Most Recent Posts

NEW YORK (AP) — Andrew Wiggins went No. 1, so he got to make the first pitch.

What would he say to LeBron James about joining him in Cleveland?

"I want to win," Wiggins said. "If he wants to win, we'd be good together."

Shabazz Napier is on his way to Miami, complete with James' endorsement, so maybe he's the key to keeping James right where he is.

"I would hope so," Napier said. "He's one of the best players in the world. So if me going there helps him come back, it just betters our chances of being a complete team."

Welcome to today's NBA, where even rookies are recruiters.

Long before the draft was over, the focus was already turning toward free agency, which kicks off July 1 with James and Carmelo Anthony as the top prizes.

So when the so-called experts make their draft grades, the one that matters most might have come from James himself on Twitter, shortly after Napier was selected by the Charlotte Hornets and dealt to the Heat.

"My favorite player in the draft! (hashtag) Napier," James wrote.

Others may be better in a deep draft that was loaded with young talent.

That starts with Wiggins, whom the Cavaliers took with their second straight No. 1 overall pick. They're hoping the Kansas freshman turns out better than fellow Canadian Anthony Bennett.

Thrilled to go first and even happier when Jayhawks teammate Joel Embiid went two picks later, Wiggins beamed in his black tuxedo jacket with a white floral pattern.

"A thousand thoughts are going through my head right now," Wiggins said. "It's a dream come true."

Bennett was injured last summer, came into the season out of shape and made no impact, one of the reasons the Cavs were back in this spot again.

But Wiggins seems a much more ready product after averaging a Kansas freshman-record 17.1 points. He might have ended up as the top pick anyway, but became the best option for the Cavs when Embiid had a stress fracture in his right foot shortly before the draft.

After making Canada the only country besides the U.S. to have consecutive No. 1 picks, Wiggins slipped on a maroon Cleveland hat, hugged his supporters and went on stage to shake hands with Commissioner Adam Silver, who was calling the first round for the first time since replacing David Stern.

Wiggins later said James would follow his heart in making his free agency decision.

"I wouldn't want to sell him on nothing. He's a grown man," Wiggins said.

Milwaukee followed with another freshman, Duke forward Jabari Parker, who some consider the more NBA-ready player after an All-American season for the Blue Devils. Playing in Milwaukee puts him near his family in Chicago.

"I'm just very optimistic," Parker said. "If it was 1, 2, put me at 60, just getting that opportunity, getting that chance of being in the NBA."

Embiid went third to Philadelphia, drawing loud cheers from the many red-and-blue dressed 76ers fans who made the trip to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as well as from Philadelphia guard Michael Carter-Williams, last season's Rookie of the Year who was sitting on the arena floor level.

The 76ers had two top-10 picks and could afford to take a chance on Embiid, the big man who may have ended up the top prize despite his lone season at Kansas ending early because of a bad back. But once the foot injury popped up during workouts, leaving his NBA debut uncertain after surgery, the two teams at the top passed.

"He worked so hard," Wiggins said. "He didn't let nothing get to him. He always stayed motivated. So I'm just proud. It's a proud moment for Kansas.

It was considered a deep draft, with top-level talent stretching toward the bottom of the lottery and perhaps beyond. Arizona forward Aaron Gordon went fourth to Orlando, which also had two picks in the lottery, followed by Australian guard Dante Exum to Utah.

Then came two teams not used to picking so high: The Boston Celtics took Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart, with the rival Los Angeles Lakers following at No. 7 with Kentucky forward Julius Randle.

The highlight of the night came just after the lottery, when Silver welcomed Baylor's Isaiah Austin to the stage for an emotional tribute. Austin had to end his playing career after being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects the heart.

Wearing a blue hat with the NBA logo, Austin rose for a standing ovation after Silver announced that: "The NBA selects Isaiah Austin."

There were 10 international players in the first round, tied for the second-most in draft history. It ended with NBA champion San Antonio taking UCLA's Kyle Anderson.

The Spurs routed James and the Heat in five games in the NBA Finals, and James informed Miami on Tuesday he would opt out of the final two years of his contract. He could stay with a stronger team in South Florida, or go somewhere else — perhaps with Anthony — for another title shot.

Just don't ignore the new kids.

"You got Doug McDermott scoring 3,000 points. Shoot, you got Julius Randle went to the national championship. Shabazz Napier won two national championships," Parker said. "I mean, we're all good. We're all great players."

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sherri Shepherd said Thursday that she's leaving "The View" after seven years as a host, a sign of upheaval at the daytime talk show following creator Barbara Walters' retirement from on-camera duties last month.

Shepherd said in a written statement that after "careful consideration" she has decided it's time to move on.

According to a person familiar with the situation, Shepherd was negotiating a new contract, and she and ABC failed to reach an agreement. The person wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Shepherd's manager, Darris Hatch, replied "yes" in an email when asked if that was accurate.

Shepherd got a Twitter shoutout from fellow host Jenny McCarthy, whose contract also was up for negotiation, according to the person familiar with the situation. McCarthy joined the talkfest, which includes Whoopi Goldberg, this season.

"If Sherri goes ... I go too," McCarthy tweeted from her verified account, adding "#sisters," followed by another tweet: "My View will be changing too. As will with many hard working folks. Thanks to everyone at the show for your dedication and an amazing year."

McCarthy's publicist, PMK-BNC, did not immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment. Walters, who retired as a host but remains executive producer of "The View," did not immediately respond to a request sent to the publicity firm, which also represents her.

ABC declined to discuss Shepherd's departure or McCarthy's status but issued a general statement about changes ahead for the show, which is on hiatus and returns in July to finish out the season.

"'The View' will be moving in an exciting new direction next year, and ABC has made decisions to evolve the show creatively," the network said.

The show has seen revolving-door change before, with past hosts including Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Rosie O'Donnell. But Walters' retirement looks to kick off a whole new era for "The View," which launched a wave of multi-host daytime talk shows after its 1997 launch.

___

Online:

http://www.abc.go.com

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With 2 1/2 years remaining in his term, President Barack Obama has been blocked by Congress and is running out of steps he can take on his own to achieve his goals. So the White House is trying to maximize Obama's exposure to "real Americans," hoping that more intimate and less scripted interactions will remind struggling citizens why they voted for him in the first place.

A poignant letter from one of those Americans prompted Obama to fly to Minnesota to spend time Thursday with Rebekah Erler, an accountant and mother of two whose tale of financial struggle made its way to Obama's desk, one of the 10 letters from Americans that Obama reads each night.

As he joined Erler, 36, for burgers under dim neon lights advertising beer at Matt's Bar, her quest to do right by her family despite economic headwinds animated the president's rallying cry for Washington to pay attention to the plight of the American middle class. It's a popular theme for Democrats in a midterm election year.

Answering questions from the community later at a Minneapolis park, Obama said it was discouraging that Americans watching the news see Washington debating issues that have little to do with their lives. It must feel like being forgotten, he said.

"It's not like I forget," Obama added. "You're who I'm thinking about every single day. Just because it's not reported in the news, I don't want you to think that I'm not fighting for you."

In her letter to Obama, Erler wrote about her husband's struggles to find a reliable job, the high costs of groceries and childcare, and the burden of paying off student loans. Obama said those challenges, while pervasive, are ones the government can help address.

Obama's aides said the visit marks the start of a "Day in the Life" tour in which Obama will visit communities across the country, putting human faces on economic policies that he and Democrats are championing. Obama spent just a short stretch of time with Erler over lunch, not unlike similar stops he's made on many previous trips outside Washington.

Still, the tour comes as Obama is increasingly stepping "outside the bubble" of the White House, mingling with people during surprise visits to hamburger shops, coffee joints and even a Little League game. Obama's aides say the shift is not coincidental.

"We've been here a long time now," Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's senior adviser, said in an interview. "You can't do the same things over and over again. In this cluttered media environment, it's harder to break through."

Aiming to cut through the clutter, Obama ditched his motorcade at dinnertime in nearby St. Paul, where he ducked in and out of boutique shops and chatted up pedestrians in the type of impromptu excursion that gives the Secret Service nightmares. He spent nearly $90 on apple chips, jam and other edibles at a fine foods shop, then treated his staff to ice cream down the street.

Yet Obama's efforts to show he still relates to everyday American life also put a fine point on the harsh political realities confronting the president.

Nearly two years into his last term, Obama's approval ratings are sagging. His ability to set the agenda is quickly fading as Washington becomes consumed by the midterm elections and then, in 2016, the race to replace Obama. And despite a booming Wall Street, the recovery has yet to filter down to many of the middle-class families hit hardest by the recession.

At the same time, the speeches, news conferences and White House appearances that used to command primetime coverage are no longer attracting attention as interest in Obama wanes.

"The president can do all the policy he wants," said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University. "If he doesn't feed the beast with a heart-rending story showing his policies in action, it doesn't work very well anymore."

Obama's strategy also dovetails with advice Democrats are hearing from pollsters as they gird for a tough midterm election. In a strategy memo this week, veteran pollster Stan Greenberg urged Democrats to spend more time on an "in your shoes" economic message, focusing on workplace issues that resonate well with unmarried women and other key voting groups.

Obama isn't the first president to try to boil down his agenda into humanizing, individual stories.

Lyndon Johnson had his famous "Poverty Tour," with the iconic images of the president surrounded by rundown shacks and barefoot boys. And Ronald Reagan sought person-to-person interaction through letters, phone calls and personal visits, having learned from his movie career that "you have to stay in touch with the box office," Brinkley said.

"I've been really looking forward to getting out of D.C.," Obama said, musing aloud about a potential ice cream stop. "I don't know, I'm just going to make it up as I go along."

Obama's two-day trip to Minnesota was to continue Thursday evening with a fundraiser benefiting House Democrats. On Friday, Obama planned to highlight his push to increase the minimum wage at a waterside band shell before returning to Washington.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Bakst in Minneapolis and Nedra Pickler and Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Reach Josh Lederman at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

BERLIN (AP) — The German government is canceling a contract with Verizon over fears the company could be letting U.S. intelligence agencies eavesdrop on official communications.

The Interior Ministry says it will let its current contract for Internet services with the New York-based company expire in 2015.

The announcement comes after reports this week that Verizon and British company Colt provide Internet services to the German parliament and other official entities.

Germany has been at the forefront of international outrage over alleged electronic eavesdropping by the U.S. National Security Agency and Britain's GCHQ, revealed last year by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate said Thursday that Germany wants to ensure it has full control over highly sensitive government communications networks. Verizon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.