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Orlando Magic awarded No. 2 pick in 2013 NBA Draft lottery

2013-05-22T01:18:34Z

The Orlando Magic will have the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. After finishing the season with the worst record in the league at 20-62, the Magic had a 25 percent chance of coming home with the first pick on June 27. Instead, they will have just one team ahead of them come draft night.

More: Magic fans look towards the future on Orlando Pinstriped Post

The Cavaliers, Magic and Wizards found themselves as the top three candidates left for the No. 1 overall pick. And after Washington received the third selection, it was down to just Orlando and Cleveland. Once it was revealed Orlando had the second pick, Magic fans everywhere came to terms with possibly missing out on Nerlens Noel.

Here is the full lottery order:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Orlando Magic

3. Washington Wizards

4. Charlotte Bobcats

5. Phoenix Suns

6. New Orleans Pelicans

7. Sacramento Kings

8. Detroit Pistons

9. Minnesota Timberwolves

10. Portland Trail Blazers

11. Philadelphia 76ers

12. Oklahoma City Thunder

13. Dallas Mavericks

14. Utah Jazz

The Magic had a much different makeup last year as they adjusted to life without Dwight Howard. Orlando received Arron Afflalo and Nikola Vucevic, among others, in the offseason trade that sent Howard to the Lakers, and after a decent start, the team floundered as expected without its star.

Both Afflalo and Vucevic were key players for the Magic last season, with Afflalo leading the team with 16.5 points per game and Vucevic averaging a double-double of 13.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. Glen Davis manned the power forward spot as the team's second-leading scorer at 15.1 points a game. Veteran point guard Jameer Nelson averaged a career-high 6.6 assists per game, as well, but he also shot a career-low 39 percent from the floor.

Who the Magic will take with the second pick in June is anybody's guess. Noel, the top shot blocker in the draft, would give the Magic the defensive presence down low they've missed since Howard left, but it's unlikely he gets past the Cavaliers. The Magic could also turn to Kansas scorer Ben McLemore, who might have seen his draft stock improve more than any player in college this year. McLemore averaged 15.9 points on 49.5 percent shooting from the floor and 42 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Michigan's Trey Burke may be another option. Burke is considered one of the most complete point guards in the draft. Though Nelson is under contract for two more years, the opportunity to tab a point guard of the future will be tempting. Orlando reportedly "had its heart set" on Oklahoma State point guard prospect Marcus Smart before he returned to school.

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Cleveland Cavaliers win 2013 NBA Draft lottery

2013-05-22T01:00:03Z

For the second time in three years, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the top pick in the NBA Draft after winning the 2013 draft lottery on Tuesday.

Cavs fans celebrate at Fear the Sword.

The Cavaliers, Magic and Wizards found themselves in the running in the top three for the No. 1 overall pick. After Washington received the third selection, it was down to just Orlando and Cleveland. Once it was revealed Orlando had the second pick, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and his son, Nick Gilbert, celebrated as it was announced the Cavaliers had won.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Orlando Magic

3. Washington Wizards

4. Charlotte Bobcats

5. Phoenix Suns

6. New Orleans Pelicans

7. Sacramento Kings

8. Detroit Pistons

9. Minnesota Timberwolves

10. Portland Trail Blazers

11. Philadelphia 76ers

12. Oklahoma City Thunder

13. Dallas Mavericks

14. Utah Jazz

This is the third time the Cavs have had the No. 1 overall pick since the turn of the century. It worked out pretty well the last two times. In 2003, Cleveland selected LeBron James. In 2011, the Cavaliers took Kyrie Irving.

Irving justified his top draft pick, as he made the 2013 All-Star team, finishing the year averaging 22.5 points per game. Dion Waiters, who Cleveland selected No. 4 overall last year, showed flashes of scoring abilities, as well, finishing as the team's second-leading scorer at 14.7 points per game.

The Cavs had to make due much of last year without longtime center Anderson Varejao, who was in the midst of a career season before he was sidelined with a blood clot. Varejao averaged 14.1 points and 14.4 points but only made it through 25 games, the third straight year injuries shortened his season.

Considering Varejao's fragility, Cleveland might turn to Nerlens Noel with their top pick. Noel is coming off of an injury as well and is expected to make a full recovery. Noel would make opposing teams consider before driving the lane on the Cavs. Cleveland averaged four blocks a game last season, good for second-to-last in the league. Noel averaged 4.4 blocks a game by himself for the Kentucky Wildcats last season.

As Fear the Sword points out, the Cavs' defense was one of the team's biggest issues last year. With the backcourt locked up, Cleveland does have a hole at small forward that Indiana Hoosier Victor Oladipo or Georgetown Hoya Otto Porter could fill rather well. Oladipo was one of the top defenders in college last season, creating havoc often for Indiana's top-10 defense while regularly asked to defend multiple positions. His 69 steals last year are second in school history to Isiah Thomas. Porter was the lynchpin of Georgetown's success last year on both sides of the ball.

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Tarik Black to transfer to Kansas

2013-05-21T00:28:08Z

The Kansas Jayhawks added another man to their roster in the form of Memphis Tigers transfer Tarik Black, Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports reported on Monday.

Black was a four-star recruit, according to Rivals, as part of Memphis coach Josh Pastner's second-ranked 2010 class. The 6'9 forward had his best year as a sophomore when he averaged 10.7 points on 68.9 percent from the floor.

Black's minutes dropped during his junior season when he lost his spot as a starter, and his stats went down with it. He averaged 8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds a game while playing just under 21 minutes.

Black announced his intentions to transfer earlier in April, and Pastner gave his blessing, although he wouldn't allow Black to choose any school that was on the Tigers' schedule this season. Black was said to be choosing between the Duke Blue Devils and Oregon Ducks, as well, and since he is graduating at the end of this school year from Memphis, he will be able to play immediately for the Jayhawks this season.

The Jayhawks looked like they might have had a rare down year after winning or sharing the Big 12 title for the ninth straight year. Kansas lost all five starters to either graduation or the NBA draft, but got quickly back on track when Andrew Wiggins, the top recruit in the nation, committed to the Jayhawks on May 14.

Black will most likely provide immediate frontcourt support for Kansas, possibly starting alongside forward Perry Ellis.

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Andrew Wiggins commits to the Kansas Jayhawks

2013-05-14T16:10:45Z

Andrew Wiggins, the top-rated high school basketball player in the class of 2013, committed to the Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday amongst a small gathering of friends, family and teammates.

Proving that one can never count Kansas coach Bill Self out of the equation, Wiggins spurned offers from the Kentucky Wildcats, North Carolina Tar Heels and Florida St. Seminoles and hopped on board with the retooling Kansas Jayhawks, who appear to be ready for another big NCAA Tournament run.

The Jayhawks, having won or shared the Big 12 title for nine straight years, had a bit of reloading to do after losing all five starters from the 2012-2013 team to either graduation or the NBA draft. Wiggins will make that pill easier to swallow, serving as the crème de la crème of Self's 2013 recruiting class, which is ranked second in the nation by most media outlets.

Wiggins led Huntington Prep in Huntington, W.Va. to a 30-3 record while averaging 23.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. He was named both the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2013, the first player to receive both awards in the same year since Kevin Love in 2007.

Wiggins will join fellow five-star recruits forward Wayne Selden and center Joel Embiid as immediate impact players on the Jayhawk roster. Wiggins will likely be the centerpiece of Bill Self's offense, playing under a coach that made sure everyone knew the name of Ben McLemore by season's end. McLemore came to Kansas as a four-star recruit in 2011 and, after redshirting for one year, had an outstanding freshman campaign and now figures to be a top five pick in this June's NBA Draft.

Chattanooga hires Will Wade as new head coach

2013-05-14T13:00:07Z

The Chattanooga Mocs hired VCU Rams assistant Will Wade as their new head coach, ESPN reported on Monday.

The Mocs last made the NCAA Tournament in 2009 when they won the Southern Conference Tournament, but haven't been back since. Chattanooga hopes a little bit of Shaka Smart's success has rubbed off on Wade, who has been with VCU since 2009.

Wade graduated from Clemson in 2005, working with the basketball program throughout his time at school, eventually leaving in 2007. He then became Harvard's recruiting coordinator. At Harvard, he helped land the first top-25 recruiting class in 2008 and finished at .500 for the first time since 2002.

Wade replaces coach John Shulman, who was fired last month, and will become one of the youngest head coaches in the nation.

"I think it's an advantage," Wade told said. "I think I've got a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm. I think it helps in terms of being able to relate to the players and having the ability to relate to them and spend time with them and develop really good relationships with them."

Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn cited Wade's success with VCU, where he worked specifically with the Rams defense that was known for a constant press that resulted in steals. The Rams set a school record 422 steals as a team this past season.

DePaul reportedly in talks for new $300 million arena

2013-05-14T12:30:04Z

The DePaul Blue Demons might be getting a fancy $300 million arena upgrade if Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushes his proposal through, the Chicago Sun Times reported on Monday.

DePaul, which is located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, has played its home games at Allstate Arena since 1980. The arena is located about 17 miles east of the school, next to O'Hare International Airport. The proposed 12,000 capacity arena would be located at McCormick Place, which is roughly six miles south of the university.

The mayor's office reportedly will issue a formal announcement of the proposal later in the week. The $300 million expected price tag will be equally paid for by taxpayers, the university and naming rights for the arena, according to CBS Sports.

Emanuel has pushed to bring the Blue Demons back to playing their home games closer to downtown Chicago. Earlier this year, he offered a 10-year, rent-free deal for DePaul to play in the United Center, home of both the Bulls and the Blackhawks. DePaul declined the offer, stating that they wanted to "do their own private building."

DePaul has struggled in recent years, finishing under .500 for the past six years, and the Blue Demons haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 2004. Attendance during this time at the Allstate Arena has suffered as well, with the Blue Demons averaging around 7,500 fans this past season -- much less than half of the 18,500 capacity of Allstate Arena.

Although Emanuel has pushed for DePaul to play closer to home repeatedly during his term, budget troubles might make it tough for public-assistance to contribute to the $300 million price tag on a new arena. As Governor Pat Quinn said in a statement in March, "Direct state support for a private stadium is not something the state can afford... Illinois is facing a $97 billion unfunded pension liability and the most difficult budget in recent memory."

DePaul plays 16 home games a year, which counts for 11 percent of events at Allstate Arena. The team has a contract to play there that expires in 2015.

How much momentum are the Hawks riding?

2013-04-30T13:30:06Z

Just a quick glance to the recaps of each game in the series and it really looks like the Hawks firmly have the Pacers back peddling as Game 5 rolls around with the series even at 2-2.

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The Pacers won Games 1 and 2 in a convincing fashion, winning the two games by 17 and 15 points. But the Hawks fired back with a 21 point beatdown in Game 3 that included an 18-0 run to put the game seemingly out of reach for the Pacers before halftime even rolled around.

The Hawks uncorked another run of similar magnitude in Game 4 on Monday night, steamrolling past the Pacers 22-3 over the end of the first quarter and into the second quarter to take a 17 point lead at half. But in the end, the Hawks won by a deceiving 11 points, 102-91, with the Pacers cutting the lead all the way down to five with just under two minutes remaining.

Things got that way because as well as the Hawks played in the first half, and in the second quarter particularly, they were just as bad in the third quarter. After outscoring the Pacers 35-19 in the second quarter, the Hawks could only muster 12 points in the third quarter.

They were held to just 3-of-21 shooting from the field in the third quarter. Josh Smith, who finished the game with 29 points, was 0-for-5 from the floor in the third. He still sliced his way to the line, but missed to capitalize on the opportunities going just 6-of-12 from the free throw line. With Devin Harris sitting because at the start of the third because of dehydration issues and Al Horford heading to the bench because of foul troubles, the Hawks looked ugly for much of the quarter. Their ability to pass the ball was non-existent and they looked like a completely different team from the one that had dominated in the second quarter.

"It was all on the Hawks," coach Larry Drew said. "No adjustment on the Pacers," referring to the Hawks third quarter troubles. Although the Pacers didn't exactly take Horford out of the game (he still finished with 18 points), the Pacers were able to pound it inside during the third quarter with Horford out of commission courtesy of fouls. They outscored the Hawks in the paint to the tune of 18-4. The defensive adjustments, whether or not Drew wanted to admit were there, frustrated the Hawks visibly, especially Smith.

Coach Drew insists it wasn't so much the Pacers success as it was the Hawks panics. "We got very stagnant in the third quarter. Offensively, we just weren't very good. We became our worst enemy, just off the mere fact we didn't execute well in the third quarter." With Harris and Horford on the bench, the Hawks were rather lost. Their half-court sets were minimal at best and generally consisted of Smith dribbling up court and driving into the lane. But all of the open threes the team was hitting in the second quarter were no longer there in the third. Not from lack of trying, but more a lack of vision.

The Pacers nearly were able to capitalize and made the game a lot closer than it should have been in the first place. Drew commended the effort his players had in responding to the third quarter by the Pacers, but also said he didn't think his team played with the aggression they showed in Game 3. That might be slightly problematic, because the game is being played in Indianapolis and the Hawks haven't won there in four tries.

The Pacers also came in with a clear game plan, which they executed to a certain degree rather well. Ignoring their own second quarter debacle (which is a bit of a large albatross to ignore), the Pacers adjusted to Horford's Game 3 explosion to the tune of 42 points in the paint. Smith did a fantastic job guarding Paul George in the first half, but George scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half, 14 of those in the fourth quarter.

Game 4 was a big win for obvious reasons for Atlanta. Instead of going with the series on the line, they get to take the fight back to Atlanta for Game 6 no matter what the result on Game 5. But they might have preferred a different second half on Monday night. Rather than coasting to the finish line, they had a slight limp as they jogged the final straightaway. If the Hawks play the game they played tonight, without the support of a home crowd, it might be chalked up as a loss. So although Atlanta has the two-game win streak on their hands, this series can still go either way on Wednesday.

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NBA Playoffs 2013, Pacers vs. Hawks Game 4: Josh Smith scores 29 as Atlanta evens series, 102-91

2013-04-30T02:17:10Z

At times it was the prettiest of basketball for both the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks, and at other times it was enough to make an entire coaching staff cry. In the end, the Hawks squeezed out a 102-91 Game 4 victory on Monday night to even the series at two.

The Hawks outscored the Pacers 35-19 in the second quarter to take a 17-point lead at half, and seemed well on their way to an easy victory. After a shaky third quarter, the Hawks regrouped in the fourth to even the series and send the Pacers to their 13th straight loss in Atlanta.

More: Peachtree Hoops Indy Cornrows NBA playoff coverage

Josh Smith kept attacking the rim even during the Hawks' poor third quarter, leading Atlanta with 29 points and 11 rebounds. It could have been a much larger lead, but the Hawks continued to struggle from the free-throw line, shooting 25-of-38.

The Pacers limited Al Horford to a certain degree after his 26-point, 12-rebound effort in Game 3. Horford watched much of the third quarter from the bench because of foul trouble, and he finished the night with 18 points and five rebounds.

The Pacers kept it together for almost the entire first quarter, but the wheels came off for Indiana with a little over two and a half minutes remaining. The Pacers held a seven-point lead at 21-14, but the Hawks stormed back to end the quarter, taking a 22-21 point lead on a last-second Devin Harris shot. The Pacers opened the second quarter as cold as the Hawks were hot. When the dust had settled, the Hawks went on a 22-3 run to take a commanding lead into halftime. During the run, the Hawks hit 7-of-10 shots and the Pacers went just 1-of-8 from the floor.

The Pacers' defense did not resemble their regular season unit, which ranked as one of the best. The Pacers defense looked confused at times, and although the Hawks hit six straight three-pointers at one point during the first half, many of those threes were wide-open shots. There is no denying that most members of the Hawks were feeling the shooting touch, but the Pacers defense wasn't helping the cause at all.

The tables turned in the third quarter though, as the Pacers went on a 15-1 run to cut the lead to seven points after Horford picked up his fourth foul with 8:25 left in the quarter. The Hawks had trouble getting their half-court offense going without Devin Harris on the floor. Harris spent time in the locker room getting an IV drip during halftime because of dehydration and didn't see the floor until five minutes were left in the third.

Atlanta got complacent with the outside shot after shooting so well in the second quarter. They went just 3-of-21 in the third quarter, as the Pacers turned up the aggression to close the gap to a manageable number. The Pacers dominated inside, outscoring the Hawks 18-4 in the paint in the third.

The Pacers kept it within striking distance throughout much of the fourth quarter, but Smith and Kyle Korver hit consecutive three-pointers towards the end to put the crowd on their feet and seal the deal. The Hawks' bench was huge throughout the game, with Korver and Anthony Tolliver hitting eight three-pointers.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Indianapolis. Tipoff has yet to be announced.