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Only days away from the 2020 NBA Draft lottery, the Cavs have finally chosen who will represent the team when the pick order is formally announced. No, it isn’t Nick Gilbert, son of team governor Dan Gilbert, but rather Cavs legend Brad Daugherty.
Daugherty was selected first overall by the Cavaliers in the 1986 NBA Draft and spent his entire eight-year career with Cleveland, earning First Team All-Rookie honors in 1987 and a Third Team All-NBA nod in 1992 in addition to his five All-Star selections. He remains among the franchise’s all-time top 10 in multiple statistical categories and his number 43 was retired by the Cavaliers on March 1, 1997. Daugherty appeared as a guest analyst on FOX Sports Ohio’s Cavs broadcasts during the 2019-20 season as part of the Cavaliers’ 50th season celebration.
The Cavs currently have one pick in the 2020NBA Draft, which will be held virtually on October 16. The team finished the 2019-20season with a 19-46 record, putting them in the second-place position entering Thursday’s event. The Cavs enter the lottery with the second-best odds and can land no lower than the 6th pick. Under the new NBA Draft Lottery system that began last year, the odds at the top of the lottery have been leveled so that the three teams with the lowest regular-season winning percentages (Golden State, Cleveland and Minnesota) each have a 14 percent chance of receiving the No. 1 overall pick. The odds for the remaining participants in the 14-team lottery reduce gradually after the top three.
The Cavs have won the NBA Draft Lottery five times since the lottery format was introduced in 1985 (Brad Daugherty, 1986; LeBron James, 2003; Kyrie Irving, 2011; Anthony Bennett, 2013; Andrew Wiggins, 2014). Overall, Cleveland has held the #1 overall draft pick six times (Carr, 1971). The Cavs’ 2020 lottery pick will mark the 21st overall pick the Cavs have owned in lottery history, and the 20th overall selection (the Cavs traded their 2005 pick). The event will be held virtually on Thursday, August 20, airing live on ESPN beginning at 8:30 PM ET.