Cavaliers Win Top Pick for Second Straight Year

For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Cavaliers got lucky and won the NBA Draft Lottery. Cleveland had a 1.7 percent to land the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but they managed to win it with the combination 13-7-9-14.

Last year, the Cavaliers selected Anthony Bennett with the top overall pick. Now, new general manager David Griffin will have a chance to select a potential franchise-changing player in what is being hyped up as one of the best draft classes in recent memory.

Whoever Cleveland drafts will join their promising young core that includes Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Bennett among others.

“It was incredible,” Griffin said, moments after landing the top pick. “When Cleveland didn’t pop up at nine, I knew obviously we had moved up and I had to gather myself for a second. Just a remarkable feeling.

“I feel really blessed that we’re in this position and we will do all of the due diligence that we’ve always done and try to make the right decision. I don’t think that anything will be inherently different, other than the fact that I’m here.”

It remains to be seen who the Cavaliers will select with the No. 1 pick. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid are possibilities, and Griffin said Cleveland will explore all of their options before making a decision.

The Cavs are determined to make the playoffs sooner than later, so they may be looking for an NBA-ready player who can contribute right away.

“I think we’re very open-minded,” Griffin said. “We will try to get radically better, much quicker. We really feel like there’s a sense of urgency in improving our team as a whole and we’re going to look for the right fit and we’re very open-minded to what that really means.

“I don’t think there’s a clear cut No. 1 pick in most drafts. People say that they have a really strong feeling for one player over another, but there’s not necessarily a consensus in most drafts.”

The Cavaliers currently have a vacancy at head coach, after firing Mike Brown recently. Griffin believes winning the lottery will make an already attractive job even more desirable for candidates.

“I think, if anything, it certainly makes it a more attractive destination, but that’s a process that’s sort of in its infancy right now,” Griffin said. “I don’t really think of them as being correlated.”

Cavaliers players are already celebrating and showing their excitement.

https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/468910833641484288

The 2014 NBA Draft will be held on June 26, 2014, in Brooklyn.