The Toronto Raptors opted for long-term potential with the fifth overall selection in the NBA Draft, selecting Lithuanian power forward Jonas Valanciunas. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the first pick and opened the festivities in Newark, New Jersey by selecting Duke point guard Kyrie Irving. The Cavs also had the fourth selection which they used on Canadian prospect Tristan Thompson of Texas. The Raptors project the 6-foot-11, 231-pound Valanciunas as a solid rebounder who could help improve the frontcourt in Toronto immensely. He was the Raptors only selection of the night, as the team did not have a second round pick. "I can tell you that without question we have found a combination of the best talent and the best fit for this team," said Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo after the draft. Valanciunas averaged 11.7 points on 68 per cent shooting to go along with 7.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game for Euroleague club Lietuvos Rytas last season. The Raptors may have to wait before seeing Valanicunas in Toronto unless they can work out a buyout for his Euroleague contract. Valanciunas is hopeful a deal can be done though. "I expect to play in the NBA as soon as possible," Valanciunas said from the draft. "I want to go and play in Toronto but I dont know what is happening with the (Lithuanian) club. But I think it will be done this year." Even if he does join the team next season, Raptors fans will need to remember that Valanciunas is still only 19 years old and will likely need some time to develop as a pro. Newly hired Raptors head coach Dwane Casey feels that the young Lithuanian could make a big impact for the team and sees some similarities to one of his former charges in Dallas, Tyson Chandler. "Chandler at the same age was not as good as this young man," Casey said. "So I know how important length, athleticism, speed and quickness is. Hes not a plodder, hes not robotic. "So those things excited me as a coach." This was the Raptors highest pick in the NBA Draft since the club selected Andrea Bargnani with the top selection in 2006. They finished with a 22-60 record last year, third-worst in the NBA. Thompson, a native of Brampton, Ont. was selected one spot ahead of Valanciunas by the Cavaliers to become the highest drafted Canadian in NBA history. "I need some more time for it to sink in, but its definitely an honour and it shows how much the Canadian basketball culture has grown," Thompson said. The big power forward out of Texas was named Big 12 freshman of the year after averaging 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds, while blocking 86 shots during his only season in the NCAA. The 20-year-old freshman was voted as the Longhorns most valuable player by his teammates. While the high selection was seen as a surprise by many, Thompson knew he had a shot at going in the top five. "I thought it was realistic after the Cavs called me for a second workout," Thompson said. "I thought, anything is possible and I thought I could be the highest Canadian ever drafted." Steve Nash had previously been the highest selected Canadian, going at number 15 back in 1996. Thompson wasnt the only Canadian taken in the first round either. His Texas teammate, Cory Joseph was selected 29th by the San Antonio Spurs. Joseph was projected as a second rounder but the Spurs saw something they liked in the point guard from Pickering, Ont., and decided to pull the trigger late in the first round. Earlier in the evening the Spurs traded guard George Hill to the Pacers in exchange for their 15th overall selection in the draft, Kawhi Leonard, a forward out of San Diego State. After moving Hill, it was clear that the Spurs would be looking for a guard, and Joseph was their guy. Thompson will be joining the Drafts first overall selection, Irving, in Cleveland as the Cavaliers look to rebuild. Irving was the consensus number-one pick all year despite missing much of his lone year at Duke due to a toe injury, so it was no surprise when David Stern called his named to kick off the night. "This moment, from being a fan of the NBA draft and now being drafted, its a special feeling in my heart and knowing that my friends and family were together, its a memory Im going to remember for the rest of my life," said Irving. When he was healthy, Irving was perhaps the most electrifying player in the NCAA. The six-foot-two guard averaged 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in his 11 games for the Blue Devils last season. Now with his toe fully healed, Irving will give the Cavs an excellent presence at point guard who can both score and distribute the ball. "Im looking forward to getting to Cleveland," Irving said. "Its a big sports town and I cannot wait to embrace all of the fans there and the fan support. I cant wait." Irving is the third point guard selected with the first overall pick in the last four years, joining Derrick Rose in 2008 and John Wall last year. The Cavaliers made the NBA Finals just four seasons ago but finished with second-worst record in the NBA at 19-63 this season after losing LeBron James to the Miami Heat. They will be looking to Irving and Thompson to pay dividends as part of their rebuilding process. After Irvings selection, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Arizona combo forward Derrick Williams with the second overall pick. Williams is an explosive interior presence with range out to beyond the three-point line. He averaged 19.5 points per game in his sophomore season with the Wildcats and shot an impressive 57% from three-point range. The Timberwolves later sent point guard Jonny Flynn and the rights to their 20th pick, Lithuanian forward Donatas Motiejunas, to Houston for picks Nikola Mirotic and Chandler Parsons (23rd and 38th overall), centre Brad Miller and a lottery protected future first-round pick. The Utah Jazz made Turkish centre Enes Kanter the third overall selection. Kanter, at 6-foot-10 and 255 pounds, attended Kentucky last season but was deemed ineligible by the NCAA due to his time playing pro in Europe. He impressed though at the Nike Hoops Summit where he broke Dirk Nowitzkis scoring record, dropping 34 points against some top competition. The Jazz also had the 12th overall pick in the draft which they used on Alec Burks from Colorado. The Washington Wizards selected Jan Vesely, a young forward from the Czech Republic with the sixth pick. The Sacramento Kings kept the evenings international flavour going by choosing Bismack Biyombo from the Congo. Biyombo is off to the Charlotte Bobcats though as part of a three-team trade involving the Kings, Bobcats, and Bucks. Besides Biyombo the Bobcats also receive Corey Maggette from the Bucks. Milwaukee receives Stephen Jackson and the rights to Charlottes 19th overall pick Tobias Harris in the draft from Charlotte. The Kings receive John Salmons from Milwaukee in the deal along with the Bucks 10th overall pick Jimmer Fredette out of BYU. Biyombo is a very raw prospect who will be a beast on the defensive end but offers little in terms of his offensive game at this point in his career. Fredette is a scorer with seemingly never ending range and is the type of player that provides the Bucks with instant offence. He may not be a true point guard but is a capable passer. The Detroit Pistons selected Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight with the eighth selection. Next off the board was Connecticuts Kemba Walker at number nine by the Charlotte Bobcats. Walker was the best player in the Final Four and led the Huskies to the NCAA title this past season. The Golden State Warriors chose guard Klay Thompson out of Washington State with the 11th pick. Thompson is the son of 1979 first overall pick Michael Thompson. Steve Nashs newest teammate in Phoenix will be Markieff Morris out of Kansas, whom the Suns chose with the 13th pick. Markieffs twin brother Marcus was chosen next by the Houston Rockets. The identical twins were born just seven minutes apart, and drafted just five minutes apart. The new NBA champion Dallas Mavericks also got in on the wheeling and dealing by sending their first round selection (26th overall) Jordan Hamilton to the Trail Brazers for Rudy Fernandez. In a separate trade, Portland then sent Hamilton along with Andre Miller to Denver in exchange for Raymond Felton. cheap jerseys from china . According to the Baltimore Sun, the 50-year-old turned down the Orioles offer to become the clubs general manager on Tuesday. wholesale jerseys . City council voted 11-2 against public funding for the arena, meaning Graeme Roustans company GTA Sports will need to find private partners for the proposed arena. http://www.cheapjerseyssafe.com/ . -- Two days after a victory that for this franchise was downright historic, the Detroit Lions are facing another dose of adversity. nfl jerseys china . -- Ted Lilly would have loved to keep pitching -- if his body would allow him to start every fifth day, and if he could stay off the disabled list. cheap jerseys . Rubio said Friday morning that he and Porter cleared the air in a meeting Thursday. Rubio had been upset that he was on the bench for the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves 91-83 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.PITTSBURGH -- Forget the 0-4 start. Forget the remarkable finish, the one that kept the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoff picture until the final minutes of the regular season. Theres no such thing as partial credit in the NFL. "We were an 8-8 team," safety Troy Polamalu said. One that will spend January at home for a second straight year. LeVeon Bell ran for 90 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers drubbed the lifeless Browns 20-7 on Sunday, though Pittsburghs bid to become the second team in NFL history to go winless in September and make the playoffs ended when San Diego edged Kansas City 27-24 in overtime. "We are going to build on this," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "I think we have put together a good foundation." One that went 6-2 over the final eight weeks, recovering from a potentially franchise-altering 55-31 loss to New England on Nov. 3 to play perhaps the best football in the AFC by someone not named Denver over the second half. Or, the exact opposite of what happened in Cleveland, which fired first-year coach Rob Chudzinski hours after the game. The Browns (4-12) lost their final seven games and 10 of their last 11. Not exactly the step forward new owner Jimmy Haslam was looking for with a roster littered with five Pro Bowl players. "We needed to see progress with this football team," the Browns said in a statement after firing Chudzinski. "We needed to see development and improvement as the season evolved and, unfortunately, we took a concerning step backward in the second half of the year. "Our fans deserve to see a consistently competitive team. We have high standards, and theres an urgency for success. When we believed we were not positioned to achieve significant progress in 2014, we knew we had to admit that a change was needed, and move forward." Chudzinskis players did something after the game they failed to do during it: rally around their coach. "Its just absurd to me that a report would be out like that, about a good coach like that," Browns linebacker DQwell Jackson said. "Its crazy, and that (ticked) me off when I heard that." Cleveland didnt exactly play angry while letting the Steelers roll to victory for the 26th time in 31 meetings since the Browns were revived in 1999. Roethlisberger passed for 179 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions as Pittsburgh won its third straight to avoid the franchises first losing season since 2003. "Guys just kept fighting," Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward said. "Wasnt anything glorious or something beautiful, we just came out of nowhhere.dddddddddddd" Jason Campbell completed 23 of 41 passes for 240 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Josh Gordon caught seven passes for 82 yards to finish with an NFL-high 1,646 yards receiving, a first for the franchise. It proved little solace on a wet, miserable day at Heinz Field in which Cleveland looked very much like the same old Browns. Cleveland was largely noncompetitive over the seasons final three months, with seven losses by a touchdown or more, including two to the Steelers by a combined 47-18. There is no sense of panic in Pittsburgh. A season that appeared teetering on embarrassment after the record-setting loss to the Patriots ended up with a decidedly rosier finish. The Steelers scored on the opening drive, a 9-yard strike from Roethlisberger to Jerricho Cotchery, and it was more than enough. Whenever the Browns threatened, they found a way to botch it. Twice they failed on fourth-down attempts in Pittsburgh territory and didnt reach the end zone until Campbell found Fozzy Whitaker on a 35-yard pass with 2:46 remaining. By then most of the attention had turned to the scoreboard, where the biggest roars were saved for scores by the Bengals and Jets, who then won to boost Pittsburghs playoff chances. Kansas City nearly did the same, but Ryan Succop missed a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds left in regulation and San Diego survived. Still, the Steelers remain convinced better days lay ahead, thanks in part to Bells rapid development. He broke Hall of Famer Franco Harris team record for total yards from scrimmage by a rookie by combining for 96 yards in the muck at Heinz Field. Bell finished with 1,259 total yards in just 13 games, 24 more than the mark of 1,235 Harris set in 1972. Bells 5-yard touchdown burst in the second quarter, which included a nifty spin move in the backfield, gave the Steelers a 14-0 lead at the break. It capped an 87-yard drive in which he touched the ball 10 times in 14 plays. That was plenty for a rejuvenated defence that sacked Campbell three times, including a strip fumble by defensive end Brett Keisel, likely playing his final regular-season game of his 12-year career with Pittsburgh. Despite the outcome, Keisel isnt closing the door on a return. "I still feel like I can play," Keisel said. "You know, well see." Just not until 2014. NOTES: Brown caught nine passes for 97 yards to finish with 110 receptions on the season, narrowly missing the club mark of 112 set by Hines Ward in 2012. ... Roethlisberger finished with 4,261 yards passing, the second-highest total in team history to his 4,328 in 2009. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '