1970 NBA expansion draft | |
---|---|
General information | |
Sport | Basketball |
Date(s) | May 11, 1970 |
Overview | |
League | NBA |
Expansion teams | Buffalo Braves Cleveland Cavaliers Portland Trail Blazers |
The 1970 NBA expansion draft was the fifth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). [lower-alpha 1] The draft was held on May 11, 1970, so that the newly founded Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers could acquire players for the 1970–71 season. [6] Buffalo, Cleveland, and Portland were awarded the expansion teams on February 6, 1970. [7] Houston was also awarded a franchise, but the group backing the team was unable to come up with the US$750,000 down payment on the US$3.7 million entrance fee that was required before the 1970 NBA draft. [7] [8] The Braves later underwent two relocations, moving to San Diego in 1978 and changing their name from the Braves to the Clippers, and then relocating to Los Angeles in 1984. [9] They are currently known as the Los Angeles Clippers. [10]
In an NBA expansion draft, new NBA teams are allowed to acquire players from the previously established teams in the league. Not all players on a given team are available during an expansion draft, since each team can protect a certain number of players from being selected. In this draft, each of the other fourteen NBA teams protected seven players from their roster. After each round, after all of the expansion teams had selected one player, each of the existing teams added another player to their protected list. In the first round, the Braves had the first pick, while the Blazers and the Cavaliers had the second and the third picks respectively. In the subsequent rounds, the Braves and the Cavaliers exchanged their order of selection, while the Blazers had the second pick throughout the draft. The draft continued until all three teams had selected eleven unprotected players each, while the existing teams had lost two or three players each. [8] [11]
The Buffalo Braves were formed and owned by local businessman Paul Snyder. [12] He hired former Philadelphia 76ers head coach and 1966 Coach of the Year Dolph Schayes as the franchise's first head coach. [13] The Braves' selections included six-time All-Star Bailey Howell. Howell was immediately traded to the 76ers, however, in exchange for Bob Kauffman and a future second-round pick. [14] Nine players from the draft joined the Braves for their inaugural season, but only three played more than one season for the team. [5] [15] [16]
The Cleveland Cavaliers were formed and owned by businessman Nick Mileti. [17] He hired former college basketball coach Bill Fitch as the franchise's first head coach. [18] The Cavaliers' selections included five-time All-Star Don Ohl and one-time All-Star Len Chappell. Ohl retired from playing prior to the start of the season, however, and Chappell only played briefly before he was waived. [19] [20] Eight players from the draft joined the Cavaliers for their inaugural season, but only four played more than one season for the team. [5] [21] [22] Butch Beard was the ninth player from the expansion draft to play for the Cavaliers. He joined the team for the 1971–72 season after serving for a year in the military. [23] Bingo Smith played nine and a half seasons with the Cavaliers before he was traded to the San Diego Clippers in 1979. [24] He was the franchise's leader in games played when he left, a record that stood until 2000 when Danny Ferry broke it. [25]
The Portland Trail Blazers were formed by Harry Glickman, who created the franchise through the financiers turned co-owners Larry Weinberg, Herman Sarkowsky and Robert Shmertz. [26] They hired former college basketball coach Rolland Todd as the franchise's first head coach. [27] The Blazers' selections included former first overall pick Fred Hetzel and former third pick Larry Siegfried. Hetzel was waived without playing a game for the Blazers, however, and Siegfried was immediately traded to the San Diego Rockets in exchange for Jim Barnett. [28] [29] [30] Six players from the draft joined the Blazers for their inaugural season, but only three played more than one season for the team. [5] [31] [32] The Blazers also selected Pat Riley, who never played for the team, but went on to have a Hall of Fame coaching career, enshrined in 2008. [33] [34] [35]
Source: [5]
Abbreviation | Position |
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G | Guard |
F | Forward |
C | Center |
^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
+ | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
The Cleveland Cavaliers are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team began play as an expansion team in 1970, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1994. Since 1994, the Cavs have played home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland, which is shared with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Dan Gilbert has owned the team since March 2005.
The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Detroit Pistons won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the San Diego Rockets were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Three expansion franchises, the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the seventh, the eighth and the ninth pick in each round. In the first round, the Cavaliers had the seventh pick, while the Blazers and the Braves had the eighth and the ninth pick respectively. In the subsequent rounds, the Cavaliers and the Braves exchanged their order of selection, while the Blazers had the eighth pick throughout the draft. The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising the selection of 239 players; it holds the record for the most prospects selected in any NBA draft.
The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in NBA history, with four Hall of Famers being drafted in the first sixteen picks and five overall. It included first pick Akeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network.
The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Dallas Mavericks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Detroit Pistons were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 223 players.
The 1980 NBA draft was the 34th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel & Towers, before the 1980–81 season. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Boston Celtics, who obtained the Detroit Pistons' first-round pick in a trade, won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Utah Jazz were awarded the second pick. The Celtics then traded the first pick to the Golden State Warriors before the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. An expansion franchise, the Dallas Mavericks, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the eleventh pick in each round. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 214 players. This draft has the distinction of being the first NBA Draft to be televised.
The 1978 NBA draft was the 32nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1978, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York, before the 1978–79 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Indiana Pacers won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Kansas City Kings, who obtained the New Jersey Nets' first-round pick in a trade, were awarded the second pick. The Pacers then traded the first pick to the Portland Trail Blazers before the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Before the draft, five college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule. These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier. Prior to the start of the season, the Buffalo Braves relocated to San Diego and became the San Diego Clippers. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 202 players.
James Andrew Jones is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He is both the president of basketball operations and general manager for the Phoenix Suns. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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Elmore Smith is an American former professional basketball player born in Macon, Georgia. A 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) center from Kentucky State University, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 to 1979. He was a member of the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The expansion draft for the construction of the Charlotte Bobcats, recognized at the time as the 30th NBA franchise, was held on June 22, 2004. The Bobcats selected 19 players from other teams' unprotected players lists and constructed their squad for what was regarded at the time as their inaugural season.
The 1970–71 NBA season was the Buffalo Braves inaugural season in the NBA. With a roster made up primarily of castoffs, the Braves got off on the right foot by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 107–92 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium on October 14. However, the Braves would drop their next nine as they took on established NBA teams on the way to finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division. The Braves' record was 22–60, which was 7 games better than the Cleveland Cavaliers, their partners in expansion.
The Portland Trail Blazers were one of three new teams to join the NBA for the 1970–71 season. The franchise played its inaugural regular season game on a Friday night in Portland, beating the fellow expansion Cleveland Cavaliers 115–112 on October 16, with 4,273 in attendance.
The 1969–70 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The head coach was Pete Carril and the team co-captains were John Hummer and Geoff Petrie. The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium on the university campus in Princeton, New Jersey. The team finished third in the Ivy League and did not participate in either the postseason 1970 National Invitation Tournament or the 1970 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The team helped Princeton end the decade with a 72.6 winning percentage (188–71), which was the tenth best in the nation.
The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise was founded in the 1970–71 NBA season. The team made their first draft pick in the 1970 NBA draft and have selected 279 players total. The franchise won its only NBA championship in 1977, when the team was led by their 1974 first overall pick, Bill Walton, as well as multiple other former draft picks who went on to have their numbers retired by Portland. Many of the players selected have gone on to have accomplished careers while playing for the team. Clyde Drexler and Damian Lillard hold multiple Blazer records and are first in many stats. Along with Walton and Drexler, two other draft picks, Dražen Petrović and Arvydas Sabonis, went on to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after their playing careers ended, with Petrović being inducted posthumously.