And then there are those who get bumped down one key slot.

Masters of so many other lotteries, the Clippers started Thursday night with the fifth-worst record. However, when the Detroit Pistons jumped into the No. 2 spot (with a pick owed to them by Memphis), it forced the Clippers down to No. 6, which is another strata in this draft.

At No. 5, the Clippers, who are expected to let center Michael Olowokandi leave as a free agent this summer, would have been looking at one of two big men, Central Michigan's 7-foot Chris Kaman and Georgia Tech's Chris Bosh.

If current projections hold, LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Kaman and Bosh will go in the first five, leaving no players of their caliber in the draft and the Clippers figuring out what their next move is.