Cleland Cavaliers will pick first in the 2013 NBA Draft
By Zak Kolesar
Mar 20, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert (left) watches with vice chairman Jeff Cohen (right) and vice chairman Nate Forbes during a game against the Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena. Miami won 98-95. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
After receiving the No. 1 pick once and No. 4 pick twice in the last two offseasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers will once again pick at the top of the draft board. After losing LeBron James the summer before they drafted Kyrie Irving, Cleveland should be in high spirits in regards to where they are at in rebuilding with their young core that already consists of first rounders Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller. Picking No. 1 and No. 19 in the 2013 NBA Draft should make the Cavaliers a viable playoff contender for sure next season. If not and things go downhill, then being blessed with such a rare occurrence twice might have gone to waste.
Anyways, here is the order of the other teams that will be sulking tonight and picking behind Cleveland on June 27th:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (3)
2. Orlando Magic (1)
3. Washington Wizards (8)
4. Charlotte Bobcats (2)
5. Phoenix Suns (4)
6. New Orleans Pelicans (5)
7. Sacramento Kings (6)
8. Detroit Pistons (7)
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (9)
10. Portland Trail Blazers (10)
11. Philadelphia 76ers (11)
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (12)
13. Dallas Mavericks (13)
14. Utah Jazz (14)
Three lotteries out of the past six have now seen the team with the eighth-best chance of winning moving up into the top 3. If you can remember, the Cavaliers moved up from eight to No. 1 in 2011 due to their pick from the Los Angeles Clippers. Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving were the two prior players to be selected by teams that moved up from pick No. 8 into the top 3. The Wizards will pick third and are in a similar situation as the Cavaliers, as their team was hard to watch at most times last season and their youthful core begins with a point guard (John Wall) and a shooting guard (Bradley Beal). Irving and Waiters (and even Thompson) will enjoy having another top 4 pick on their roster, as they continue to build through the draft for hopefully what will be the last time under the Kyrie Irving Cavaliers.
Nick Gilbert, Dan Gilbert’s son who wears a bowtie like a boss (unlike Machine Gun Kelly), has now represented the Cavaliers at the Lottery for the third season in a row. He has brought home the ultimate good twice, and deserves an incredible spike in his allowance for what he has done for this team by being the good luck charm. But again, hopefully this is the last time that Gilbert will have to represent Cleveland in a fashion that they would be guaranteed a top 6 pick.
So now comes the waiting period between now and the draft, where all eyes will be on who the Cavaliers will draft on June 27th. Will it be Nerlens Noel; the favorite on mostly all mock drafts? Will it be Otto Porter; the player that fits the Cavaliers’ needs the most? Or will it be a surprise player that will make Cleveland fans furious? I doubt it will be the latter, but make sure to keep coming back to Right Down Euclid for NBA Draft talk and speculation on what the Cavaliers will do.