Cavaliers begin new era with Irving

INDEPENDENCE (AP) — This summer, Cleveland is making all the decisions.

Moving further away from LeBron James’ maddening departure, the Cavaliers selected Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, an expected-and-safe pick for a franchise that had to endure a 63-loss season after being abandoned last July short of a championship.

Irving played only 11 games last season because of a toe injury, but that didn’t scare off the Cavaliers, who strongly considered Arizona forward Derrick Williams before settling on the 6-foot-2 Irving.

With the No. 4 pick, the Cavaliers selected Texas forward Tristan Thompson, a selection that was viewed as a bit of a surprise. The team was reportedly interested in Lithuania center Jonas Valanciunas, but may have been turned off by his uncertain contract situation with a pro club in his home country.

Thompson, who is from Toronto, only played one year with the Longhorns, averaging 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds.