by Joseph Fafinski (05.26.2014)
The Cleveland Cavaliers, after drawing the final ping-pong ball of the lottery for the third time in the last four years, find themselves in a fortunate situation that now must be resolved. According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, the Cavaliers value Joel Embiid’s talents more so than any other prospect on the board. That being said, they’re not ruling out bringing Kansas wing Andrew Wiggins or Duke small forward Jabari Parker to the second-largest city in Ohio.
There has long been talk regarding LeBron James and his possible return to Cleveland this offseason. Nevertheless, the real question here—what the team should do with the number one overall pick—takes higher priority at the moment. Embiid, as noted earlier, is who a lot of people expect to be the first name commissioner Adam Silver calls out come June. If Cleveland relinquishes Anderson Varejao and his $9.8 million team option this summer, it’s completely feasible to see Embiid sporting the wine and gold next season. He’s long, defends excellently, and has upside through the roof. There are two problems regarding the Gainesville, Fl. native’s stock: first, his back issues, which have been documented to the moon and back, pose a threat (will he be the next Greg Oden?); and secondly, he might not even be the top prospect from his own university. In 60 Picks’ first mock draft, published the day after the lottery, Wiggins, Embiid's collegiate teammate, came off the board with the first overall pick. Wiggins, who has been touted for the last however long as “the next big thing”, got off to a slow start in his only season in Lawrence. After brushing off the nerves, the 6’8 Canadian rattled off a streak where he notched at least 17 points and four rebounds in 12 of 13 games. Wiggins, a unanimous selection to the Big-12 All-First Team, defends and scores at an elite level and his athleticism is arguably the best out of any recent hopeful prospect we’ve encountered. What remains to be seen is whether the Cavaliers re-sign Luol Deng, C.J. Miles, and pick up Alonzo Gee’s option. This is important for a wing like Wiggins, and the same can be said for fellow prospect Jabari Parker. Parker, like Wiggins and Embiid, is a diaper dandy whose somewhat elongated decision caused less tension than a college student earning an A pre-finals and needing a just 20 percent on the exam to pass the class. He’s athletic and possesses the prototype NBA-ready body that scouts drool over.
Really, none of these three being selected number one overall should surprise. All three are primed for success at the professional level and are the first three on the 60 Picks Big Board (Wiggins at one, Parker two, Embiid three). Regardless of what transpires over the coming weeks, we can all agree that there is a dilemma of sorts, albeit stemming from a lucky outcome in the lottery, up in Cleveland. At the end of the day LeBron James might be the ultimate answer, but in order for that to happen the team must primarily focus on the first question, and that is what to do with the inaugural selection in June’s draft. Without the chicken, the egg will never come.
(image taken from standingosports.com)
The Cleveland Cavaliers, after drawing the final ping-pong ball of the lottery for the third time in the last four years, find themselves in a fortunate situation that now must be resolved. According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, the Cavaliers value Joel Embiid’s talents more so than any other prospect on the board. That being said, they’re not ruling out bringing Kansas wing Andrew Wiggins or Duke small forward Jabari Parker to the second-largest city in Ohio.
There has long been talk regarding LeBron James and his possible return to Cleveland this offseason. Nevertheless, the real question here—what the team should do with the number one overall pick—takes higher priority at the moment. Embiid, as noted earlier, is who a lot of people expect to be the first name commissioner Adam Silver calls out come June. If Cleveland relinquishes Anderson Varejao and his $9.8 million team option this summer, it’s completely feasible to see Embiid sporting the wine and gold next season. He’s long, defends excellently, and has upside through the roof. There are two problems regarding the Gainesville, Fl. native’s stock: first, his back issues, which have been documented to the moon and back, pose a threat (will he be the next Greg Oden?); and secondly, he might not even be the top prospect from his own university. In 60 Picks’ first mock draft, published the day after the lottery, Wiggins, Embiid's collegiate teammate, came off the board with the first overall pick. Wiggins, who has been touted for the last however long as “the next big thing”, got off to a slow start in his only season in Lawrence. After brushing off the nerves, the 6’8 Canadian rattled off a streak where he notched at least 17 points and four rebounds in 12 of 13 games. Wiggins, a unanimous selection to the Big-12 All-First Team, defends and scores at an elite level and his athleticism is arguably the best out of any recent hopeful prospect we’ve encountered. What remains to be seen is whether the Cavaliers re-sign Luol Deng, C.J. Miles, and pick up Alonzo Gee’s option. This is important for a wing like Wiggins, and the same can be said for fellow prospect Jabari Parker. Parker, like Wiggins and Embiid, is a diaper dandy whose somewhat elongated decision caused less tension than a college student earning an A pre-finals and needing a just 20 percent on the exam to pass the class. He’s athletic and possesses the prototype NBA-ready body that scouts drool over.
Really, none of these three being selected number one overall should surprise. All three are primed for success at the professional level and are the first three on the 60 Picks Big Board (Wiggins at one, Parker two, Embiid three). Regardless of what transpires over the coming weeks, we can all agree that there is a dilemma of sorts, albeit stemming from a lucky outcome in the lottery, up in Cleveland. At the end of the day LeBron James might be the ultimate answer, but in order for that to happen the team must primarily focus on the first question, and that is what to do with the inaugural selection in June’s draft. Without the chicken, the egg will never come.
(image taken from standingosports.com)