That's not to say there weren't certifiable winners Tuesday.

The Grizzlies vaulted from sixth to second.

While that won't necessarily undo previous draft missteps by Memphis, it should allow general manager Chris Wallace to put Rubio alongside O.J. Mayo in a wonderfully creative backcourt. No GM relishes international intrigue (or paella) as much as Wallace.

The bidding for Mike Conley likely has already begun in Memphis.

As for the other team that jumped into one of the top three seeds, Oklahoma City, which moved from the fourth seed to the No. 3 pick, could prove to be the perfect landing spot for Thabeet, as the ultimate backstop behind the scoring skills of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green.

The rest of the lottery field merely held serve, having to return to their grim realities after weeks of lottery visions.

Think of the noise the Knicks could have made had they moved up from their No. 8 seed and landed a Rubio or Griffin. Think that might not have upped the ante when the bidding began for a Bosh or Wade in 2010 free agency?

Similarly, Toronto could have found itself far better positioned to retain Bosh in 2010 free agency had it been able to, say, put a defensive backstop such as Thabeet in the middle.

After remaining at No. 9, it now only appears a matter of time before Toronto puts up the for-sale sign next to Bosh.

Then there were the Suns, who could have made everything right after a tumultuous season with a Bulls-like vault from the back of the lottery pack. In the end, though, there will be no Nash-like replacement in Rubio, just the reality that trading Steve Nash and starting over might be the only recourse.

As for Larry Brown and the Bobcats, only hard work will now get it done.

But at least there won't be an elite pick for Don Nelson to bench at Golden State or another power forward forced upon the Timberwolves alongside Al Jefferson and Kevin Love.

By its nature, the lottery tends to be a dreary process.

Tuesday, though, was different.

It created drama in several precincts, while seemingly killing hope in others.

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