Blind Luck?
Posted on March 31, 2010I received a very interesting email from a local sports fan today. It snarled that the Caps were good just because we were lucky that we got to draft Alex Ovechkin. I disagreed on the overall sentiment of the email but I do agree that luck has a lot to do with success. Not as much as having a plan, a strategy, a culture, and an infrastructure focused on excellence but luck is a key component. We did also draft Semin, Green, Backstrom, Carlson, Schultz, Varlamov, Nuervirth, Fehr, and Alzner too. Lucky bastards that we are :-). Malkin was the second pick in that draft that Ovechkin went number 1 too. Penguins got lucky too, I guess. So if we are just lucky then I guess the Penguins were just lucky that they drafted Sidney Crosby first the next year or Tampa Bay in that they drafted Vinny Lecavalier and won a Stanley Cup. Or the San Antonio Spurs, they got lucky twice with David Robinson and Tim Duncan (championships followed). The Chicago Bulls so lucky they drafted Michael Jordan and won 6 rings. Cleveland Cavaliers... Yep Lebron James was number 1 pick. Orlando Magic got Dwight Howard. I mean how lucky was that? He was top 3 pick. Miami Heat? Dwyane Wade was drafted .They got a ring. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers... So lucky to be drafted via a trade of players for a first round pick. My point: We may all be lucky. Maybe drafting well creates luck or luck is in drafting high. But at some point the results of drafting and developing great players becomes more than blind luck don't you think? In the NBA or the NHL drafting high makes you really lucky! And eventually good. Call me lucky. Lucky Leonsis.
