So You’re Saying There’s A Chance? Calculating The Trail Blazers Odds For The No. 1 Pick.

By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME

The Trail Blazers can officially quantify their postseason odds — 10.5%.

That’s what all the tanking was for.

A 10.5% chance of drafting the best NBA Draft prospect since LeBron James.

His name is Victor Wembanyama. He is going to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and John Canzano says this is the quickest way for the Blazers to get back to relevance.

“If you’re a Blazers fan today, you have to come to grips with the idea that the easiest and best way for the Blazers to get good in a hurry is not to wish and pray and hope for July and a free-agent signing, or a trade, or general manager Joe Cronin to do something that surprises you,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “Frankly, it’s the probability table, it’s the ping pong balls, or the lottery combinations as the NBA will tell you.”

History says that winning the draft lottery is the best way to change your team’s forecast, especially if your a small-market team like Portland.

“The Miami Heat got Dwyane Wade once upon a time,” Canzano added. “I talked about Tim Duncan to the Spurs. When you go back in history it’s evident that the NBA Draft lottery is the quickest, best, and probably the most effective way for a small market team to change its fortune.”

The NBA Draft lottery is on May 16th. That is the day we find out if the 10.5% is the window of opportunity the Blazers needed to justify the tank. If not, the odds to contend with Damian Lillard in a Blazers uniform becomes even smaller.

Catch this segment at the very start of the podcast below. Listen to the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 p.m. in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.