Post by mikecubs on Jun 27, 2014 6:38:42 GMT -6
Canadian Andrew Wiggins picked No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Three Canadians selected in the top 20 picks of the NBA draft with Mississauga’s Nik Stauskas taken by the Sacramento Kings and Brampton’s Tyler Ennis headed to Phoenix.
Andrew Wiggins does not do “overjoyed” very well or very often, he’s more laconic than expressive, seemingly above the hype and the fray.
But the smile, the hugs, the look in his eyes here Thursday night told an entirely different story, a tale of pure joy and satisfaction, of a job well done and a future too bright to fully describe.
“It’s just a crazy feeling right now, I don’t really know how to feel,” he said after he became the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. “It doesn’t even feel real right now.”
But it is real. And it was part of history.
Wiggins, chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers a year after the Cavs took his buddy Anthony Bennett with the same top pick, led a parade of Canadians to the stage at the Barclays Center on a night that will go down as the best in the history of the game in the country so far.
Nik Stauskas of Mississauga was selected No. 8 by the Sacramento Kings, capping a stunning pre-draft rise for the six-foot-two Michigan guard and Tyler was drafted 18th by the Phoenix Suns.
Toronto’s Dwight Power became the fourth Canadian pick when he was chosen 45th by the Charlotte Hornets, who then shipped the Stanford product to the Cavaliers, who seem intent on becoming Canada South.
Melvin Ejim, Khem Birch, Jordan Bachynski and Sim Bhullar all went undrafted.
Phoenix’s selection of Ennis took away a chance at a truly historic night because he was firmly in the sights of the Raptors, who wanted to make him the first homegrown draft pick in franchise history.
“At the end of the night, Canada has something to be proud of,” said Ennis.
Still, it was the first time three Canadians had ever been taken in the first round of an NBA draft and four is the most ever.
“It opens the door for all the youth and everyone in Canada,” said Wiggins, a native of Thornhill and the son of former NBAer Mitchell Wiggins and Canadian track star Marita Payne. “It gives them hope, you know, because coming up when I was in Canada, I wasn’t ranked or nothing. I wasn’t known, I didn’t have no offers or anything like that.
“But I just kept my head straight and kept working on my game and look where I am today. I just think it gives everyone in Canada hope that they can accomplish what I do because it’s possible if they work hard.”
That’s been proven true by Stauskas, who convinced the Kings he’s more than just a shooter. He has been saying since he left Michigan that his game is more multi-dimensional.
“I believed in myself, and I don’t think many other people did, but this is something I always felt is a possibility for me, and I just kept working my hardest to make it happen,” he said. “It sounds — it’s a cliché, but dreams really do come true when you put all your effort into it. So I’m just glad Sacramento picked me, and I’m not going to let them down.”
Wiggins joins a Canadian-dominated Cavs team alongside GTA products Bennett and Tristan Thompson.
He also joins a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the departure of LeBron James four years ago and a team with a new coach, David Blatt, who has never coached an NBA game in his life. There is a promising guard in Kyrie Irving but the Cavs remain one of the toughest teams in the league.
“I played with Tristan for a summer AAU, and I played with Anthony for a while, AAU circuit and the national level, too,” said Wiggins. “So I’m just excited. You know, the chemistry is already there with those guys. I played with them already. So I think big things are to come.”
www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/2014/06/26/canadian_andrew_wiggins_picked_no_1_by_the_cleveland_cavaliers.html
Three Canadians selected in the top 20 picks of the NBA draft with Mississauga’s Nik Stauskas taken by the Sacramento Kings and Brampton’s Tyler Ennis headed to Phoenix.
Andrew Wiggins does not do “overjoyed” very well or very often, he’s more laconic than expressive, seemingly above the hype and the fray.
But the smile, the hugs, the look in his eyes here Thursday night told an entirely different story, a tale of pure joy and satisfaction, of a job well done and a future too bright to fully describe.
“It’s just a crazy feeling right now, I don’t really know how to feel,” he said after he became the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. “It doesn’t even feel real right now.”
But it is real. And it was part of history.
Wiggins, chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers a year after the Cavs took his buddy Anthony Bennett with the same top pick, led a parade of Canadians to the stage at the Barclays Center on a night that will go down as the best in the history of the game in the country so far.
Nik Stauskas of Mississauga was selected No. 8 by the Sacramento Kings, capping a stunning pre-draft rise for the six-foot-two Michigan guard and Tyler was drafted 18th by the Phoenix Suns.
Toronto’s Dwight Power became the fourth Canadian pick when he was chosen 45th by the Charlotte Hornets, who then shipped the Stanford product to the Cavaliers, who seem intent on becoming Canada South.
Melvin Ejim, Khem Birch, Jordan Bachynski and Sim Bhullar all went undrafted.
Phoenix’s selection of Ennis took away a chance at a truly historic night because he was firmly in the sights of the Raptors, who wanted to make him the first homegrown draft pick in franchise history.
“At the end of the night, Canada has something to be proud of,” said Ennis.
Still, it was the first time three Canadians had ever been taken in the first round of an NBA draft and four is the most ever.
“It opens the door for all the youth and everyone in Canada,” said Wiggins, a native of Thornhill and the son of former NBAer Mitchell Wiggins and Canadian track star Marita Payne. “It gives them hope, you know, because coming up when I was in Canada, I wasn’t ranked or nothing. I wasn’t known, I didn’t have no offers or anything like that.
“But I just kept my head straight and kept working on my game and look where I am today. I just think it gives everyone in Canada hope that they can accomplish what I do because it’s possible if they work hard.”
That’s been proven true by Stauskas, who convinced the Kings he’s more than just a shooter. He has been saying since he left Michigan that his game is more multi-dimensional.
“I believed in myself, and I don’t think many other people did, but this is something I always felt is a possibility for me, and I just kept working my hardest to make it happen,” he said. “It sounds — it’s a cliché, but dreams really do come true when you put all your effort into it. So I’m just glad Sacramento picked me, and I’m not going to let them down.”
Wiggins joins a Canadian-dominated Cavs team alongside GTA products Bennett and Tristan Thompson.
He also joins a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the departure of LeBron James four years ago and a team with a new coach, David Blatt, who has never coached an NBA game in his life. There is a promising guard in Kyrie Irving but the Cavs remain one of the toughest teams in the league.
“I played with Tristan for a summer AAU, and I played with Anthony for a while, AAU circuit and the national level, too,” said Wiggins. “So I’m just excited. You know, the chemistry is already there with those guys. I played with them already. So I think big things are to come.”
www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/2014/06/26/canadian_andrew_wiggins_picked_no_1_by_the_cleveland_cavaliers.html
