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Cavs can't wait Phone lines flooded after team wins draft lotteryPosted: Friday May 23, 2003 1:24 AMCLEVELAND (AP) -- Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson can't wait to see if LeBron James can make his team very good, very fast. "It's a great time for this organization and a big step forward for us," Paxson said after the Cavaliers won the NBA draft lottery Thursday night. "Sometimes luck does play into it, and tonight we got lucky." Winning the lottery gave the Cavaliers the No. 1 pick in the June 26 draft and the right to select James, an Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary star who's the most-hyped high school basketball player ever. Paxson doesn't know if the Cavaliers should be considered a playoff team next season -- the club still needs a head coach and some veteran leadership -- but he knows James makes them better. "I think he's a very versatile player and has the ball-handling ability to be a point guard," Paxson said. Landing the 6-foot-8 James and his large resume of basketball talent has all of Cleveland salivating. Paxson said the Cavaliers' ticket office was flooded Thursday night with calls from fans who can't wait for the 2003-04 season to tip off at Gund Arena. Owner Gordon Gund asked fans to be patient with the 18-year-old James, who will be joining a team that has suffered through four straight 50-loss seasons and hasn't made the playoffs since 1998. "He's a young man. There's a big jump from high school to the pros," Gund said. Paxson said people within the organization will help James make the transition to the NBA and deal with the hype surrounding him. Gund and Paxson said they expect to have a head coach in place before the draft. Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, former Hornets coach Paul Silas and Keith Smart, the Cavaliers interim coach last season, are the leading candidates. Gund said he's looking for a coach who can be a teacher for James and the team's other young players. "It's a young team and it just got a little younger," he said. While Gund attended the lottery in Secaucus, N.J., Paxson watched it at home along with his wife. He admitted his heart was pounding during the telecast and was only able to relax after Memphis was awarded the second selection, meaning the Cavaliers would be picking first. "I just couldn't believe it when it came up Memphis and knew we had the No. 1 pick," Paxson said. |
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