On the night of the 2007 NBA draft lottery, David Stern sat in the temporary bleachers lining the NBA's Secaucus, New Jersey, television studios and seethed. The three finalists had been revealed for a chance to draft Greg Oden and Kevin Durant with the Nos. 1 and 2 picks: Portland, Seattle and Atlanta.
"The Pacific Northwest and the god-damn Deep South," Stern snarled in a hushed voice. "Give me a big market!"
These were words that should've never come out of a commissioner's mouth, but those sitting closest could hear them tumble out in a curdling cadence.