NBA Lottery — biggest prize in sports drafts
Like no other sport, the NBA draft changes franchises.
With fewer than 400 professional grade athletes on the planet, the NBA and structure of basketball yield an overall talent advantage over any major sport.
The MLB has 30 teams of 25 for 750 top players.
The NFL is even thinner with 1,440 among 32 teams. 
The NBA has less than half at 360. And 4 out of 12 rarely take off their sweatpants. That leaves 240 actual players who decide games.
Enter Greg Oden and/or Kev Durant.
Both are ready to contribute today, and both deserve 25-30 minutes on the court opening night. After all, there are official NBA jerseys to sell.
And that, my lovely readership, is the caveat. 
In baseball, most No. 1 picks putter out or get injured before working their way through the 2-to-3 year minor league training program.
In football, most No. 1 picks get arrested smoking dope with Pac-Man and Chris Henry.
Even if a baseball or football top pick makes the show, they’re unlikely to stay around for more than 3 or 4 years.
In the NBA, top picks make franchises — especially this year.
Memphis and Boston won 46 games combined this past season. Portland won 32.
With Oden clogging and flogging in the paint, Portland will win 50 and be a middle Western Conference seed.
With the 4 and 5 picks, respectively, Memphis and Boston will be hard pressed to win 60 combined.
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