CHICAGO The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers exited the NBA Draft lottery with the No. 1 overall pick, they selected hometown hero LeBron James in 2003.
The marriage lasted seven eventful seasons, until James free-agent parting to the Miami Heat last summer.
Tuesday, while waiting for Wednesday s Game 2 of these Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls, James watched as the Cavaliers again exited the 2011 lottery with the top overall selection.
"I m happy for the franchise, I m happy for the fans," he said. "I think it is a good step for them.
"But I ve got a lot more things to worry about now than the lottery."
While the Cavaliers top pick isn t expected to arrive as the next Chosen One, James appreciates there will be considerable expectations.
The expected No. 1 overall pick is Duke freshman guard Kyrie Irving, who is represented by Miami-based agent Jeffrey Wechsler, a Heat season-ticket holder.
"If it s Kyrie, I don t think you automatically place the franchise tag on him," James said during Wednesday morning s shootaround at the United Center, "but I think he s good enough where, if he continues to work hard, he could be that guy for that team.
"It s a tough situation for anyone to be given the franchise tag as soon as they come out of college or high school, but I think he s one of the kids who is up for the challenge."
While James arrived to the NBA directly from high school, Irving would arrive nearly as raw, limited to 11 college games by a foot injury.
"But I think the experience that you get from being around college probably helped him," James said of the time under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "He played 11 games, but I think the experience, more than anything, being around Coach K, being around that campus, being around those veteran players that they had, I think it helps him."
(c) 2011, Sun Sentinel.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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