SECAUCUS, N.J. — For the second time in eight years, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA draft lottery Tuesday night, securing the Nos. 1 and 4 overall picks they will use to help rebuild a team that was left at the altar of a championship when LeBron James bolted as a free agent last summer.
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert sent his 14-year-old son, Nick Gilbert, to the podium, and the kid came up with a stunning victory, turning a pick from the Los Angeles Clippers that had only a 2.8 percent chance of victory into the top spot.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will select second and the Utah Jazz turned New Jersey’s pick from the Deron Williams trade into the No. 3 selection. The Cavaliers likely will decide between point guard Kyrie Irving of Duke and Arizona forward Derrick Williams.
The Timberwolves continued their lottery losing streak, falling to 0-for-14 and dropping for the eighth time. They had a 25 percent chance of winning after finishing with a league-worst 17-65 record.
The Nuggets hold the No. 22 pick.
• Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers is recovering from surgery to remove a benign polyp from his throat. He will not be able to speak for two weeks.
“My wife will be the happiest person in the room about that,” Rivers said.
More talks end without deal
MINNEAPOLIS — The NFL and its locked-out players wrapped up another round of court-ordered mediation without any signs of a new agreement and the clock ticking on the 2011 season.
Officials and attorneys for both sides said they will return for more closed-door talks with U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan on June 7, four days after a key appeals court hearing in St. Louis on the legality of the lockout.
Fiesta Bowl wants cash returned
PHOENIX — The Fiesta Bowl is seeking the return of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions made to U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl and other Arizona politicians. In all, the bowl wants $48,225.17 returned.
Meanwhile, the NCAA placed the bowl game on probation for a year.
Footnotes.
Andy Roddick withdrew from the Open de Nice and is in doubt for the French Open that starts Sunday because of a right shoulder injury.
• Nehro, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby behind Animal Kingdom, will skip Saturday’s Preakness Stakes — the second leg of the Triple Crown — and focus on next month’s Belmont Stakes.
• Ron Francis is giving up his spot on the Carolina Hurricanes’ coaching staff to focus on his front-office job with the club.
• Philadelphia Flyers forward Dan Carcillo has been suspended without pay for the first two games of next season for confronting officials during this year’s playoffs.
• Doug Blubaugh, a 1960 Olympic gold medalist wrestler, was killed in a traffic accident Monday in Tonkawa, Okla. He was 76.
• Mark Cavendish won the 10th stage of the Giro d’Italia in a sprint finish, while Alberto Contador retained the overall lead.
The Associated Press
