The NBA draft format is currently one of the most controversial aspects of professional basketball as the team with the worst record is not automatically awarded the first pick. The current format features a machine that mixes up ping pong balls with team logos on them. Naturally, the worse record the team had, the more balls placed in the machine.

Starting at pick 15 the machine reveals the order for that years draft. This year the Milwaukee Bucks had the highest chance to win the first pick, owning 25% of ping pong balls in the drawing. This was to no avail for the Bucks as the Cleveland Cavaliers won the first pick with just a 1.8% chance of winning based on their ball count. Milwaukee will pick second this season.

Cleveland has benefitted greatly off of the current ping pong ball system as this is the second consecutive year they have the first pick. Last year they selected 6’9” Power Forward, Anthony Bennett. This was a surprising pick and very few experts predicted him to go that early. So far Bennett has not lived up to expectation and the Cavs hope to make a better pick in this upcoming draft.

Cleveland also had the first pick in the 2011 NBA draft and nailed that pick by selecting current all star point guard, Kyrie Irving. Irving leads a young Cavalier team and with him on the floor they have a chance to win just about any game. Cleveland has to focus on building talent around Kyrie to become playoff contenders and bring championships back to cleveland… something not even LeBron could do; their first overall pick in 2003.

So who will the Cavs select this year? In a loaded draft class experts project them to take 7’1” Joel Embiid, a Center from Kansas University. Embiid would solidify the frontcourt for many years in Cleveland and would provide great rebounding and shot blocking.

Only time will tell but the future is certainly bright for Cleveland with the abundance of first overall picks they have.