Once you’re a cat, you’re always a cat — even if the type of cat has changed.

Tigers’ head coach Josh Pastner announced on Monday that he’s recommended Luke Walton to join his staff at the University of Memphis as an assistant coach.

Walton, a small forward with the Los Angeles Lakers, certainly has extra time these days with the NBA mired in what appears to be an extended lockout.

Walton would reunite with Pastner, his University of Arizona teammate during the 1999-2000 season.

Pastner also coached Walton as a graduate assistant and eventually an assistant coach with the Wildcats.

The hire is contingent upon the approval of the University of Memphis and Tennessee State Board of Regents.

Walton still has two years left on his contract with the Lakers, would have an opt-out clause, should the NBA lockout end.

Walton joins a coaching staff that already includes ex-Cat Damon Stoudamire, who traveled across town earlier this summer from one assistant coaching gig with the Memphis Grizzlies to the same position with Pastner’s Tigers.

Pastner and Walton have seen their share of winning. The duo has won three national titles combined: Pastner 1997 NCAA title, Walton 2009 and 2010 NBA titles.

Walton is averaging 5.0 points and 2.3 assists per game during his eight-year career in Los Angeles. He and his father, Bill Walton (1977 and 1986), are the only duo in history to win multiple NBA championships.

Pastner is 49-20 in two seasons on the Memphis sidelines, leading the Tigers into the second round of the 2011 NCAA tournament.

One barometer for judging the success of a college basketball program is the amount of players a school sends to the NBA. All told, 39 former Wildcats have played in the NBA and ABA. This season, there are 10 ex-‘Cats are competing among the NBA’s best.

GILBERT ARENAS of the Washington Wizards. Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

GILBERT ARENAS

(AKA Agent Zero, the Hibachi)

WILDCAT YEARS: 1999-00 to 2000-2001

15.8 PPG

NBA CAREER: 10th season, 22.7 PPG

Golden State Warriors (2), Washington Wizards (8)

HOW IT ENDED: Loss to Duke in 2001 NCAA Finals

THE SKINNY: When not injured or suspended, the Hibachi — a three-time all-star — can be one of the hottest shooters in the league.

.

JERRYD BAYLESS of the New Orleans Hornets. Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

 

JERRYD BAYLESS

WILDCAT YEARS: 2007-08

19.7 PPG

NBA CAREER: 3rd Season, 6.5 PPG

Portland Trailblazers (2)

New Orleans Hornets (1)

HOW IT ENDED: First round exit to West Virginia

THE SKINNY: Sitting behind perennial all-star Chris Paul on the Hornets’ depth chart at guard doesn’t help Bayless’ playing time.

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“Superfluous Sports Information For Your Next Trip to the Bar Stool”

 

 WHICHEVER WAY THE BALL BOUNCES

 

Tonight the ping pong balls will drop into place and a guy who’s already a multi-millionaire (possibly even a billionaire) will stand up and exalt over winning the lottery.

The NBA hosts its annual draft lottery tonight between halftime of the Boston Celtics-Orlando Magic Eastern Conference Finals Game Two.

Winning a mere dozen times in 82 tries in the regular season means the New Jersey Nets will have the most balls pinging and ponging in the tumbler tonight.

But what are the Nets’ true odds of claiming the coveted No. 1 pick in July’s draft?

The NBA’s worst regular-season team has won the No. 1 draft pick only four times since the current lottery system was put into place in 1985.

The most improbable franchise to win the lottery was the Orlando Magic in 1993. The 11th-worst team that year, the Magic had a 1.52-percent chance of their ping pong ball spitting out the No. 1 pick.

They used it to take Chris Webber, who they immediately turned around and traded to the Golden State Warriors for Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway.

 

UPDATE: THE NETS FALL TO NO. 3 IN THE DRAFT, BEHIND WASHINGTON AND PHILADELPHIA 

 

PERCENTAGE-ODDS OF WINNING NO. 1 PICK (Actual Pick)

 

New Jersey Nets  25 % (No. 3)

Minnesota Timberwolves  19.9 (No. 4)

Sacramento Kings 15.6 (No. 5)

Golden State Warriors   10.4 (No. 6)

Washington Wizards   10.3 (No. 1)

Philadelphia 76ers   5.3 (No. 2)

Detroit Pistons  5.3 (No. 7)

Los Angeles Clippers 2.3 (No. 8 )

Utah Jazz 2.2 (No. 9)

Indiana Pacers   1.1 (No. 10)

New Orleans Hornets  .08 (No. 11)

Memphis Grizzlies .07 (No. 12)

Toronto Raptors  .06 (No. 13)

Houston Rockets  .05 (No. 14)

 

HOW IT WORKS

According to NBA.com:

Fourteen ping pong balls numbered 1-14 are placed in a rotating hopper. Each lottery team has one representative locked in a private room with the hopper, league officials and independent auditors. When the lottery begins, the hopper is turned and an official selects four balls from the hopper. Each four-number combination is assigned to a team based on the team’s lottery odds. The Nets, for example, have 250 combinations. If the first four-number combination pulled from the hopper matches on of those, the Nets would win the lottery.

After the first combination is awarded, all balls are returned to the hopper and another four balls are retrieved. Whichever team has this combination is awarded the No. 2 pick. In the event the team which has the No. 1 pick also wins the No. 2 pick, the second set of balls are replaced in the hopper and another four are selected. The same occurs for the No. 3 pick.

After the top three picks are awarded, the rest of the draft order follows reverse league standings, with tiebreakers having been broken by coin toss at the end of the regular season. Only then are the picks announced live on stage. The team representatives on the stage do not know if they have won before it is announced by NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver.

 

 

AND THEN, THERE WERE TWO

 

Former University of Arizona stars Channing Frye and Luke Walton are butting heads in the Western Conference Final with the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.

 

Of the two, Walton is the only former Wildcat to hoist the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy, winning last season with the Lakers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPEAKING OF THAT LARRY O’BRIEN TROPHY

 

 Named after former NBA Commissioner, the Larry O’Brien trophy stands 2-feet tall and weighs more than 14 pounds.

Unlike the Stanley Cup, the winning team gets to keep the Tiffany and Co.-made trophy, valued at $13,500.

The hardware, remodeled and re-named in 1984, was first won by the Boston Celtics over the Los Angeles Lakers — two teams seemingly on a collision course to meet again in this year’s NBA Finals.

 …

 

ABOUT THAT CELTIC-LAKERS RIVALRY

 

Easily the most recognizable rivalry the NBA has to offer, the Celtics and Lakers have met in the finals 11 times dating back to 1959 when the Lakers played in Minneapolis. The Celtics have dominated the rivalry, winning all but two of those matchups.

 …

 

HOW WE GOT HERE

 

 Which colleges have the most alumnal bragging rights as the final four NBA teams battle for a league title?

 

That would be Duke University. Of the 56 players competing in their respective conference finals, three of them are former Blue Devils.

Seven colleges — including Arizona — have two players still playing. Stanford is the only program with players on the same team (Phoenix Suns: Jarron Collins, Brook Lopez).

Nine players have ties to the PAC-10.

 

…

 

THE MATCHUPS 

 

ORLANDO MAGIC v. BOSTON CELTICS (2-0) 

“Black Arts or Luck, Which Wins Out?”

Battle to see whom will head to the NBA Finals in two out of the last three seasons

 Game Three, Saturday, 5:30 p.m.

 

 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (2-0) v. PHOENIX SUNS 

“Kobe Beefs It Up”

Bryant steps up to score 61 points in first two games

Game Three, Sunday, 5 p.m.