Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY
P. 18

A18   SPORTS
                     Thursday 16 May 2019

            NBA DRAFT



            Continued from Page 17       got a top-two pick.
                                         The lottery had a new for-
            Maybe he should. The ping-   mat  this  year,  one  that
            pong balls seem to bounce  the  league  hoped  would
            his way a lot.               even  the  playing  field  in
            Griffin  was  with  Cleveland  a  number  of  ways  and
            when  the  Cavaliers  won  didn’t make all-out tanking
            the  lottery  in  2011,  2013  a  more  enticing  option  to
            and 2014. And now it’s the  teams looking to maximize
            Pelicans,  his  new  employ-  their  chance  at  securing
            er, which has struck lottery  the No. 1 pick.
            gold. They defied the odds  The  Knicks,  Suns  and  Cavs
            to  do  it;  the  Pelicans  en-  didn’t  have  much  interest
            tered the lottery with a 6%  in winning this season, with
            chance of winning the No.  none  winning  more  than
            1 pick for the June 20 draft.  19  games.  The  ping-pong
            So  now,  instead  of  going  balls  apparently  weren’t
            into a summer where they  interested  in  having  them
            may have traded Davis —  win the lottery, either.
            the  player  New  Orleans  “I  don’t  think  you  should
            got when it won the lottery  ever  not  play  to  win  bas-
            in 2012, the player who was  ketball  games,”  Pelicans   David Griffin, New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, holds up
            openly disgruntled this sea-  coach  Alvin  Gentry  said.   placards after it was announced that the Pelicans had won the first pick during the NBA basketball
            son  —  the  Pelicans  have  “I don’t see where it would   draft lottery Tuesday, May 14, 2019, in Chicago.
            a  chance  at  becoming  help you.”                                                                                             Associated Press
            much better, and fast.       Cleveland  will  pick  fifth,   Kevin  Huerter,  the  No.  19  the No. 1 pick in this draft,  “I don’t have any reaction,”
            “This  just  jump-starts  the  followed  by  Phoenix,  Chi-  pick in last year’s draft and  and he did not hesitate for  Morant said. “I was just ex-
            process,”  Griffin  said.  “It’ll  cago  and  Atlanta.  Wash-  part  of  Atlanta’s  contin-  even a second before an-  cited to be here and be in
            be  harder  for  me  to  mess  ington  has  the  No.  9  pick,   gent  at  the  lottery.  “Every  swering.          the position that I’m in and
            it  up  than  it  would  have  Atlanta  goes  again  at  10   team just has to go out and  “Zion,”  Fall  said.  “He’s  a  just to see how it all played
            been before this.”           and  Minnesota  is  at  No.   find them.”                 once-in-a-generation play-   out. Honestly, I don’t know
            Memphis  will  choose  sec-  11. Charlotte is next up, fol-  UCF  center  Tacko  Fall,  er. I’d seen him on TV a lot,  what  number  or  where  I’ll
            ond,  New  York  third  and  lowed by Miami at 13 and     the  7-foot-6  draft  hopeful,  but when you play against  land.  Obviously,  whatever
            the  Los  Angeles  Lakers  will  Boston at 14. That pick was   played  against  Williamson  this kid, you just see it. He’s  team drafts me, I’ll be hap-
            pick  fourth.  The  Pelicans,  conveyed to the Celtics by   in the second round of the  different.”                 py to go there and bring it
            Grizzlies  and  Lakers  all  Sacramento  as  part  of  an   NCAA tournament — a 77-    Murray  State’s  Ja  Morant,  every night.”
            moved  up  to  get  a  top-  earlier trade.               76  Duke  victory  that  went  projected  by  many  as  a  Williamson was one of three
            four spot; New York, Phoe-   The  Hawks  felt  they  were   down  to  the  very  last  mo-  strong  candidate  to  be  now-former  Duke  starters
            nix and Cleveland had the  big winners, too, after get-   ment,  a  game  where  Wil-  chosen  No.  2  overall,  was  at the lottery — R.J. Barrett
            best  odds  of  winning  the  ting two top-10 picks.      liamson  scored  32  points.  among  the  players  in  the  and  Cam  Reddish  were
            lottery  at  14%  each,  and  “There  are  always  good   Fall  was  asked  Tuesday  audience viewing the pro-      among  the  invited  players
            none  of  those  clubs  even  players,” said Hawks guard   who  he  would  take  with  ceedings.                    as well.q
            WNBA hires Deloitte CEO Engelbert as commissioner




            By DOUG FEINBERG                                                                       “It  is  an  absolute  privilege  ment.  The  players  opted
            AP Basketball Writer                                                                   to be joining the WNBA at  out of the current contract
            NEW  YORK  (AP)  —  The                                                                such  an  exciting  and  im-  at  the  end  of  last  season.
            WNBA  has  a  new  leader                                                              portant  time  in  its  history,”  This season will still be cov-
            with a new title.                                                                      Engelbert  said.  “I  see  tre-  ered by the current CBA.
            The  league  hired  Cathy                                                              mendous  opportunity  to  It’s  been  an  active  off-
            Engelbert  as  its  commis-                                                            bolster visibility for the sport  season  for  the  league,
            sioner  on  Wednesday.  The                                                            of  women’s  basketball,  which  begins  its  23rd  sea-
            previous four leaders of the                                                           empower  the  players  and  son on May 24. The WNBA
            WNBA had been known as                                                                 enhance     fan   engage-    announced  a  deal  with
            president.  Since  2015,  En-                                                          ment. I look forward to us-  CBS  earlier  this  month  to
            gelbert  has  been  CEO  of                                                            ing  my  business  expertise  broadcast  40  games  on
            Deloitte  US,  an  account-                                                            and  passion  for  basketball  CBS  Sports  Network.  The
            ing organization that works                                                            to  promote  women  in  the  WNBA also signed AT&T as
            with  Fortune  500  compa-                                                             game  and  beyond,  and  a top sponsor, added new
            nies. She was the first wom-   In this Sept. 20, 2018 file photo, Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert   to  working  with  the  teams  uniforms  by  Nike  and  re-
            an to hold that job.         participates in the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit: A World   and world-class athletes to  branded  itself  with  a  new
            “Cathy is a world-class busi-  of Change at The Times Center in New York.              help grow this league into a  logo. The league also  had
            ness  leader  with  a  deep                                           Associated Press  thriving business.”         a  promotional  tie-in  with
            connection  to  women’s  benefit  significantly  from  ties.”                          Engelbert  will  start  on  July  the highly successful “Cap-
            basketball,  which  makes  her  more  than  30  years  of  She  replaces  Lisa  Borders,  17 once her term as CEO of  tain Marvel” movie in Feb-
            her  the  ideal  person  to  business  and  operational  who stepped down in Oc-       Deloitte concludes.          ruary and oversaw the sale
            lead  the  WNBA  into  its  experience,  including  rev-  tober.  NBA  deputy  com-    One thing the new commis-    of  the  New  York  Liberty  to
            next  phase  of  growth,”  enue generation, sharp en-     missioner  Mark  Tatum  has  sioner will have to deal with  an investment group led by
            NBA  commissioner  Adam  trepreneurial  instincts  and  been  the  interim  president  relatively quickly is the col-  Brooklyn Nets minority own-
            Silver  said.  “The  WNBA  will  proven management abili-  since Borders left.         lective  bargaining  agree-  er Joseph Tsai. q
   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23