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• NBA mock draft: Is Nerlens Noel No. 1?

• Kevin Durant donates $1 million to tornado relief

NBA Mock Drafts: Magic likely to take Ben McLemore at No. 2

2013-05-22T13:42:57Z

The Orlando Magic had the best odds heading into the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery, and while they did not snag the No. 1 overall pick, they were able to grab the second pick. There are a few ways the Magic could go here, but most experts feel that they will take Ben McLemore out of Kansas.

More: Orlando Pinstriped Post on McLemore

Here are five mock drafts and their selections:

Mock Draft	Magic's pick
Jonathan Tjarks, SB Nation	Ben McLemore
Jonathan Givony, DraftExpress/Yahoo! Sports	Ben McLemore
Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com	Ben McLemore
Chad Ford, ESPN	Trey Burke
Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated	Ben McLemore

The Magic do have Arron Afflalo already in place at the 2-guard, but he could slide to the 3 if McLemore is the pick. There's also always the possibility of a trade if Orlando does not feel like the two can co-exist.

Michigan's Burke is an intriguing option, as the Magic could really use a point guard. However, McLemore is the better prospect and taking Burke at No. 2 could be a bit of a reach.

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NBA Mock Drafts: Cavaliers tabbed to pick Nerlens Noel No. 1 overall

2013-05-22T13:32:00Z

The Cleveland Cavaliers struck gold in the draft lottery once again, winning the No. 1 overall pick for the second time in three years. The general consensus from experts is that the Cavs will take Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, who is currently rehabbing from a torn ACL.

More: Fear The Sword on winning the lottery

Here's a look at five mock drafts and their selections:

Mock Draft	Cavs' pick
Jonathan Tjarks, SB Nation	Nerlens Noel
Jonathan Givony, DraftExpress/Yahoo! Sports	Nerlens Noel
Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com	Nerlens Noel
Chad Ford, ESPN	Nerlens Noel
Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated	Nerlens Noel

Noel tore his ACL in February and is hoping to get back on the floor before the end of the calendar year. With Anderson Varejao and Tyler Zeller in the fold, the Cavs can bring Noel back slowly and ease him into the rotation when he does return.

Noel is a monster on the defensive end who would be able to help stabilize a Cavs defense that ranked last in the NBA in field goal percentage defense this year. There are obviously questions regarding his knee and also about his offense, but his potential may be too great to pass up.

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Nikola Mirotic wins ACB League MVP

2013-05-22T12:46:12Z

The legend of Nikola Mirotic continues to grow by the day. The Bulls' draftee was named ACB League MVP after leading Real Madrid to the best record in the league. And if you want some crazy Bulls parallels, Mirotic, 22, became the youngest MVP in league history. Sound familiar?

Prior to this, the youngest MVP in ACB history had been Marc Gasol, so that's pretty good company. Mirotic averaged 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds on the year as Real Madrid racked up a 30-4 record, winning the league by four games. He shot 50.5 percent overall and 43.5 percent from three while shooting 80.7 percent from the line. This all contributed to a final "ranking" of 16.2 (no clue how this is calculated), which was fourth best in the league.

I still really haven't seen this guy play much besides a few highlight videos and some grainy online footage, but he clearly is a pretty special player. Winning the MVP in that league at such a young age is no joke, and it's also worth noting that Mirotic helped lead Real Madrid to the finals of the Euroleague before falling short against Olympiacos.

Of course, we know that because of his Real Madrid contract and the NBA rookie scale, Mirotic isn't coming until 2014 at the earliest. At that point, the Bulls could then use cap room or an exception to sign him. That would seem to muck up the grand 2014 Plan a bit, but who the hell knows what exactly that plan is anyway?

Nevertheless, I'm definitely excited for this kid whenever he does come over. I know some are worried that he may never actually play for the Bulls, but that would likely only be because he was included in a package for an established star player. Although I don't know if the Bulls should be trading Dirk 2.0...

Spurs' Tony Parker sets career-high in assists in Game 2 victory

2013-05-22T12:35:51Z

Prior to Tuesday night's Game 2 between the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies, only Rajon Rondo had racked up at least 18 assists in a playoff game since 2007. Tony Parker changed that, handing out a career-high 18 dimes in a 93-89 overtime victory.

More: Pounding the Rock's Game 2 recap NBA playoff coverage

Parker's performance was truly Rondo-esque, as the Spurs' point guard struggled to a 6-of-20 shooting night. In the four playoff games that Rondo has managed at least 18 assists, he shot just 35.6 percent from the field. Of course, that should not take away from their brilliance setting up teammates.

The 18 assists for Parker are tied for second-most in Spurs playoff history, two short of Johnny Moore's 20 in 1983. Avery Johnson dished out 18 assists in a 1996 playoff game against the Phoenix Suns.

After one quarter, it certainly did not look like Parker would be heading toward a career-night in terms of assists. The Spurs' point guard had two dimes in the quarter as both teams struggled offensively en route to a 15-13 score.

But then Parker woke up in the second, picking up six assists to help San Antonio open up a 15-point halftime lead. The wizardry continued in the third quarter, with Parker assisting on the Spurs' first eight made field goals of the quarter.

The fourth quarter was a different story, as the Spurs' offense went in the tank. After a Parker three with just over eight minutes put San Antonio up 83-70, San Antonio managed just two points the rest of the way. The Grizzlies closed the game on a 15-2 run, sending the game to overtime.

Parker admitted he was tired in the fourth, but he was able to step up in the overtime period, picking up his 17th and 18th assists on buckets by Tim Duncan. Those baskets helped seal the deal for the Spurs, who hold a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.

The series now heads to Memphis, and San Antonio hopes that they can avoid a repeat of last year's Western Conference Finals, where they lost four straight to the Oklahoma City Thunder after winning the first two. The Spurs will need Parker to continue his strong play to avoid another collapse.

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NBA Draft Lottery 2013 odds: Magic hold best chance at winning lottery

2013-05-21T14:15:03Z

The 2013 NBA Draft Lottery is set to take place on Tuesday night, and the Orlando Magic have the best odds to come away with the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft.

However, the team with the best odds heading into the lottery has never had much success getting that No. 1 pick. The team with the most ping pong balls has won the lottery just twice in the last 22 years. The last team to do so was the Magic in 2004, which led to the selection of Dwight Howard.

On the flip side, the Magic have also won the lottery with the lowest odds. In 1993, Orlando won the No. 1 pick despite having just a 1.52-percent chance. That pick became Chris Webber, who was then traded to the Golden State Warriors.

The Chicago Bulls infamously got lucky in 2008, when they won the No. 1 pick despite having just a 1.7-percent chance. The Bulls selected hometown sensation Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley, a decision in hindsight that was an absolute no-brainer.

New Orleans won the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery with a 13.7 percent chance at the No. 1 pick and selected Anthony Davis.

Here are the full odds for the lottery.

Orlando Magic: 25 percent

Charlotte Bobcats: 19.9 percent

Cleveland Cavaliers: 15.6 percent

Phoenix Suns: 11.9 percent

New Orleans Pelicans: 8.8 percent

Sacramento Kings: 6.3 percent

Detroit Pistons: 4.3 percent

Washington Wizards: 2.8 percent

Minnesota Timberwolves: 1.7 percent

Portland Trail Blazers: 1.1 percent (pick belongs to Bobcats if outside of top-12)

Philadelphia 76ers: 0.8 percent

Toronto Raptors: 0.7 percent (pick belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder if outside top-3)

Dallas Mavericks: 0.6 percent

Utah Jazz: 0.5 percent

More from SB Nation:

• Spurs blast Grizzlies in Game 1

• Flannery: Saying goodbye to the Knicks

• Dwight Howard considering Rockets, Mavericks

• Can Nerlens Noel play in the middle? | More combine coverage

• Shabazz is the next Harrison Barnes

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Bryan Colangelo could return to Raptors, but not as GM, according to report

2013-05-20T14:49:34Z

The Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment group has yet to make a decision on the future of Toronto Raptors president Bryan Colangelo, but there were negotiations over the weekend to bring Colangelo back in a "significant" capacity, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

More on Toronto's search: Raptors HQ

Colangelo has an option year left on his current contract, but MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke has been pushing hard to find a top executive to take command of basketball operations in Toronto. Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri emerged as a top candidate, and Wojnarowski reports that MLSE is still going hard after Ujiri despite the latest negotiations with Colangelo.

Ujiri and Colangelo have history together, as Ujiri worked under Colangelo in Toronto for three seasons before moving to Denver. Ujiri was the assistant GM for two of the three seasons. If Ujiri is hired and Colangelo retained, the roles would be reversed and Ujiri would become Colangelo's boss.

More from SB Nation:

• Spurs blast Grizzlies in Game 1

• Dwight Howard considering Rockets, Mavericks

• Can Nerlens Noel play in the middle? | More combine coverage

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