Neues » the Cowboys just cant

NEW YORK -- The Cleveland Cavaliers lottery luck just keeps going. The Cavaliers continued their remarkable run Tuesday, winning the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft for the second straight year and third time in the last four. They moved up from the ninth spot, when they had just a 1.7 per cent chance of winning the top selection. "It seems surreal," Cavs vice chairman Jeff Cohen said. "This is three out of four years and we had a 1.7 per cent chance of coming up with the first pick and we pulled it off again." They drafted Kyrie Irving first in 2011 and will hope to do better with this win than last year, when they took Anthony Bennett, who had a forgettable rookie season. Nick Gilbert, the son of Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert, was on the podium for the previous two wins, but general manager David Griffin was there this time. Griffin had a pin on his lapel from his late grandmother and was carrying one of Nick Gilberts bowties, which was as lucky in his breast pocket as it was with Nick wearing it. The Cavs can now choose among the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid of Kansas, Dukes Jabari Parker, or another player from whats considered a deep draft. "This means everything," Cohen said. "This is the deepest draft arguably since LeBron (James) and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony came out." The Cavs won that one, too, in 2003, when they picked James. But they have been lottery regulars since he bolted for Miami in 2010, and they want that to stop. "Rebuilding is a process and we lost a player a number of years back that it was going (to take) some time. Quite frankly its taken a little bit longer then wed like, but weve been patient," Cohen said. "I think now is the time were going to reap the rewards of our patience." The Milwaukee Bucks fell one spot to second and the Philadelphia 76ers will draft third. The Bucks had a 25 per cent chance of winning after a league-worst 15-67 record, but the team with the best odds hasnt won since 2004. The expected strength of the class led to speculation that teams were tanking in hopes of getting a high pick. But the Cavs had playoff expectations, hoping a strong season could make them attractive to James if he was interested in returning home as a free agent. Nick Gilbert said last year he expected the Cavs to be done with the lottery, but they were right back in Times Square after a disappointing season that resulted in them firing Mike Brown after just one year and a 33-49 record in his second stint with the team. Another top selection surely will make Cleveland more attractive to prospective coaches. The city of Cleveland may be on a 50-year championship drought, but sure does have this lottery thing figured out. The 2011 win was also a stunner, when the Cavs moved up from the No. 8 spot with a pick they had acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers. And by moving up this year, they hurt the Detroit Pistons, who started eighth but by falling back, had to trade the pick to Charlotte as part of a deal for Ben Gordon. Orlando dropped a spot to fourth and also will have the No. 12 pick from Denver. Utah is No. 5 and the Lakers and Boston Celtics couldnt make the most of rare lottery appearances, with Los Angeles at No. 7 and Boston at No. 6. The 76ers couldnt move up even with Hall of Famer Julius Erving representing them, but they will have two top-10 picks: their own and New Orleans at No. 10 from last years trade that sent Jrue Holiday to the Pelicans. "If we had No. 3 alone, I would be a little disappointed and so would our group. But the fact that we also have the 10th pick, we may have done better than anyone else," Erving said. "We can get two players out of this draft or leverage those two picks." Still, the big winners -- again -- were the Cavs. Nick Gilbert was the hit of the 2011 lottery, his big glasses and bowtie charming viewers. This time it was Mallory Edens, the 18-year-old daughter of incoming Bucks co-owner Wes Edens. She gained thousands of Twitter followers after her brief on-camera interview. But her Bucks pin wasnt lucky enough to end the run of back luck for the worst teams. "I was really nervous, but Im really happy we got the second pick," Mallory Edens said. Things kept rolling for the Cavs, who duplicated the feat of Orlando, which went back-to-back at No. 1 in 1992-93. The latter win, after the Magic had gone 41-41 in Shaquille ONeals rookie season, caused the league to change the lottery to a weighted format that gave the worst teams the most chances. The tanking talk has led to discussions to change it again, something Commissioner Adam Silver has said will be discussed this summer. But he has also said that if there was an ideal solution, the league would have implemented it by now. The Cavs like it just as it is. Vapormax China . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution. Vapormax Hvit Dame Norge . In an interview with La Presse this week, the five-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time NHL scoring leader specifically took aim at wingers Thomas Vanek and Max Pacioretty, saying they cant show up in a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final and come up empty in Game 6. http://www.vapormaxnorge.com/nike-daybreak-norge.html.com) - Patrick Reed poured in a 19-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Monday to defeat Jimmy Walker and win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Vapormax Svart Herre Norge . Although Olivetti, a qualifier, had 13 aces, he failed to force a single break-point chance on Gasquets serve and lost his own three times. Gasquet next plays third-seeded Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, who won had 18 aces in a 6-2, 6-4 win against seventh-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France. Vapormax Flyknit Dame Norge . -- LeGarrette Blount made one last big splash into a soggy end zone.IRVING, Texas -- For years, Tony Romos defenders have answered his penchant for costly late-game mistakes with a rhetorical question: What would the Dallas Cowboys do without him? It appears they will find out in their fourth playoffs-or-bust season finale against an NFC East rival since 2008 -- and their first elimination game without Romo in 10 years. Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Danny White, the last longtime Dallas starter who failed to meet Super Bowl expectations, challenges anyone to come up with a current quarterback who could do better in Romos situation. And hes not kidding. "Name whoever you want," said White, who lost three straight NFC championship games in the 1980s and lost his job to Gary Hogeboom. "I dont care if its Tom Brady, if its Peyton Manning, if its Aaron Rodgers. I can make an argument for Tony getting better results than anybody else could get." Romo has the same support from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on down, which is why the question of whether hes going to play against the Eagles is the hottest topic of the week in the NFL now that the Packers have said Rodgers will return from an seven-game absence for a similar winner-take-all battle for the NFC North title against Chicago. Maybe the Cowboys are trying to keep the Eagles guessing when it comes to Romo, who injured his back during a 24-23 win over Washington that included a fourth-down touchdown pass to DeMarco Murray in the final 2 minutes. Or maybe the Cowboys just cant bring themselves to believe the franchise leader in touchdown passes -- ahead of Troy Aikman, White and Roger Staubach -- is going to miss the game that decides whether they get a playoff game at their $1.2 billion stadium or go home early for the fourth straight season. One things for sure. The confidence of his teammates wasnt shaken after Romos latest crushing error -- an interception that let the Packers finish a rally from a 23-point deficiit in a 37-36 win two weeks ago.dddddddddddd Never mind that Romo is 1-6 in elimination games -- three losses in the playoffs and three in season finales against NFC East rivals with the division title and a playoff spot on the line, including the past two years against the New York Giants and Washington. Romo, whose only playoff win was against Philadelphia in the 2009 season, ruined the last chance for a rally against the Redskins last season with an interception late in the fourth quarter. "Everything we are and we have accomplished over the last few years, that you believe in and you hold on to, is because of him," said tight end Jason Witten, the franchise leader in catches who came into the league with Romo in 2003. "What he creates week in and week out, day in and day out, I dont think you look at a couple of plays and determine. I think that would be foolish for anybody to do that." Jones unwavering support for Romo -- backed by the off-season signing of a six-year, $108 million contract extension with more guaranteed money than Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco -- could get a little tricky if Orton leads an improbable win against the Eagles. Philadelphia jumped from a 2 1/2-point favourite to a 6 1/2-point pick after news of the Romo injury broke. The Cowboys obviously arent worried about those implications at the moment. Theyre simply trying to tell the world they can beat the high-scoring Eagles without the guy who carries the label of the quarterback who cant win the big one, or keeps finding ways to lose it. "Tony is our guy but weve got to move ahead and go from there," receiver Dez Bryant said. "For us, we believe in our quarterbacks. I dont think its going to be much of a big issue for us." Romo didnt practice Wednesday or Thursday, and coach Jason Garrett said he wasnt involved in many meetings either. He missed his regular weekly media session Thursday and hasnt been seen during the open portion of practice or in the locker room. And yet, the Cowboys just cant seem to let go. "I think weve gotten used to him kind of limping around and finding a way and somehow, some way, Wednesday rolls around and hes back out there," Witten said. "I think we all believed that would be the case." It wasnt, so maybe now the world will find out what the Cowboys can do without him. ' ' '