Current Rule: 5.1 Determination of Draft order for KRFL teams is based on the record and playoff finish by each team in the previous season. The selection order is based on each team's win-loss record in the previous regular season and whether the team reached the playoffs.Teams that did not reach the playoffs the previous season are ranked in reverse order of their records (so the team with the fewest wins is awarded the first selection).
Proposed Change: Change draft order for non-playoff teams so the team with the best record who did not make the playoffs draft first. The team with the worst record gets the 16th pick. Teams who make the playoffs remain unchanged.
Explanation: By far, the biggest problem in this league is there is no incentive to win. Every year, teams who are in contention but do not think they are able to win a championship start trading off players at a discount so they can get better draft picks the following year. I think that is bad for the league. For example:
In KRFL the last 3 years, the percentage of teams with 5 or fewer win is: 25%, 29%, 29% In the NFL the last 3 years, the % of teams is: 15%, 25%., 21%
6 or fewer wins in KRFL, the last 3 years the percentages are: 46%, 37%, 50% 6 or fewer wins in NFL the last 3 years, the percentage is: 37%, 34%, 28%
As you can see, every single year the KRFL team has a larger percentage of bad teams then the NFL - sometimes it is a huge difference! The reason - as I mention every year - is teams trade players away so they can get better rookie draft picks.
My solution is to reward the mediocre teams that try to win. The rookie draft remains the same, the worst teams get the top picks. However, this rewards teams who don't trade away their best players early in the season.
Put another way, teams now have to make a more difficult choice. I could either trade away my best players at the end of their contracts to get more rookie picks and a better rookie draft slot - but get a worse FA pick, OR I could keep my best player whose contract ends at the end of the year - win 7 games and get a better FA spot.
The lottery would remain for the rookie pick, but yes, the highest ranked team would be the team with the best record who did not make the playoffs.
So the four teams with the best records who did not make the playoffs would be in the lottery? And therefore the team with the best record who did not make the play-offs would not necessarily get the first pick in the draft, and could fall to the fourth pick?
Also, just FYI, our draft lottery is current for both the Rookie and Free Agent drafts.
I am open to having a lottery for both the FA draft and the rookie draft.
So the four teams with the best non-playoff records are in the lottery for the #1-4 FA pick, while the 4 teams with the worst record are in the lottery for picks #1-4 for the rookie draft.