The Cleveland Cavaliers now have a bona fide superstar to replace the reviled LeBron James. The new big man on campus is Nick Gilbert.
With Gilbert, son of owner Dan Gilbert, representing the Cavaliers at the NBA draft lottery, Cleveland won the first pick of the 2013 draft on June 27.
Gilbert, who has a nerve condition, has represented the Cavaliers in the draft the last three years. Cleveland also won the lottery in 2011, when the franchise landed the top pick and eventually took Duke Blue Devils star Kyrie Irving.
"I just had a feeling that we could get hopefully get a top pick, which we did," Sports Illustrated reported Nick Gilbert as saying. "Whoever we pick can make our final push into the playoffs."
Cleveland finished with a 24-58 record during the 2012-13 season, third worst among all NBA teams. They leapfrogged the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Bobcats - the teams with the worst two records - to land the first pick.
"This is huge for us," Dan Gilbert said, according to Sports Illustrated. "It's our third year in a row in the lottery. Hopefully it's our last for a long, long time. I knew [Nick] is lucky."
The Magic, which had the worst record in the league at 20-62, will pick second. The Washington Wizards also bypassed the Bobcats. Charlotte, 21-61 during the 2012-13 season, was relegated to the fourth spot.
The Magic had the best shot at landing the No. 1 selection, based on a lottery that gives every team not in the NBA playoffs odds based on regular-season records. The Magic had a 25 percent chance of winning the first pick. Cleveland had a 15.6 percent chance.
The Wizards had the eighth worst record in the league at 29-53 but rose five spots.
The Cavaliers also won the draft lottery in 2003 and picked a budding star named LeBron James.
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