The Lottery is tonight at 6:00 p.m. (Mountain), on ESPN, for those of us that are filled with anxiety over that Warriors pick. The current order is here, but as we all know there's a strong possibility that could change. Besides watching for any teams to leap the #7 spot, watch what happens with the Nets. Currently their pick is only top three protected and could end up in the hands of the Blazers.

Now, here's your lottery history lesson. The first lottery took place in 1985, but before that the draft was picked in order inverse of team records. The Knicks won the first lottery and used the pick on Patrick Ewing. Then, in 1986 the Board of Governors changed the rules so that the lottery applied to only the first 3 picks and everything else went in order. This assured the worst team would pick no later than 4th. That year the Spurs hit gold and picked up a center by the name of David Robinson. These rules remained in place until 1989, then the draft was whittled down from 7 rounds to the 2 currently in place.

The next big change came in 1990 when the Board of Governors approved the 14 team weighted lottery system. This, as Andy explained yesterday, is where the teams are given a weighted probability based on how bad their record was. Since then there have been many tweaks to the weight given to the worst teams, and in 1996 they dropped the lottery from 14 teams to 13. This was changed back in 2004 when the Bobcats entered the league.

As for the DB title? Things don't look promising. In the 22 year history of the draft, I was only able to count 7 times in which a team slotted to pick 8-14 (or 13 during those years) was able to leap into the top 3. Further, it has only happened twice in the last 10 years (Cavs last year and Bulls in 2008).

The Jazz have had some success with second round picks. Of course most notably is, that's right Kyrylo Fesenko, but also there was an undersized PF out of Louisiana Tech named Paul Millsap. While there have been many second round picks go on to be very good players, there have only been a handful to be selected to All-Star teams. For the Jazz, though they weren't their picks, Memo Okur and Carlos Boozer both made the All Star teams. Additionally, Jeff Hornacek was selected as well while he played for the Suns in 1991.

Personally, I love the excitement of the lottery, regardless of the outcome. Last year I was jumping up and down when I figured out the Jazz had made it (admittedly, I'm a little slow).

Anyone have any good luck charms they will employ while watching the Lottery? I'm pretty sure I have KOC's strategy figured out: He intends to glare fate into submission.

As you can tell from the clever DB title, Jazz news is starting to get pretty scarce. We've hit that lull happens every year between the end of the Jazz season to either the lottery drawing or the draft itself. This season we could spend a little extra time wandering the proverbial desert unless something gets shaken up on May 30th.

That being said, we could also have a wild summer starting with the draft depending on how the Jazz play things. Clark and Andy have done a fantastic job in laying out just about every conceivable scenario in which the Jazz use their assets, all we can do now is sit back and enjoy the ride.

One thing that I have been mulling over in my brain since the end of the Spurs series is what I call the Millsap dilemma. What I'm about to say may not go over well with a large contingency of Dunkers, even some of my peers on the Dunk roster, but I have come to a conclusion on the best way to improve this team and keep a player we adore. Millsap has to move to the bench. I am willing to go out on a limb and say that the Jazz will never win a championship with Millsap as their starting PF. As good as he is, they are simply too undersized for them to be effective and frankly, all things being considered Favors defensive prowess probably puts him pretty close to being the "best player" for the position.

Think about it. If Millsap embraced the role of 6th man ala Manu, Odom, Terry, or Harden, he would destroy 90% of the backup PF's and SF's in the league. To have that skilled of a player anchoring the bench is the type of thing that contenders are made of. Unfortunately, those same attributes that made him evolve from a second round pick to a fringe all-star are the same that won't allow him to be comfortable being relegated to a bench role- not for long anyway.

Over at her blog, Moni has the intel on DWill hanging out in Russia with his homeboy AK. This strikes me as quite odd. It always seemed that their relationship was a bit tentative when they played together here, so to see Deron over there attending games and going on double dates with AK and Masha a bit strange. Does he have ulterior motives? Is he trying to recruit him? For which team? It is entirely possible that Deron and AK developed a relationship after they left the Jazz. Deron seems to have matured quite a bit and for some reason is wont to surround himself with ex-Jazz teammates. Personally, I think it would be great to see them together somewhere just as it was when Memo joined the Nets. I think I will always be a bit sentimental towards those guys, especially Deron.

I hope everyone has continued to follow the playoffs. I haven't had time to follow as close as I like because of a new job, but they have been pretty great, especially this second round. I'm sure many of you have your "alternate" teams. I try to always keep mine in the East, so my alternate teams are the Sixers and the Pacers, and both teams managed to steal the second game on the road. Both of those series are going to be very good, but I don't think any of the EC teams have a chance against the Spurs and Thunder, that is becoming more apparent.

The official start dates for the summer leagues:

Orlando: July 9-13 (tentatively)

Vegas: July 13-22

With the Olympic team practicing in Vegas from July 6th to the 12th, it looks like the Jazz are going to have to be in the Vegas league, unless they decide to field a team minus Favors and Hayward.

This year's playoffs has already seen some crazy stuff happen. From season ending injuries, tantrums that lead to suspensions, to insane come from behind wins. This has to give the Jazz some hope, right? I mean, they say that the game to steal is game 2, like the Sixers did with their whomping of the Bulls last night. Oh yeah, and a guy broke his hand because of another tantrum.

Apparently it is a unanimous decision between the coaches to continue to start Josh Howard (as if they would publicly say differently). It just seems like a really bad time to reintegrate the guy and get him back in game shape. Not to beat a dead horse, but this seems like what we would call in the management world an "escalation of commitment" and it seems rampant in sports. This means that a manager (or in this case coaches and gm's) make a decision and then sticking with it even when it appears to be wrong. It usually arises out of some form of hubris, and therein lies the problem. It takes a great deal of hubris to get to the level of an NBA athlete. The greatest are oozing with it- to the point of being obnoxious (Think Jordan and Kobe). This is also why the best also make the worst coaches and management. Of course there are a few exceptions, as Larry Bird is doing alright, but for the most part it is a recipe for failure.

The data suggests that the Jazz should be starting and playing their "big lineup" the majority of the minutes. We'll see if Coach Ty can pull himself off this path of escalation and make the right decision.

Staying with this theme of decision making- the rotations were pretty bad in the first game. In my mind, and maybe you agree, there is absolutely no reason to have a lineup of Tinsley, Kanter, Burks, Carroll, and Favors. Its just a bad idea to have that much inexperience on the court at the same time, and when it happened in the last game they got chewed up. This means that there should always be at least 2-3 starters on the court at the same time. Actually, let me amend that: There should be at least 2-3 of Harris, Millsap, Hayward, Favors, or Jefferson on the floor at the same time and the younger the players coming in, the more of those listed should be in the game.

Yes, the experience is invaluable, but in sticking with their theme of "winning culture" a demoralizing loss in the most important games of their careers up to date, is not moving toward that philosophy.

It has come out that Tyson Chandler will be named DPOY this year. I haven't delved into his numbers personally, but from what I have read this seems like a good choice. On that note (heh, note), I would love to see Favors grab one of these. Maybe I'm huffing the same fumes as Locke, but that kid astonishes me. I have grown unbelievably fond of him, as a fan, and I can't wait to see what he can do and I really want to see what he does on a big stage like the playoffs. Just as Clark mentioned yesterday, Favors playing big minutes could be a medium for dramatic improvement, and send his confidence into lower orbit.

I'll end with a story. How big of a fan am I? I was heading in the direction of home, from California on Sunday, with the intention of staying the night at my Dad's house in Vegas, then finishing the trip on Monday morning (12 hours in the car is brutal). Well, the weird tip off time meant I either leave at 4:00 am to get to Vegas in time, or not leave California until after the game, putting me in LV at around 7:00. Neither worked for me, so I tuned in to the game on an app on my phone. I suffered through the entire game dealing with buffering every 5 minutes. But that's not the important part. I got so sucked into the game I missed my transfer at Bakersfield and only realized it when the CA-99 turned into the I-5 and I was on my way to Los Angeles. I drove 30 minutes out of the way and was forced to back track, adding an hour onto my trip. The moral of the story is if you're going to listen to the game have a good navigator.

This is going to be quite short. Nothing happened that matters to #PlayoffPush. A bunch of teams that needed to lose to stay below the Warriors did so. There are also no games that affect the Jazz chance of making the playoffs tonight, except one.

Drink your hot tea with lemon, ensure you are properly hydrated, and do your vocal exercises- especially if you are going to the game. I have a feeling this is going to be one of the craziest games of the year, not just for the Jazz but for the NBA. Everyone is going to be tuned in.

I expect to be heard at the ESA from my living room 10 blocks away. I also expect to have some very frightened neighbors.

Look for Amar's game preview this afternoon, and I'll see you on the Twitters. @prodigal_punk

The Standings:

Another one bites the dust. Last night the shorthanded Heat eliminated the Rockets, thus furthering the importance of tomorrow night's game. Other than that no help from any other teams. Though, apparently the Jazz softened the Magic up quite a bit as they were trounced by the Nuggets in the second game of their road b2b.

The Standings, WYWS, as well as the remaining schedules after the Jump.

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After the Nuggets went into Phoenix and gave the Suns the business, the Jazz took control of the 8th seed by beating the Magic. Its now a one game lead heading into the make or break game on Tuesday. The game we have been preparing ourselves for, as fans, for over a month.

The Jazz could get additional help before that date, but its unlikely with how the remaining schedule looks and the disposition of certain teams.

The Standings and WYWS after the jump.

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Nothing surprising happened last night, but there is some good news. The Thunder and Spurs are still fighting each other for the 1 seed and home court advantage through the Western Conference Finals. Why is this good? The Suns and Nuggets have a game remaining against the Spurs and Thunder, respectively. This means there is less of a chance of star players being rested, which could help the Jazz.

The Standings and a short WYWS, after the jump.

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The Hornets surprised the hell out of me with this win. Probably the Rockets, as well. The Rockets are collapsing in similar fashion to the Jazz of two years ago, only that team made it into the 8th seed (and a first round sweep at the hands of the Lakers).

No help from the Clippers. Such an on and off relationship with that team. One night they're your best friend, the next they have forsaken you.

Another off night for the Jazz, but we'll look at the important games after the Jump.

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Bit of a crazy first half of the week, in school. I apologize to everyone for messing up the Downbeat yesterday. Should be back to normal with it and these WYWS's from here until... well the PLAYOFFS!

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's win. I enjoyed not having to pay a whole lot of attention to it. I liked that we didn't have to have anxiety attacks over the Jazz not putting down a horrible team.

What made the win even better? Everything went right for the Jazz last night. Houston, Denver, and Phoenix all lost. This could be the break the Jazz need and they took advantage of it by doing their part. Now, the Jazz are positioned in the 8th seed with a half game lead on the Suns and Rockets.

The standings, WYWS, and the remaining schedules after the Jump.

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The Nuggets may turn out to be the Jazz best friend, when all is said and done. Last night they went to Houston and picked up a big win, much like the Jazz did. In contrast, the Rockets outlook is bleak, to say the least. I'll update each team's remaining schedules at the end of the post.

How about them Jazz? What a crazy, crappy, scrappy, confusing, amazing game last night. They played their guts out and got a much needed win. Lets hope that this isn't followed up by the usual post- OT game losing streak. Good news is they have some rest before the next game, in Portland. Also, this wasn't a win against the reigning champs. You can't call them that when several very important pieces to the championship team are gone. Finally, this was the single worst officiated game I have seen all year. For both teams. Some absolutely horrible and inexplicable calls last night.

The Standings, WYWS, and remaining schedules after the jump.

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With Dallas and Houston both having losses last night, the Jazz now sit just 1.5 games from 8th place and 3 games from 6th. The playoffs are still well within reach, but the new rallying cry needs to be #WinOut.

I don't feel so bad now. The Grizzlies took the short flight to N.O. and got a spanking. Someone should teach Monty Williams the nuances of tanking.

Once again, every game tonight is BIG. Oh, and this is chuck full of errors, I apologize. End of semester brain scramble in full effect (the winning % are definitely wrong because I'm at school and don't have my spreadsheet)

Los Standings y WYWS abajo.

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Maybe the name should be While You Were Seething. I'm not going to be diplomatic about this. Last night's loss to the Grizzlies hurt, but what was worse is that they should have won the game. They were absolutely jobbed by the officiating. I saw a very physical game in which only one team was penalized for it. Getting the win last night would have nullified the loss to the Hornets and put the Jazz within striking distance of the Mavs. Now, as has been mentioned to death, they have to win out and probably still hope for some help from the scoreboard.

With that, lets take a look at what happened around the league While You Were Sleeping.

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Not a lot happening last night. The Warriors did their thing and the Mavs got another win because of it. Also, the Timberwolves were statistically eliminated from the playoffs.

Tonight, however, features 12 games, four of which are of huge significance to the Jazz and #playoffpush.

Click the jump to find all the errors in the compiled data.

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There was a little outside help last night, but the important thing is that the Jazz helped themselves. What an amazing night to be a basketball fan. Its only going to get more exciting as we come down the stretch and all those inter-conference games, that were conveniently scheduled at the end of the season, are played.

It would also appear that the various tank squads are in full battle mode, er, I should say full losing battle mode. Kevin Love went down with a mild concussion, and will likely miss several games (if he returns at all). LMA didn't play last night due to a hip injury, and there is talk of him sitting the rest of the season.

The standings and WYWS after le Jump.

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Absolutely no help last night. It's starting to become evident that the race to improve draft positioning is just as tight as the race to get in the playoffs. GS loses by 40. Minnesota loses by almost 25 at home. This is bad news for the Jazz who, unless they go on a mind blowing tear, are going to need some help from other teams to get a playoff bid.

Standings and WYWS after the Jump.

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The Prodigal Punk returns.

I take one day in which to cram three family birthdays, and look what happens. The whole conference has gone crazy. Dallas is looking like the Jazz, going 4-6 in their last 10. The Lakers lose to the Rockets, in L.A., then go to Phoenix and get the snot beat out of them. Its the Western Conference Playoff Race!

Still, the Jazz are only a game and a half out of 6th place. Famous last words.

The standings, some pictures, and WYWS, after the Jump.

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Very Eastern Conference centered night last night. Only one Western Conference game was played, in fact both TNT games were EC teams- which is odd. Because of this, I'm going to post the standings for the lottery teams so that we can get a better look of where the Warriors stand in all of this.

The Kings loss last night definitely helps out in keeping the Warriors in that 8-9 spot.

Lottery standings and WYWS after the Jump.

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The worst part about last night's loss wasn't just what happened inside the ESA. In what was probably the biggest night for the NBA, this season, the Jazz had the chance to gain ground on the Nuggets and Grizzlies after both of those teams lost. Instead, the Jazz have all but sealed the fate of their playoff hopes. They have a tough remaining schedule and will now require the help from other teams to squeak their way into the postseason.

After The Jump we'll look at the current standings, what happened WYWS, and compare the remaining schedules of the 3 teams closest to the Jazz.

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Nothing unexpected last night. The Lakers got a last second three from Kobe to get the win over the Nets. The narrator on the nba.com highlights called it "a thing of beauty", but it was really a last second desperation heave that got a couple of lucky bounces.

Anyway, tonight features several games that Jazz fans will want to keep an eye on.

Current standings and WYWS can be viewed by clicking the link.

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Yesterday, in The Point Forward blog over at SI, Zach Lowe posed the question that is at the heart of the rookie development debate that has been raging between Jazz fans all season:

Was Burks ready all along, meaning coach Tyrone Corbin was wrong to start Bell for such a big part of the season, or is Burks ready now only because he had several months to prepare?

Of course we'll never know, but ponder this: Burks has undeniably hit the "Rookie Wall". His FG% has dipped from 48% in Feb, to 43% in March, and is 22% in the couple of April games. So an addendum to that question is, would this drop in production (the wall) have come at a more opportune time had he been getting more minutes earlier in the season? Wing production has been an issue for the Jazz all year and they are going to need him down the stretch.

*If you have some time to kill, look at all the pictures you can find of Burks. He is being fouled in about 80% of them. Its hilarious.

Burks isn't the only one struggling. Our own rookie wall, Enes Kanter, has hit it as well, but I don't think its all his fault. His points, FG%, and RBD have all stayed about the same, but his minutes have dropped from almost 15 in Jan, to 12, to just over 11 in this month's games. My guess as to the reason? His defense is hurting. As of last game his Defensive Rating is up to 105, according to Basketball Reference. This has to be due to his PPP allowed when his man runs him off a screen, as in this scenario, according to mySynergySports.com he allows 1.29, ie. the big fella just can't get through those screens very well. However, his PnR defense is a fantastic 0.82 and his isolation is phenomenal at just 0.46 PPP allowed.

How happy are you that we don't have to deal with the Deron Williams stuff? He is now THE biggest FA this summer and it is going to be a circus. The Nets have all but offered to hand him the reigns as GM and I have to say, I wish they would. It would be interesting to see a team say, "Here you go. Build a team", and then to see what the players would be able to put together.

One thing is for certain, Deron is right when he lashes out against Nets fans berating him on Twitter. He didn't choose to go there, he was traded. I completely understand and agree that he doesn't owe any loyalty to them, hell, they aren't exactly showing up in droves to support him. It will be interesting to see how things play out, because its looking like the Nets are going to be on the wrong end of one of the most lopsided trades in history. That KOC is a cold, calculating SOB.

Want to hear something that almost no one is talking about? Sure the Jazz don't have a "star", but what they do have is two amazingly efficient big men. Currently, Big Al and Millsap are ranked 9th and 11th, respectively, in PER. Out of the entire league. Higher than Kobe, Dirk, and Duncan. In fact, the only team with two players that high are Miami, OKC, and LAC, and the Jazz are the only team that have two big men that high.

Finally, some great Jazz fans on Twitter have put together a "Tweet Up" for tonight. All the info is up at The Utah Jazz Blog (The 2012 Annual Utah Jazz Fan Tweetup). The reservation is for 6:00 at the Iggy's near ESA, so if you're going to the game, will be in the area, or just want to meet awesome Jazz fans, stop by. I'm not going to the game so I should be there the entire time.

I'm not going to lie. During the middle of the second quarter of last night's game I was about ready to put the WYWS on Raja Bell status: out indefinitely. Glad the guys didn't get as down in the dumps as I did. The Jazz didn't get any help from the scoreboard, but they did keep their own heads above water.

Standings and what happened while you were sleeping, after the jump.

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Something went right! The Pacers went into Houston on the back end of a b2b and got an overtime win. Maybe this is the nudge from the universe the Jazz need to win tonight in Portland? Of course, that Trailblazers team that we swore was tanking is now 5-5 in their last 10, so who knows?

Not much help anywhere else, especially in Orlando.

The standings and WYWS, after the jump.

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Another horrible night for the Jazz as they continue their free fall out of the playoff picture. What was once a comfortable cushion between 7th and 10th place is no more, as the Jazz sit just 1 game above the Suns. What's worse, is the game and a half now between them and the Nuggets/Rockets is looking more and more insurmountable.

The Jazz could have gotten a little help from the Bucks last night, but the Grizzlies went in and grabbed a needed win. What really stings? DWill and the Nets go into Sactown and whip the Kings. Sigh.

The big chart and a picture of a sad Jazz after the jump.

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What an absolutely horrible night for the Jazz. Not only did they not help themselves, they got absolutely zero help anywhere else. The Mavs and Clippers both managed to eek out wins, and Denver won easily against the Tankcats.

Last night could be the night that we look back on as the turning point for this team. Two tough losses in a row and another game tonight against the hot because they're at home Clippers.

Check out the standings and WYWS below, while I try to step back from that ledge my friend.

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While the Jazz just couldn't manage to propel themselves up the playoff ladder, they did get a little help from our friendly neighbors to the north. With their loss last night they move back into a 3 way tie with Denver and Houston, record-wise, but hold the 7th seed due to owning tie-breakers against both.

Other than that, not much help from anywhere else. Phoenix looks to be fading fast as their tough schedule catches up to them. Oh, David Stern was out-tanked by Mark Jackson despite Ariza, Kaman, Okafor, and Ayon not playing. So, I guess he is good for something (Right, Moni?)

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Quite a few Western Conference games last night, but not much change in the playoff seeding. Houston and Denver swapped spots again, and the Suns fell back to .500. The Jazz now have a 2 game lead on the Suns and a half game on the Rockets. It looks like the Warriors gave the Lakers a run, but I have a feeling the Lakers were never really in jeopardy.

Because of all this talk about standings, I wanted to point out the article on True Hoop yesterday about tanking. If you haven't had the chance, I highly recommend you check it out. Henry Abbott makes some fantastic points about how it has become a legitimate strategy and absolutely destroys some of the worst front offices in the league.

Playoff standings and WYWS, after the Jump

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You have to be proud of our Jazz for how they shook off a disheartening loss in Atlanta and took out their frustration on the Nets. Of course, you also have to realize they are the Nets. It's a good thing too, because they didn't get any help last night. Still sitting in 7th place and a game and a half out of 4th. If you haven't done so, make sure and check out Clark's breakdown of the playoff race, and predictions for the end of the season, in the DB directly below.

For the standings and what happened WYWS, click the Jump

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I don't think that I can aptly state how much John Stockton has meant to each and every Jazz fan. The breadth and scope of this man's place in our collective memories prohibits that. For most of us he will forever be linked to our youth and the achievements of himself and his team intertwined with the memories of high school, college, and jr. high. We will remember where we were when "The Shot" went down. We'll remember how a sports team captivated and galvanized a state, how two years' NBA Finals drew the interest of a nation.

Stockton was always the quiet, private, and reserved player, nay person, but he always had an unwavering loyalty to the fans of a team in a state that needed it, and earned it. He set the benchmark and casts a long shadow over every player from here to infinity, that will put on the uniform and call themselves a Jazz PG.

I know that we all openly hope that Stockton will return to the organization in some form, until then, we will always have an affinity for the tough underdog that was booed when he was drafted, but played his way into our memories.

Take the time to throw up a comment to tell your favorite Stockton story or memory.

I think the debacle in Atlanta has been covered. The reality is, despite how tough that loss was, the Jazz remain in 7th place in the playoff race and still just a game and a half out of 4th place.

All in all, not as much shuffling today as we've seen in the previous days. The Nuggets second blowout loss drops them out of the 8th spot because they are on the wrong side of tiebreakers with the Jazz and Rockets.

Check out the standings and WYWS after the jump.

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Last night was pick your poison night. Some shuffling around above the Jazz, a little below, but nothing to really help the Jazz, per se. After the final buzzer of last night's games, the Jazz sat in the same spot (7th) and a game out of 4th.

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