 for McGrady, #4 for Jamison in Toronto; #3 for Abdur-Rahim in one of the best drafts ever, #4 for Antonio Daniels, #2 for Mike Bibby, #2 for Steve Francis, and #2 for Stromile Swift in consecutive years for Vancouver). The only real exception to this is the Charlotte Bobcats if you want to count them.

Terrible draft? Come on down Detroit ('21), Orlando ('22), Atlanta ('24), etc.

Sacramento is one of the worst run franchises and the Royals/Kings have been around forever. They've picked #1 overall five times ('89, '60, '59, '57, and '56). They've picked #2 overall five times as well ('18, '78, '77, '58, and '55). Some teams just seem to have all the luck I guess.