Cavs Select Irving at No. 1
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) – This summer, Cleveland is making all the decisions.
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Moving further away from LeBron James‘ maddening departure, the Cavaliers selected Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, an expected-and-safe pick for a franchise that had to endure a 63-loss season after being abandoned last July short of a championship.
Irving played only 11 games last season because of a toe injury, but that didn’t scare off the Cavaliers, who strongly considered Arizona forward Derrick Williams before settling on the 6-foot-2 Irving. Cleveland, which also owns the No. 4 pick, was the only team Irving worked out for.
Irving is the third point guard taken first overall in the past four years, joining John Wall (2010) and Derrick Rose (2008).
With the No. 4 pick, the Cavaliers selected Texas forward Tristan Thompson, a selection that was viewed as a bit of a surprise. The team was reportedly interested in Lithuania center Jonas Valanciunas, but may have been turned off by his uncertain contract situation with a pro club in his home country.
Thompson, who is from Toronto, only played one year with the Longhorns, averaging 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds.
His addition could mean the Cavaliers are seriously shopping power forward J.J. Hickson, an immense physical talent who has shown flashes of stardom but whose on-court lapses frustrated coach Byron Scott last season.
For the Cavaliers, this draft signals the start of a new era – one they hope will someday end with owner Dan Gilbert being handed the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, but in the 19-year-old Irving, the Cavaliers believe they have a cornerstone player who can lead them back to where James took them before bolting as a free agent.
Irving has drawn comparisons to New Orleans guard Chris Paul, one of the league’s premier playmakers and a player Scott coaches with the Hornets.