WELCOME ABOARD: Anthony Bennett shakes hands with commissioner David Stern after being selected by the Cavaliers as the top pick of the NBA Draft last night at Barclays Center. (NBAE/Getty Images)
The question so many turned over and over before last night’s NBA Draft was whom Cleveland would take with the No. 1 overall pick, Kentucky center Nerlens Noel, he of the bum left knee, or Maryland center Alex Len, he of the left foot stress fracture. There was some noise about UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett, he of the surgically repaired left rotator cuff.
But the smart money was on Noel.
And so the Cavaliers took Bennett.
“I’m just as surprised as everybody else,” Bennett said. “I didn’t really have any idea who‘s going No. 1 or No. 2.”
Or No. 6 as it turns out. That was where Noel, who tore his ACL in February but was the nation’s leading college shot-blocker, eventually landed, selected by New Orleans.
“I thought everything was in the air so I wasn’t thinking I was the No. 1 pick,” said Noel. “This game is a business and I’m definitely … staying positive.”
But New Orleans wasn’t where Noel stayed.
By the end of the night — a night that represented commissioner David Stern’s 30th and last draft, after he had announced 839 first-rounders — Indiana placed two first-rounders in the top four (Victor Oladipo to Orlando at No. 2 and Cody Zeller to Charlotte at No. 4) and Noel was headed to Philadelphia via a proposed trade.
The Sixers already have Andrew Bynum. Hey, you can never have enough bigs with bad knees. The Sixers should get Noel and a 2014 protected (1-to-5) first-rounder for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday. The Sixers, later at No. 11, selected Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Williams, who has been a close friend of Noel for years.
So for Noel, the night swayed from No. 1 and Cleveland to No. 6 and Philadelphia.
“They’ve got a great organization there. I’m just staying positive about everything,” said the 6-11 Noel, who said he was thrilled with the chance to play with Holiday.
But of course Holiday is part of the proposed trade. No matter. Noel knows he’s bringing defense and rebounding. His offensive game needs work, but he is a rim protector.
“That’s part of my game where I can be able to contribute right away,” Noel said. “Just being a good interior defender and definitely bringing my offensive part of my game along … I’ll be able to make an instant impact.”
Surprises kept coming all night. But it began with the first-ever Canadian-born No. 1 pick.
“When [David Stern] said my name, that’s when I knew,” said the 6-8 Bennett, who replaces fellow Cav Tristan Thompson (No. 4 in 2011 by Cleveland) as the highest drafted Canadian.
“It’s just crazy. Made history,” beamed Bennett, who averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in his one season at UNLV — where he drew favorable comparisons to the Runnin’ Rebels’ only other No. 1 overall selection, Larry Johnson (1991).
Bennett became the fifth player selected No. 1 by the Cavs in their history, joining Austin Carr (1971), Brad Daugherty (1986), LeBron James (2003) and Kyrie Irving (2011).
The Cavaliers added Sergey Karasev, a 6-7 guard-forward whom the Nets coveted, with the 19th pick.
The Wizards took local favorite Otto Porter of Georgetown third. Len was selected by Phoenix No. 5 and Ben McLemore, who was seen as a possible No. 1 in some circles earlier in the draft process, went to Sacramento at No. 7.
Among the other proposed trades that shook up the draft, Minnesota sent Michigan’s Trey Burke (9) to Minnesota for two first-rounders — UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad (14) and Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng (21). Dieng, said to be on the Nets’ radar, went one pick before the Nets selected 6-11 forward Mason Plumlee of Duke, Brooklyn general manager Billy King’s alma mater. In a proposed deal, Boston landed Gonzaga’s 7-0 Kelly Olynyk in a three-team trade with Dallas (ended up with Miami’s Shane Larkin, 18) and Atlanta (got Brazilian Lucas Nogueira, 16).
The Knicks at No. 24 went for Michigan shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr.