PHILADELPHIA — Bouncing basketballs and ping-pong balls are in play Wednesday when the tanking Knicks face the tanking Sixers at Wachovia Center in the Okafor Bowl.
The Sixers, who started 0-17, were once thought a lock to capture the No. 1 lottery seed and get the best chance at projected No. 1 pick, Duke center Jahlil Okafor.
That was before the Knicks embarked on a 16-game losing streak and Phil Jackson started a fire sale 16 days ago, ridding the roster of three prominent rotation staples in J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Samuel Dalembert.
With that maneuver, Jackson joined the tanking ranks and his club did the unthinkable two weeks ago, supplanting the Sixers for league’s worst record, now at 6-36. Philadelphia (8-33) has righted itself somewhat and trails the Knicks by 3 ¹/₂ games for the top lottery seed.
“[76ers coach] Brett Brown has them playing harder,’’ one scout said.
The top seed owns a 25 percent chance at the first pick, 64.3 percent at a top-3 selection. The No. 1 seed also can’t fall further than fourth. The Timberwolves are also in the mix for worst record at 7-33.
Nevertheless, when the Knicks posted their elusive sixth victory on Monday over New Orleans to break a franchise-record 16-game losing streak, coach Derek Fisher didn’t see ping-pong balls lost, but valuable experience gained for his young club recently injected with new blood. The Knicks are amid a softening schedule — games against 10 consecutive teams without winning records — that started with the Pelicans.
“There’s no interest in thinking about which pick we might get based on the way the ping-pong balls bounces when we play Philadelphia [Wednesday] night,’’ Fisher said. “There’s no correlation in my mind. Maybe some other people see it differently.
Jahlil OkaforAP“It’s the NBA. You’ll always have a chance to get good players. But when you have a foundation, a system and way of playing, that allows for good players you have or get in the future to be able to be successful.’’
Fisher said he thinks the whole tanking methodology is absurd. He has often said victories now mean something as it reinforces the values being taught. The fans’ credo “Lose More for Okafor’’ doesn’t jibe with what Fisher’s staff is trying to accomplish.
“I’ve worked for just one team in this capacity,’’ Fisher said. “I don’t get into what other teams are doing. The only way I know how to approach it is to win every time. I can’t read other people’s minds on what other organizations are trying to do. We’re preparing for the 76ers and trying to win the game.’’
The irony is the No. 1 lottery seed is fighting a jinx. It’s been 10 years since the team with the worst record won the lottery (2004: Orlando, Dwight Howard).
Fisher admits he has watched some college ball on TV. Kentucky’s center Karl Towns and point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, playing in China, are also projected to be among the top three picks.
“It’s not really about who we might have in the future,’’ Fisher said. “My job is to coach the team we have right now. Obviously our scouts and management, it’s their jobs to really focus on things. Obviously, the TV’s on. We watch ESPN and we do see some action sometimes.’’
One NBA assistant general manager believes Okafor, who visits the Garden on Sunday when Duke battles St. John’s, is worth the hype.
“He’s everything that’s been written about him,’’ the assistant GM said. “He’s the No. 1 pick — unless a team already has an elite center, but then I wonder if you play him next to Okafor.’’
As for rumblings about interior defensive deficiencies, he said:
“There’s always some nitpicking but his skill set is so high it overshadows it. He’s one of the most skilled post players we’ve seen in the past few years come out of the draft. He gets compared to [Tim] Duncan a lot and Duncan had more time in college to hone his game. That teams see the skill set at such a young age makes him more enticing.’’
