Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert leaned into the microphone to deliver a message.
“This is a new beginning, Cleveland,” he said. “We’re coming back.”
With another potential star, that is.
The Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, getting the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since they drafted LeBron James eight years ago.
The Cavs leapfrogged Minnesota to land the top selection at the June 23 draft with a pick they acquired in the multi-player trade that sent Mo Williams to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis.
But the news was even better.
The Cavs also got the No. 4 pick with their own original selection, a product of their post-LeBron 19-63 record.
The Timberwolves had a 25 percent chance to pick No. 1 after struggling to the worst record in the NBA this past season, but instead fell to No. 2.
Like the Cavs, the Utah Jazz also moved up. They landed the No. 3 pick with a selection that was part of the trade that sent Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets. The Jazz also have the No. 12 selection.
The Raptors had a 15.6 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick, third-best, but dropped to No. 5 after the Jazz and Cavaliers moved up.
The Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings had the fourth and fifth best chances, but fell to sixth and seventh. They were followed by the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.
The order of selections for the teams that did not win one of the top three picks was determined by the inverse order of their regular season records.
The Cavs were represented on stage by Gilbert’s 14-year-old son Nick, who was dressed in a suit and bow tie and wearing thick black eyeglasses. Nick suffers from a nerve disorder that causes tumors to grow anywhere on the body.
After scuffling through their first season without James, whose highly- publicized signing with Miami caused a backlash among fans and the organization, Gilbert included, the Cavs are likely to target Duke point guard Kyrie Irving or Arizona forward Derrick Williams with the No. 1 pick.
Last year’s top selection, John Wall, was on stage Tuesday to represent the Wizards this year.
The Timberwolves were represented by president of basketball operations David Kahn and can perhaps take solace in a piece of history.
In 1995, they dropped from the projected No. 3 pick to No. 5 and landed future Hall of Famer and former MVP Kevin Garnett.
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