HoopsHype.com Rumors

Tom Withers: Of course #Cavaliers are considering Porter with the No. 1 overall pick and Noel and McLemore and Oladipo and others. Trade also in play. Twitter @twithersAP

Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Trade, Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter 

Lang Greene: Vegas sets line Nerlens Noel will be top pick of this year's draft. Otto Porter is the other player they believe has best shot at No. 1 Twitter @LangGreene

Draft, Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter 

Noel's timing wasn't planned but has worked out perfectly. He was originally in the class of 2014 but reclassified and then graduated from Tilton (N.H.) before selecting Kentucky over Syracuse and Georgetown. Had he stayed in high school, any chance of his being the top pick in 2014 probably wouldn't have occurred with the arrival of Andrew Wiggins. The season at Kentucky, the ACL injury, the possibility of being a top pick, the rehab and ultimately the chance to play with All-Star Kyrie Irving in Cleveland is all overwhelming. "It has been surreal,'' Noel said. "It's crazy. I could be graduating high school right now, walking out on stage. I definitely made the best decision for myself. My year at Kentucky was the best year I've ever had.'' ESPN.com

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

Wilk said the recovery is looked at in blocks of time. Noel is shooting on the court now. He will work toward jumping and landing before they can get to scrimmaging. "We're about three major steps away,'' Wilk said of Noel being cleared. "The advantage of waiting is maturation of the graft, and as that happens, the graft matures and gets stronger. Theoretically it will be stronger at 10-12 months more than six. The muscles can get bigger, the quads and hips can get stronger to take the pounding off the knee. That's the advantage of waiting. "But the disadvantage is that there can be a confidence issue and competitiveness,'' Wilk said. "You don't want to lose confidence in your leg.'' ESPN.com

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

Noel didn't hesitate to come down here full time. He didn't want to commute from Boston. He wanted to show teams his commitment to his rehab. He spoke with Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix, New Orleans and his hometown Boston Celtics in Chicago last week. He's hoping he has to interview only one place on the road -- in Cleveland. "I want everyone to know that I want to play this game, the game I love as soon as possible,'' Noel said. "I want to be ready. I've really benefited by being here. I want to come back as strong as possible.'' Noel said he likes being in Birmingham where no one bothers him and there aren't distractions. There was no crew hanging here with him. After the lottery show Tuesday night, he sat with his same group of four -- his friend Ricky, Shenbaum, Driscoll and his mom -- having a quiet dinner. ESPN.com

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

Chad Ford: Mock Draft 3.0 coming. Sneak peak at Top 5. 1. Cavs - Noel 2. Magic - Burke 3. Wizards - Porter 4. Bobcats - McLemore 5. Suns - Oladipo Twitter @chadfordinsider

Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Draft, Nerlens Noel, Trey Burke, Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter 

Chad Ford: Cavs taking Noel No. 1 obviously contingent on him passing physical. NBA docs took a look this weekend. If there are concerns, he'll slide Twitter @chadfordinsider

Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

Jason Lloyd: Instant analysis: I don't think #Cavs are sold on Noel. This draft just got very, very interesting Twitter @JasonLloydABJ

Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

Scott Howard-Cooper: Cavaliers win the lottery for the second time in three years. Took Kyrie Irving in 2011. Heading right for Nerlens Noel in 2013. Twitter @SHowardCooper

Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Dan Gilbert, Kyrie Irving, Nerlens Noel 

There are no concerns among the Lottery teams that Noel won't make anything but a complete recovery from the ACL tear, suffered Feb. 12 against Florida. A cynical view would be that it would be good for a bad team to take Noel this year and hope he doesn't play this season, making that team more likely to have another high Lottery pick for a 2014 Draft that potentially will be one of the best in recent memory. NBA.com

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

The Cavaliers head into the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday with the third-best odds for the No. 1 pick. There's a 15.6-percent chance they'll get the top selection. If they land the first pick, like most teams, they'll likely select Kentucky forward/center Nerlens Noel (6-foot-11 3/4, 206 pounds). News-Herald

Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Nerlens Noel 

"I'm not surprised," Noel said. "I've got the talent and I'm going to do things the best I can. I definitely think this will make me a better player, having gone through this. I'm working on my jumper and putting on good weight.'' News-Herald

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Don't read much into which teams interviewed which players out in Chicago. Many teams lined up guys they know won't come in for actual workouts over the next few weeks. For instance, Boston -- picking No. 16 -- interviewed Victor Oladipo, who is expected to go before the Celtics pick. Danny Ainge and his staff also brought in Noel, who is expected to go either first or second overall. CBSSports.com

Boston Celtics, Draft, Nerlens Noel, Victor Oladipo 

Sam Amico: With Ben McLemore looking so-so and Nerlens Noel injured, talk at NBA Combine suggests this is year No. 1 draft pick finally gets traded. Twitter @SamAmicoFSO

Draft, Trade, Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore 

Nerlens Noel of Kentucky, the consensus No. 1 pick, said he still hasn’t decided on an agent. Racine Journal-Times

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Chad Ford: Nerlens Noel measurements: 6'10" in socks and 6'11.5" in shoes. 7' 3.75" wingspan and a very good 9-2 standing reach. Twitter @chadfordinsider

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Nerlens Noel will not be ready to start the season and is targeting a debut around Christmas, he said Thursday during the NBA combine. Noel said he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and is expected to go No. 1 in the draft despite missing the first two months of the season. “Ever since the surgery, everything is going great,” Noel said. “I’m 100 percent confident, not just getting back to what I was, but stronger. Going through this time not playing basketball, I’ll just be working on things I need to polish. It will improve me in the long run.” Akron Beacon Journal

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Joe Kotoch: Early indication in Chicago is that Cleveland really likes Nerlens Noel and Otto Porter with their top pick. Twitter @Probballdraft

Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter 

Sean Deveney: UK's Nerlens Noel on Chicago's famed ACL: "Derrick Rose’s circumstances, he def has to take his time with it. His game is about slashing." Twitter @SeanDeveney

Chicago Bulls, Draft, Derrick Rose, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

Mary Schmitt Boyer/Jodie Valade: Nerlens Noel said he has not interviewed with the Cavs and doesn't know if he has interview scheduled Twitter @PDcavsinsider

Cleveland Cavaliers, Draft, Nerlens Noel