Cavs win lottery for 2nd time in 3 years

New York, NY – The Cleveland Cavaliers will be hoping the third time is once again the charm when it comes to this year's NBA Draft.

For the third time in franchise history, the Cavaliers came out on top in Tuesday's Draft Lottery to secure the rights to the No. 1 overall pick in the June 27 event.

Cleveland indeed hit the jackpot the first two times it won the lottery, earning the opportunity to select four-time league MVP LeBron James in 2003 and current All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving in 2011.

The Cavaliers, coming off a 24-58 season in which Irving missed 23 games due to injuries, had the third-best odds to win the top choice at 15.6 percent. Orlando, which owned the best odds at 25 percent after finishing a league- worst 20-62, will choose second following Tuesday's draw.

"We were hoping, regardless of what pick we got, that this would be our last lottery," said Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, whose team hasn't made the playoffs since James' infamous free-agent departure in the summer of 2010. "We thought originally after everything had to be reset that it would be a three-year process. With the No. 1 pick this year, and we also have No. 19, we think this will be the last lottery for a while here."

Washington wound up as the biggest climber after becoming the last of the three teams selected during the random draw. The Wizards had the seventh- fewest ping-pong balls among the 14 eligible non-playoff teams.

Charlotte, which had the second-best odds for the top choice at 19.9 percent, did not have its name drawn and will own the fourth overall pick, with Phoenix, New Orleans, Sacramento, Detroit, Minnesota and Portland rounding out the top 10.

Philadelphia, Toronto, Dallas and Utah were slotted into spots 11-14, though Oklahoma City owns the Raptors' pick as part of last October's blockbuster trade with Houston involving James Harden.

Cleveland will have the opportunity to choose first for the fifth time. In addition to James and Irving, the Cavs took center Brad Daugherty No. 1 overall in 1986 and Austin Carr with the top selection in 1971.

Whom Cleveland will decide on this year, assuming it keeps the pick, is still up for debate. There is no slam-dunk choice to go first overall, with Kentucky center Nerlens Noel, Kansas guard Ben McLemore, Georgetown forward Otto Porter and Michigan point guard Trey Burke all possible candidates.

"He's got a tough decision," said Gilbert of Cavaliers' general manager Chris Grant. "As everybody knows, this year is a little bit different than most years where there's a clear No. 1 pick."

The 2013 NBA Draft will take place at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, on June 27.