Tag Archives: Jabari Parker

A SIX PACK OF POSSIBLE REASONS WHY LEBRON HASN’T MADE AN OFFICIAL DECISION YET

Posted: Jul 10, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 89 Comments

As I told talk show host Ken Carmen last night on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, I can’t figure out what’s taking so long for LeBron James to make this decision.  It’s a two horse race. It’s either Cleveland or Miami. What’s the holdup LeBron?  You played for both teams, so you know both organizations. You’re a student of the game, so you see the two rosters and understand their cap space availability. So make up your mind already!

It’s being reported that he wanted to talk it over some more with his family. From everything I hear from my sources, they all want him to come back to Cleveland. So what is causing the holdup?

Here are a few reasons, and I know I may be reaching here, but what they heck we have time to kill, as to why maybe LeBron is still undecided, if he really is.

David Blatt Solo Photo 6-25-14 1. Since he’s in Vegas for his skills camp and if he doesn’t know too much about new Cavs head coach David Blatt, might LeBron want to check Blatt out in person on Friday as he coaches the Cavs summer league team in their first game against Milwaukee?

2. Maybe LeBron wants to see Cavs number #1 pick Andrew Wiggins in action going up against the player the Cavaliers passed on in Jabari Parker since the Bucks and Cavs are playing each other to see if he feels new Cavaliers G.M. David Griffin made the right pick.Andrew Wiggins Jersey Photo 6-27-14

3. LeBron might also want to get a look at last year’s number #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett to gauge how much he’s improved from his disastrous rookie season, to see if he thinks the kid can play in the NBA.

4. Or “King James” could be waiting on the Cavaliers to swing a deal for Kevin Love, to prove to him that this new regime could follow through on the possible plans they laid out to his agent Rich Paul when the two sides met recently.

5. Is it possible, I guess anything is at this point, that James gave Pat Riley and the Miami Heat once last chance to pull off a major move like maybe bringing Carmelo Anthony to Miami to play with LeBron and D-Wade?

6. How about this one, Nike and the Cavaliers needed more time once they found out where LeBron is going, to get all their TV ads, billboards and other advertising avenues together so they can flood the media market with their new LeBron marketing campaign? And also, maybe LeBron and his team needed more time to get their website ready for the traffic that will be coming their way for when they do make the announcement on his site?

I have no idea if any of these are indeed reasons why LeBron has yet to announce his intentions, but for some reason he hasn’t made the “Decision” public yet, so these were my best guesses.  You got anything better?

CAVS FANS IMPORTANT NBA SUMMER DATES TO REMEMBER

Posted: Jul 6, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 34 Comments

Keep these NBA dates in mind as we follow the story of who Lebron James will choose to play basketball for next season.

LeBron James Shoot Around Photo

July 10, 2014 – First official day NBA free agents can sign a contract with their current team or a new team.

 

July 9-12, 2014 – The Nike/LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

July 11, 2014 – The Cleveland Cavs first NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas, Nevada vs the Milwaukee Bucks. We could see Andrew Wiggins going up against Jabari Parker. The Vegas Summer League ends July 21st.

Andrew Wiggins Jersey Photo 6-27-14

 

OH CANADA AGAIN – CAVS DRAFT ANDREW WIGGINS #1

Posted: Jun 26, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 70 Comments

For the second year in a row the Cleveland Cavaliers selected a Canadian born player with the first overall selection in the NBA Draft by picking Kansas small forward Andrew Wiggins. Last year’s G.M. Chris Grant shocked everybody by taking Anthony Bennett. This year the pick of Wiggins by new G.M. David Griffin does not come as a surprise. With the foot injury and surgery to Kansas center Joel Embiid, basketball  executives figured Griffin would pick between Duke’s Jabari Parker and Wiggins and he did, with Wiggins being the choice.

David Griffin Photo 5-13-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANDREW WIGGINS

Small Forward  –  6′-8″  –  200lbs  –  Age – 19  –  Kansas  –  FR.

Reach  – 8’11    –  Wingspan  –  7’0    Max Vert  –  44 inches

Season Averages:17.0 PPG-6.0 RPG-1.5 APG-44.8%FG-34.1%(3FG)-  77.5%FT

I asked Wiggins during a conference call with the Cleveland media after he was selected if the scouting reports on him not being aggressive enough on the court were fair? His response to that question was, “You won’t have to worry about that next year!”

When Wiggins was asked how good of a player he thinks he can be, he responded, “I think I can be a great player, I want to be one of the best.” He added, “That comes with hard work and dedication and sacrifice. That’s what I need to do to become the best.”

AP FORT HAYS ST KANSAS BASKETBALL S BKC T25 KS

 

Strengths           

An athletic freak! His dad played in the NBA and his mom won medals in track in the Olympics for Canada, so his DNA is scary good. When you combine his 6’8 frame, 7-foot wing span and a 44 inch vertical jump, it’s crazy what he can do athletically on the court. His coach at Kansas Bill Self said he has the quickest second jump he’s ever seen, meaning he has the ability to bounce up and down like a pogo stick on the offensive boards and beat guys to the rebound for easy put backs. His transition game is above average. Imagine him filling the lanes on a fast break, getting from one end of the floor to the other and throwing down a tomahawk dunk!

He already knows how to play defense and wants to. How many college kids can you say that about? He uses that great athletic ability on the defensive end to guard 2’s, 3’s and some 4’s.  So he’s ready to contribute right away on the defensive side of the ball.

Shoots it well from the free throw line and his jump shot is good, not a great. His pull up “J’ is solid, as is his intermediate jumper and he has decent range.

Penetrates well, has a very quick first step and the alley-oop out of bounds play is tailor made for him.

High character kid and a student of the game.

 

Weaknesses     

Must get stronger and add a few pounds to his frame.

His jump shot and his overall offensive game needs to be more consistent.

He can get lost in the shuffle out on the court at times because he needs to be more aggressive. Some teams are concerned that he’s too passive. That he doesn’t have that killer instinct or alpha dog mentality.

He needs to work on his ball handling which will allow him to attack the rim more in the half court set and make him a better passer. Going left off the dribble is a definite weakness and with his athletic ability he should finish better around the rim. But that should come when he gets stronger.

Has good form on his jumper, but it needs to be more consistent, especially from beyond the arc.

 

Roda Thoughts:

Reminds me of a taller version of one of the best two-way players I’ve ever seen in the NBA, Sidney Moncrief.

It looked like he was figuring things out at the end of the season for Kansas as he stepped his game up when Joel Embiid went down with a back injury as he had games of 41p-8r vs West Virginia, 30p-8r vs Oklahoma St., 22p-7r vs Iowa St. and 19p-4r versus Eastern Kentucky in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. But his final game at Kansas was a clunker. In the 3rd round of the NCAA tournament against Stanford he was held to just 4p-4r on 1 of 6 shooting from the field in a 60-57 loss to Stanford. That left some people wondering how could he disappear in the biggest game of the season? But he also showed his true character after the defeat saying, “I let a lot of people down. If I would have played better, we wouldn’t be in this situation, you know? I blame myself for this.”

He will need to become more consistent, aggressive and attack more on offense if he wants to reach that superstar level. But he has arguably the most upside/potential of anyone in this draft because of his athleticism, ability to play three positions, he already plays defense, is a hard worker, with a high basketball IQ and on top of all that is a good kid who will take well to coaching.

Wiggins is my favorite player in this draft and his coach at Kansas Bill Self told me he’s going to be a “Stud” in the NBA!

 

KENNY RODA 2014 NBA MOCK DRAFT 3.0 – (updated 6-26-14)

Posted: Jun 26, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 33 Comments

1st ROUND

1 Cleveland – JABARI PAKER – Small Forward – Duke – 6’9 – 241                                                                                                            

Joel Embiid was the pick in my first mock draft, then he needed foot surgery.  Andrew Wiggins was my choice in Mock Draft 2.0. Now, if the Cavs  decide to keep the pick and not trade it, as there is some intel out there that they could make a deal. But if they don’t, and  after going back and listening to G.M. David Griffin’s comments from May 13th as well as with the hiring of David Blatt as head coach and LeBron James opting out early to be a free agent, I have changed my mind again and went with Parker as the Cavs pick. I personally have always wanted and still want Wiggins. However with LBJ as a free agent, Griff as an offensive G.M., the Cavs may feel the need to win right away and Parker gives you that best chance because his body is far more developed than Wiggins at this point and he’s more polished and potent offensively right now than Wiggins. He has an extremely high basketball IQ and Parker is also more of a catch and shoot guy than Wiggins, and with two ball-dominate guards in Kyrie and Dion, Parker looks to be the better fit. So by the slimmest of margins, and even though I think Wiggins has more upside in a few years, I’ll say the Cavs take Parker. The good thing here is, with either player, the Cavs are going to be a better team and fill a major need. Not bad for a team who before the lottery was scheduled to pick 9th!

2  Milwaukee – ANDREW WIGGINS – Small Forward – Kansas – 6’8 – 200

3  Philadelphia – DANTE EXUM – Point Guard – Australia – 6’6 – 195

4  Orlando – NOAH VONLEH – Power Forward – Indiana – 6’10 – 245

5  Utah – AARON GORDON – Power Forward – Arizona – 6’9 – 225

6  Boston – JOEL EMBIID – Center – Kansas – 7’1 – 260

7  LA Lakers – JULIUS RANDLE – Power Forward – Kentucky – 6’9 -240

8  Sacramento – MARCUS SMART – Point Guard – Oklahoma St. – 6’4 – 220

9  Charlotte – DOUG McDERMOTT – Small Forward – Creighton – 6’8 – 220

10 Philadelphia – NIK STAUSKAS – Shooting Guard – Michigan – 6’6 – 205

11 Denver – JAMES YOUNG – Shooting Guard – Kentucky – 6’6 – 215

12 Orlando – ELFRID PAYTON – Point Guard – Louisiana Lafayette – 6’4 – 185

13 Minnesota – GARY HARRIS – Shooting Guard – Michigan St. – 6’4 – 210

14 Phoenix – RODNEY HOOD – Small Forward – Duke – 6’8 – 210

15 Atlanta – ZACH LaVINE – Shooting Guard – UCLA – 6’5 – 181

16 Chicago – SHABAZZ NAPIER – Point Guard – U-CONN – 6’1 – 175

17 Boston – P.J. HAIRSTON – Shooting Guard – UNC/ NBA D-League – 6’4 – 228

18 Phoenix – DARIO SARIC – Small Forward – Croatia – 6’10 -235

19 Chicago – CLEANTHONY EARLY – Power Forward – Wichita St. – 6’7 – 210

20 Toronto – ADREIAN PAYNE – Power Forward – Michigan St. – 6’10 – 240

21 Oklahoma City – KYLE ANDERSON – Small Forward – UCLA – 6’9 – 230

22 Memphis – T.J. WARREN – Small Forward – North Carolina St. – 6’8 – 220

23 Utah – TYLER ENNIS – Point Guard – Syracuse – 6’2 – 181

24 Charlotte – GLEN ROBINSON III – Small Forward – Michigan – 6’7 – 212

25 Houston –  CLINT CAPELA – Power Forward – Switzerland – 6’10 – 210

26 Miami –   JORDAN CLARKSON – Point Guard – Missouri – 6’5  – 186

27 Phoenix –  K.J. McDANIELS – Small Forward – Clemson – 6’6 – 200

28 LA Clippers – JERAMI GRANT – Small Forward – Syracuse – 6’8 – 215

29 Oklahoma City –  JARNELL STOKES – Power Forward – Tennessee – 6’8 – 260

30 San Antonio – JUSUF NURKIC – Center – Bosnia – 6’11 – 280

 

2nd ROUND

33 Cleveland – WALTER TAVAREZ – Center  – Spain – 7’3 – 265

After taking Parker with the first pick to provide offense from day one, the Cavs need to add defense to David Blatt’s team. So they take a 22-year old true center who is all about defense at this point in his career from what I’ve read and seen on youtube. He’ll give the Cavaliers a low post defender who will protect the rim and rebound. He’s very raw offensively, but the Cavs won’t care and need some depth at center with Anderson Varejao in the final year of his contract. Also in play here could be Russian center Artem Klimenko.  A  7’1 – 228 center with a 7’4 wing span and a 9’4 standing reach. I’ve got to believe that David Blatt knows of him and may have some say in taking Klimenko.

SAM AMICO JOINS ME TO PREVIEW THE NBA DRAFT AND TALK DAVID BLATT AND LEBRON

Posted: Jun 26, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Feature Articles, Podcasts | 70 Comments

FoxSportsOhio.com NBA writer Sam Amico and I chewing the fat over what the Cavaliers are going to do in the NBA Draft as well as our thoughts on new coach David Blatt and where LeBron might end up.

Sam Amico Photo

DAVID GRIFFIN ZIGGING AND ZAGGING HIS WAY TO THE NUMBER #1 PICK

Posted: Jun 24, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 53 Comments

Cavs G.M. David Griffin told us he didn’t want to follow the trend in a copycat league. That he wanted to zig when everyone else zags in the NBA as he was searching for his next head coach. Griff did just that, surprising a lot of people and making NBA history in hiring David Blatt from Europe’s Maccabi Tel Aviv championship team. So trying to figure out which direction Griffin will go with the number #1 pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft could be just as tricky.

David Griffin Photo 5-13-14

With Joel Embiid out now at least 4 to 6 months after having surgery, where he had two screws inserted into his fractured right foot, I think it’s safe to say that the Cavs, if they keep the number #1 pick, will choose between Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. But which one is the big question?

Either player would be a welcomed addition at small forward for the Cavs, as they have yet to fill that position since LeBron James took his talents to South Beach in the summer of 2010.

So here’s my approach as I try and figure out the Cavs new general manager and whether he’ll pick Parker or Wiggins. If I learned anything from the hiring of David Blatt, it was to go back and listen to the answers that David Griffin shared with us at his first press conference when he was officially named the team’s full-time G.M. Griff said they wanted to be different and weren’t going to follow what a lot of other teams were doing as they looked for their next head coach. He also mentioned that he was an offensive minded guy.  Looking back on those responses now, it should have signaled to us all that the European version of Phil Jackson was going to be Griff’s choice, and soon the Cavaliers would be playing “BLATTsketball”.

With that in mind I went back and listened to that May 13th press conference again to see if there were any signs or clues given by Griff as to which way he would lean if he was picking between Parker or Wiggins. Here’s what I came up with.

Griffin, came right out and said “I believe in offense” and “I’ve had a primarily offensive based focus with the people that I was raised by”. Also, he said he wants the Cavaliers to be a better shooting team, a bigger team, a team that has a high basketball IQ and he’s looking for the right “Fit”.  I’ve also added in what I’ve heard about David Blatt’s coaching style and how his offense is all about spreading the floor. Then I factored in that the Cavs already have two ball dominate guards in Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. So they’re probably looking for someone who doesn’t always need the ball in his hands to be effective.

With all that information and based on the my scouting report of Wiggins and Parker, as well as other scouting reports I’ve read on the net, and people that I’ve talked to, it’s a very close call. But it sounds like to me that Jabari Parker would be the right “Fit Guy” for Griff and this Cavaliers roster.

 

Jabari Parker Photo 1

Parker is more skilled offensively. He shoots the ball better than Wiggins. Has a better handle than Wiggins.  Parker is said to have a very high basketball IQ and he’s ready to play right now. He’s a “Plug and Play” guy at small forward from day one. The right “Fit”!

I hope I’m wrong in my assessment based on David Griffin’s comments because I think Andrew Wiggins has the potential to be the better player based on his ability to play both ends of the floor as well as he freakish athleticism. Wiggins would be my choice as the number #1 pick. But something tells me the player Griff is looking for in the draft. The player he was describing in that press conference, is Jabari Parker.

We’ll find out Thursday night if I read David Griffin right, or if he did one hell of a job zigging again, when I thought he was going to zag.

RODA RATINGS – 2014 NBA DRAFT PROSPECTS TOP 25 – (UPDATED 6-23-14)

Posted: Jun 23, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 33 Comments

With Power Forward Dario Saric from Croatia reportedly about to sign a contract that will keep him in Turkey for at least the next two years, he drops in the rankings big time.

 

1 Andrew Wiggins            SF    6’8 – 200 – FR – Kansas

2 Jabari Parker                  SF    6’8 – 241 – FR –  Duke

3 Noah Vonleh                  PF    6’10 – 240 – FR – Indiana

4 Dante Exum                   SG    6’6 – 188 – 18 years old – Australia

5 Joel Embiid                      C     7’0 – 250 – FR – Kansas

6 Julius Randle                  PF    6’9 – 225 – FR – Kentucky

7 Aaron Gordon                PF    6’8 – 210 – FR – Arizona

8 Marcus Smart                PG   6’4 – 225 – SPH – Oklahoma St.

9 James Young            SG/SF   6’6 – 215 – FR – Kentucky

10 Doug McDermott       PF    6’10 – 210 – SR – Creighton

11 Rodney Hood              SG   6’8 – 180 – SPH – Duke

12 P.J. Hairston                SG    6’5 – 220 – SPH – North Carolina

13 Cleanthony Early        PF    6’8 – 220 – SR – Wichita St.

14 Nik Stauskas                SG    6’6 – 200 – SPH – Michigan

15 Gary Harris                  SG    6’5 – 210- SPH – Michigan St.

16 Jusuf Nurkic                  C     6’11 – 280  – 19 years old – Bosnia

17 Elfrid Payton               PG     6’4 – 185 – JR – Louisiana Lafayette

18 T.J. Warren             SF/SG     6‘8 – 230 – SPH – North Carolina St.

19 Zach LaVine                SG     6’5 – 181 – FR – UCLA

20 Adreian Payne            PF     6’10 – 240 – SR – Michigan St.

21 Kyle Anderson            SF     6’9 – 233- SPH – UCLA

22 Clint Capela                PF     6’11 – 222 – 19 – Switzerland

23 Shabazz Napier         PG    6’1 – 175 – SR – UCONN

24 Tyler Ennis                 PG    6’2 – 181 – FR – Syracuse

T-25 K.J. McDaniels        SF     6’6 – 195 – JR – Clemson

Dario Saric                      PF   6’10 – 223 – 20 – Croatia

RODA RATINGS – 2014 NBA DRAFT PROSPECTS TOP 25 – (updated 6-21-14)

Posted: Jun 21, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 51 Comments

With Joel Embiid having foot surgery and now out 4 to 6 months along with some other information and conversations that I’ve had with people around the league, here is my updated Top 25 list of players for the 2014 NBA Draft.

 

1 Andrew Wiggins            SF    6’8 – 200 – FR – Kansas

2 Jabari Parker                  SF    6’8 – 241 – FR –  Duke

3 Noah Vonleh                  PF    6’10 – 240 – FR – Indiana

4 Dante Exum                   SG    6’6 – 188 – 18 years old – Australia

5 Joel Embiid                      C     7’0 – 250 – FR – Kansas

6 Julius Randle                  PF    6’9 – 225 – FR – Kentucky

7 Aaron Gordon                PF    6’8 – 210 – FR – Arizona

8 Marcus Smart                PG   6’4 – 225 – SPH – Oklahoma St.

9 James Young            SG/SF   6’6 – 215 – FR – Kentucky

10 Dario Saric                    SF   6’10 – 223 – 19 years old – Croatia

11 Doug McDermott         PF    6’10 – 210 – SR – Creighton

12 Rodney Hood              SG   6’8 – 180 – SPH – Duke

13 P.J. Hairston                SG    6’5 – 220 – SPH – North Carolina

14 Cleanthony Early        PF    6’8 – 220 – SR – Wichita St.

15 Nik Stauskas                SG    6’6 – 200 – SPH – Michigan

16 Gary Harris                  SG    6’5 – 210- SPH – Michigan St.

17 Jusuf Nurkic                  C     6’11 – 280  – 19 years old – Bosnia

18 Elfrid Payton               PG     6’4 – 185 – JR – Louisiana Lafayette

19 T.J. Warren            SF/SG     6‘8 – 230 – SPH – North Carolina St.

20 Zach LaVine                SG     6’5 – 181 – FR – UCLA

21 Adreian Payne            PF     6’10 – 240 – SR – Michigan St.

22 Kyle Anderson            SF     6’9 – 233- SPH – UCLA

23 Clint Capela                PF     6’11 – 222 – 19 – Switzerland

24 Shabazz Napier         PG    6’1 – 175 – SR – UCONN

25 Tyler Ennis                 PG    6’2 – 181 – FR – Syracuse

 

 

MY 2014 NBA MOCK DRAFT 2.0

Posted: Jun 20, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 34 Comments

1st ROUND

1  Cleveland – ANDREW WIGGINS – Small Forward – Kansas – 6’8 – 200

Joel Embiid was the pick in my fist mock draft, but that was before we knew about his right foot fracture. After missing badly last year on Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick the Cavs are in no position to gamble with Embiid’s foot and back issues so they take his teammate who is a freakish athlete with unbelievable potential. Wiggins is a two-way player from the get go, meaning he already knows how to play defense and his offense will only get better in the up tempo, open floor game of the NBA. He needs to be more consistent with his jumper, work on his handle and become more aggressive with the ball, but that should come with time, practice and maturity.  He also fills a position of major need for the Cavaliers as they have been looking for a small forward since LeBron James took his talents to South Beach.

2  Milwaukee – JABARI PARKER – Small Forward – Duke – 6’8 – 241

3  Philadelphia – DANTE EXUM – Point Guard – Australia – 6’6 – 195

4  Orlando – NOAH VONLEH – Power Forward – Indiana – 6’10 – 245

5  Utah – AARON GORDON – Power Forward – Arizona – 6’9 – 225

6  Boston – JOEL EMBIID – Center – Kansas – 7’1 – 260

7  LA Lakers – JULIUS RANDLE – Power Forward – Kentucky – 6’9 -240

8  Sacramento – MARCUS SMART – Point Guard – Oklahoma St. – 6’4 – 220

9  Charlotte – DOUG McDERMOTT – Small Forward – Creighton – 6’8 – 220

10 Philadelphia – NIK STAUSKAS – Shooting Guard – Michigan – 6’6 – 205

11 Denver – JAMES YOUNG – Shooting Guard – Kentucky – 6’6 – 215

12 Orlando – GARY HARRIS – Shooting Guard – Michigan St. – 6’4 – 210

13 Minnesota – RODNEY HOOD – Small Forward – Duke – 6’8 – 210

14 Phoenix – ADREIAN PAYNE – Power Forward – Michigan St. – 6’10 – 240

15 Atlanta – ZACH LaVINE – Shooting Guard – UCLA – 6’5 – 181

16 Chicago – ELFRID PAYTON – Point Guard – Louisiana Lafayette – 6’4 – 185

17 Boston – P.J. HAIRSTON – Shooting Guard – UNC/ NBA D-League – 6’4 – 228

18 Phoenix – DARIO SARIC – Small Forward – Croatia – 6’10 -235

19 Chicago –  CLEANTHONY EARLY – Power Forward – Wichita St. – 6’7 – 210

20 Toronto – CLINT CAPELA – Power Forward – Switzerland – 6’10 – 210

21 Oklahoma City – SHABAZZ NAPIER – Point Guard – U-CONN – 6’1 – 175

22 Memphis – T.J. WARREN – Small Forward – North Carolina St. – 6’8 – 220

23 Utah – KYLE ANDERSON – Small Forward – UCLA – 6’9 – 230

24 Charlotte – JERAMI GRANT – Small Forward – Syracuse – 6’8 – 215

25 Houston –  GLEN ROBINSON III – Small Forward – Michigan – 6’7 – 212

26 Miami – JUSUF NURKIC – Center – Bosnia – 6’11 – 280

27 Phoenix –  TYLER ENNIS – Point Guard – Syracuse – 6’2 – 181

28 LA Clippers – K.J. McDANIELS – Small Forward – Clemson – 6’6 – 200

29 Oklahoma City – JARNELL STOKES – Power Forward – Tennessee – 6’8 – 260

30 San Antonio – MITCH McGARY – Power Forward – Michigan – 6’10 – 240

2nd ROUND

33 Cleveland – JORDAN ADAMS – Shooting Guard – UCLA – 6’5 – 200

Even with the Cavs taking Wiggins now with their first pick, they still need to improve their outside shooting as a team and if he’s still on the board they’ll grab Adams to help them from distance.

WHAT DO THE CAVS DO NOW AFTER JOEL EMBIID’S FOOT INJURY?

Posted: Jun 19, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 33 Comments

Last year the Cleveland Clinic played a major role in the Cavaliers passing on a pair of centers in the NBA Draft in Nerlens Noel and Alex Len. This year it looks like the Clinic has become a major factor again in helping determine who the Cavaliers will select with the 1st overall pick in 2014.

Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com broke the story today about a potential brake in Joel Embiid’s right foot that was discovered during the Cavaliers physical. YahooSports.com Adrian Wojnarowski followed that up with these tweets:

Adrian Wojnarowski        ✔ @WojYahooNBA

Cleveland doctors discovered right foot injury in exams and passed info onto Embiid reps, sources tell Yahoo. Fear is a right foot fracture.

12:54 PM – 19 Jun 2014

 

Adrian Wojnarowski        ✔ @WojYahooNBA

Embiid’s consulting w/ orthopedist Dr. Richard Ferkel in L.A.; determination on fracture and possible surgery expected soon, sources tell Y.

12:59 PM – 19 Jun 2014

 

So with this information Cavs G.M. David Griffin probably has been reevaluating his potential decision as to who to take number #1 overall next Thursday. More than likely it comes down to two choices, small forwards Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker.

While both one-and-done guys play the same position, they are two totally different types of players.

The 6’8 – 200 pound Wiggins is considered a strong defensive player with a solid offensive game, that makes him the more complete all-around player with ridiculous athletic ability. His 44 inch vertical jump along with his 7-foot wingspan have GM’s throughout the league salivating.  His ceiling is considered to be very high. His college coach Bill Self told me he feels that Wiggins offensive game will become more consistent because the NBA style of play suits Wiggins great athleticism, especially in the transition game.

The knock on Wiggins is that he doesn’t have the killer instinct, he’s not aggressive enough. I asked Self about that and the Kansas coach told me, “That’s fair, because with his athletic ability he leaves you wanting more. However his maturity is starting to catch up with his athleticism. He’s going to be a stud!”

The other choice David Griffin has is Parker from Duke. He’s 6’9 but weighs 240 pounds, making his body more physically ready for the NBA competition and pounding. His offensive game is where he will earn his money. Inside and outside, back to the basket or facing up, Jabari Parker can shoot it and score the basketball. His offensive game is more complete and consistent than Wiggins and that’s why a lot of G.M.’s, scouts, coaches and media members feel he is more ready to play and will contribute to a team on offense right away. You hear the term “Plug and Play” with Parker a lot and that’s what will be expected of him where ever he ends up.

The downside to Parker is his defense. His lateral movement and foot speed are of major concern to NBA front office folk on the defensive side of the ball. He may be too slow to guard the quicker, more athletic 3’s and not big enough to guard most power forwards. So you’ll have to give a little on defense to gain on offense.

Could the Cavs still end up taking Embiid depending on the severity of his foot injury? Yes. But for a team who missed badly on number #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett last year and for a team who is desperate to make the playoffs, it’s unlikely they can take a chance with Embiid, but will instead pick between Wiggins and Parker.

Either way they’re going get a potential all-star player who fills their biggest need at small forward.  One is more ready to play right now in Parker. The other is the two-way player with more all-around upside in Wiggins. It’s time for David Griffin to make one of his many important off-season decisions. Good luck Griff!