Spurs Trade Away Hill and Pick Up UT's Joseph; Irving Goes First to Cavs

Many kids grow up with the dream of becoming a NBA player.  The dreams of sixty players at the draft last night were answered.  The first two picks in last night's draft were not a surprise, but many were unsure how Cleveland would use their two lottery picks, which were also two of the draft's first four picks.  The dismal Cavs chose Duke guard Kyrie Irving with the first overall selection and Texas forward Tristan Thompson with the fourth pick.  Thompson would be the first of three Longhorns drafted in the first round, a record for the school.  Arizona forward Derrick Williams was the second pick of the night and will join All Star center Kevin Love and Spaniard Ricky Rubio in Minneapolis.  Bismack Biyombo, a forward from the Congo, became the seventh African-born player to be drafted in the lottery.  Biyombo was involved in the Sacramento trade to Charlotte for BYU guard Jimmer Fredette, the 2011 national collegiate player of the year.

Since the Spurs chose Tim Duncan with the first overall pick in the 1997 draft, the Spurs have been one of the league's elite teams.  As the playoffs began this April, it looked like the Spurs were set to go on another championship run.  They had the NBA's second best record heading to the playoffs and had played as one of the league's elite teams for most of the season.  Their 12th consecutive postseason appearance would last only six games, after being bounced by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.  For the fourth consecutive year, the media said San Antonio was too old to compete for championships.  The draft last night would resolve some of those issues.

As the night began, many Spurs fans expected the team to trade All Star guard Tony Parker after numerous trade talks and disagreements, but the team determined back-up point guard George Hill was a better asset.  Although it took most of the night to confirm the trade, Indiana ended up receiving Hill, the IUPUI graduate and Indianapolis native, for their two draft picks on the night (San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard and Latvia's Davis Bertrans) and their 46th pick in the 2005 draft, Erazem Lorbek.  Additionally, the Spurs drafted UT guard Corey Joseph at 29 and Hungary guard Adam Hanga at 59.  The Spurs look to be moving in the right direction towards more youth in their organization.