Tag Archives: Joel Embiid

TALKING SPURS CHAMPS, LEBRON A FREE AGENT?, CAVS DRAFT AND HEAD COACH

Posted: Jun 16, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Podcasts | 42 Comments

FoxSportsOhio.com NBA Beat Writer Sam Amico joined me just hours after the Heat lost to the Spurs in the NBA Finals and we quickly got into what that means for LeBron’s future. Will he opt out and become a Free Agent? If so, could he come back to Clevleand?Who are the Cavs going to take with that number #1 pick and who’s going to be coaching the “Wine and Gold” next year? Listen Here –

Sam Amico Photo

WHAT THE CAVALIERS NEED MOST

Posted: Jun 15, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 41 Comments

The Cavs biggest needs this off season via the draft, free agency or trades are very simple, they need a center and they need multiple wing players.

When you look at their roster they’re overloaded at point guard with Kyrie Irving, Jarrett Jack and Matthew Dellavedova.

While their shooting guards really aren’t shooting guards, they feel they have a young pair in Waiters and Sergey Karasev.  Waiters to me is a point guard, or at least what I call a “Ball Guard”. He needs the ball in his hands in order to be effective and that really doesn’t mesh well when he and Kyrie Irving are on the floor together. The Cavs may be willing to try one more season to see if Irving and Waiters can create chemistry on the floor together, but then again remember; David Griffin didn’t draft either one of them so he may be willing to pull the trigger on a trade of one or the other.  But for now let’s say Waiters stays.

Tristan Thompson and Anthony Bennett are their power forwards, while neither one of those guys excite meet, at least they have what is considered a starter on this team, in Thompson. So again that takes us back to small forward and center positions.

Anderson Varejao could be the team’s starting center if need be, but there’s the possibility they could trade him this off season. But if they do keep him, he’s really not a true center, he’s more of a power forward.  Tyler Zeller is a nice back-up center, but nothing more and Spencer Hawes is a free agent and he’s not your typical center either.  Hawes is a stretch 5, who prefers to play away from the basket and gives you no defensive presence around the rim at all, as well as no toughness.  So depending on what he’s asking for, the Cavs may not resign him.

After watching Luo Deng struggle to stay healthy all season and with all the NBA miles he’s put on his body, I have no desire to bring him back as the starting small forward, especially for what he’s going to be commanding in free agency dollars. Alonzo Gee is nothing more than the 8th, 9th or 10th player on this team.

So as David Griffin and Dan Gilbert prepare for the June 26th NBA Draft, they must decide where they are going to get their center and small forwards(plural) from. That’s what makes this draft so interesting and important. “G and G” have a chance to fill one of those major needs with the first overall pick and possibly another with the 33rd overall pick. If not there, then in free agency or with a major trade.

Joel Embiid would plug the hole at center and be an immediate upgrade defensively, athletically and physically. He’s a little raw on offense, but that’s because he’s only played basketball for about four years and considering his lack of experience, he has shown great improvement in his offensive game. However with Embiid it all comes down to the health of his back. If he cleared all the Cavs medical tests then I believe they should, and will take him number #1 overall. If his back did not pass the medical exams, then it comes down to Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins in the draft.

Parker is the more ready to play right now of the two both physically and mentally. His offensive game is more well-rounded and his outside shot is better at this point than Wiggins. However Wiggins in my opinion, has a higher ceiling and athletically and defensively he blows Parker out of the water. On top of that, Wiggins will still score the basketball from the wing position, just maybe not as consistently as Parker.

But luckily for the Cavs their biggest needs in the draft coincide with the best players in this draft. Meaning they really can’t wrong with whomever they pick. I would have gladly taken anyone of these three before the draft lottery, so they truly are in a win-win-win situation.  Now will one of the top three picks separate himself from the others eventually, probably, but you’re still going to get what many believe is an all-star caliber player no matter who you take.

My order of preference is Embiid first, but only if 100% healthy. Wiggins second because of defense and more upside and Parker third because unlike the other two, he’s more of just an offensive player.

Is it out of the realm of possibility that the Cavs maybe use the number #1 pick and a player to make a trade for an already established all-star caliber player? No it’s not, but I believe it’s unlikely considering the talent and potential that each of the top three picks possess.

So once the Cavs do make their selection with that first overall pick, that should tell us what direction they’re headed in as far as free agency and that’s when things could get even more interesting than the draft, depending on what you know who does in Miami.

MY BIO AND SCOUTING REPORT ON JABARI PARKER

Posted: Jun 13, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 43 Comments

Jabari Parker

Small Forward – 6’9 – 241lbs – Age – 19 – Duke – FR

Reach – 8’11.5 – Wingspan – 6’11.75 Max Vert – ??

Season Averages: 19.1 PPG – 8.7 RPG – 1.2 APG – 47%FG – 36%(3FG) -75%FT

Draft Projection – Top 3 for sure, could go number #1 overall

Jabari Parker

Strengths

Most advanced offensively and physically of the top three freshmen being considered for the top pick in the draft. He’s a “Pick, Plug and Play” guy right away.

Solid athlete, not great, but is a good effort guy and a high character kid with a high basketball IQ.

Can score it inside and out with an array of moves and also passes the ball well because of his understanding of the game. So he possesses a complete all-around game on offense.

Can shoot it all over the court. Nice jumper with good range.
His rebounding and handle are above average.

Is a small forward but should be able to play some power forward as well depending on match ups and as he gets older and stronger.

Weaknesses

Below average defensive player especially on the perimeter because of slow foot speed. His pick n roll defense needs a ton of work and that’s a big part of the NBA game.

As knowledgeable as he is on offense, his defensive knowledge and understanding of team defense is not good and must improve.

Needs to get in better shape for the NBA game which is more up tempo than he’s used to on both offense and defense. This will also help him with his lift on jumpers and finishing at the rim.

Thinks offense first and at times that can hurt him. Will have to learn that just because he’s open doesn’t mean it’s a good shot in the NBA.

Had problems on offense against long, lengthy and aggressive defenders which he will face more of in the NBA.

Some think he might be a tweener. Too slow to play and guard the 3’s and not big enough to bang with the 4’s.
Roda Thoughts:

If you’re looking for a player to help you right away offensively, to score you point and potential and a higher ceiling aren’t your main concerns, then Parker is your guy over Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins. Parker scores in a variety of ways and his body is ready for the day-to-day NBA pounding, although he must watch his weight and get in better shape. If you have a rim protector or your squad plays solid team defense, then you’ll be able to hide Parker, whose biggest weakness is his defense. Parker is a Top 3 pick and if Embiid’s back doesn’t check out to the Cavs liking and owner Dan Gilbert’s patience is wearing thin of not making the playoffs, I could see the Cavs taking Parker over Wiggins because they want to win right away and Parker fills a major offensive void at the small forward position. Parker has been compared to Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony, so below are all three of their numbers from their freshman years in college.

FRESHAMN STATS IN COLLEGE:
Parker –     6’9-240-2014–  19.1ppg – 8.7rpg – 1.2apg – 47.3%fg – 35.8%(3fg) – 74.8%ft

Anthony – 6’8-230-2003–  22.2ppg– 10rpg– 2.2apg – 45.3%fg – 33.7%(3fg)– 70.6%ft

Pierce –    6’6-230-1996-     11.9ppg – 5.3rpg – 1.8apg – 41.9%ft – 30.4%(3fg) – 60.6%ft

TRYING TO UNDERSTAND JOEL EMBIID’S BACK INJURY

Posted: Jun 11, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 43 Comments

Kansas center and potential number #1 pick Joel Embiid was in Cleveland Wednesday to work out for the Cavs and undergo any medical tests the team deemed necessary.

The most important part of Embiid’s visit was to find out if the stress fracture in his lower back had healed completely and if there were any other health or injury concerns with the 7’1 center from Cameroon.

I talked with an orthopedic surgeon today to get a better understanding about Embiid’s back injury and whether or not this is an injury that can linger or become chronic. Keep in mind this surgeon did not examine or have direct contact with Embiid, but has dealt with this same exact injury with other athletes before. Here’s what I learned and I will try to put it in terms that even I understand.

This type of stress fracture occurs in the back part and in the ring portion of the vertebrae of the lower back usually caused from a repetitive motion over time, with arching of the back type movements or bending backwards activities. It usually goes untreated and that’s when an athlete will feel stiffness and tightness in the lower back and hips. When this occurs and the pain becomes regular or too severe, the player normally will go to the team trainer and doctor and tell them about their discomfort. That’s when an MRI is usually done in place of a normal x-ray to see if there is a stress fracture, because the x-ray alone will not reveal the fracture.

This type of injury is very common among athletes and according to the surgeon I spoke with, a lot of athletes right now are walking around and don’t even know they have a lower back stress fracture. It happens more frequently with basketball players, offensive linemen, defensive linemen and gymnasts because of how often they tend to arch their backs in their sport and do so with a lot of force applied to that area. So it was good that Bill Self and his staff at Kansas found Embiid’s injury when they did and treated it properly. The Kansas head coach shared with me today in a 1 on 1 interview that you can listen to hear – http://www.kennyroda.com/kansas-coach-bill-self-on-joel-embiid-and-andrew-wiggins/ – that he felt Embiid’s back had healed completely.

I asked the orthopedic surgeon if this type of injury could end one’s career in whatever sport they are participating in? The surgeon told me that very rarely will this type of injury end a career or even need surgery. The way you treat and heal this injury is with what is called “Relative Rest” or staying away from things that cause pain in that area and specific rehabilitation in the pain free range. For more severe cases, a back brace may be needed to restrict the back from bending in a backwards motion, but most of the time a strict rehab program over time heals the stress fracture.

I had one more question for the orthopedic surgeon, if because you already had a stress fracture of this nature once in your back, are your more likely to have a chronic problem? The surgeon told me that if treated properly and healed 100%, you are not more likely to have reoccurring problems. However, if you rush back and don’t let it heal completely, then the chances of having a chronic problem increase.

The last thing the orthopedic surgeon told me was, “This is not an injury we doctors get too worked up about.”

If the Cavs end up selecting Joel Embiid number #1 overall, we’ll know that the Cavaliers doctors agree with that statement and his back is fine. However if the Cavs do not draft Embiid, it will tell us one of two things, either GM David Griffin liked another player better, or that Embiid’s back was not completely healed and it was something that got them all worked up and the doctors, Griffin and owner Dan Gilbert did not want to take a risk on it.

KANSAS COACH BILL SELF BREAKS DOWN POTENTIAL NUMBER #1 PICKS JOEL EMBIID AND ANDREW WIGGINS

Posted: Jun 11, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Podcasts | 177 Comments

I had a chance to go 1 on 1 with Kansas head coach Bill Self to get his input on Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins and who the Cavaliers should take with the 1st overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

bill-self
(photo courtesy/sportsspeakers360.com)

RODA RANKINGS – TOP 5 PLAYERS AT EACH POSITION FOR THE 2014 NBA DRAFT

Posted: Jun 11, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 186 Comments

Top 5 Point Guards

1 DANTE EXUM                  6’6 – 195 – Australia

2 MARCUS SMART             6’4 – 220 – Oklahoma St.

3 TYLER ENNIS                  6’2 – 181 – Syracuse

4 ELFRID PAYTON              6’4 – 185 – Louisiana Layayette

5 SHABAZZ NAPIER           6’1 – 185 – UCONN

 

Top 5 Shooting Guards

1 JAMES YOUNG                6’6 – 215 – Kentucky

2 NIK STAUSKAS                6’6 – 205 – Michigan

3 GARY HARRIS                 6’4 – 210 – Michigan St.

4 ZACH LaVINE                  6’5 – 181 – UCLA

5 P.J. HAIRSTON                6’4 – 228 – North Carolina/NBA D-League

 

Top 5 Small Forwards

1 ANDREW WIGGINS        6’8 – 200 – Kansas

2 JABARI PARKER              6’9 – 241 – Duke

3 RODNEY HOOD              6’8 – 210 – Duke

4 DOUG McDERMOTT       6’8 – 220 – Creighton

5 DARIO SARIC                  6’10 – 235 – Croatia

 

Top 5 Power Forwards

1 NOAH VONLEH              6’10 – 245 – Indiana

2 JULIUS RANDLE               6’9 – 240 – Kentucky

3 AARON GORDON           6’9 – 225 – Arizona

4 ADREIAN PAYNE             6’10 – 240 – Michigan St.

5 CLINT CAPELA                 6’10 – 210 – Switzerland

 

Top 5 Centers

1 JOEL EMBIID                   7’1 – 255 – Kansas

2 JUSUF NURKIC                6’11 – 280 – Bosnia

3 MITCH McGARY             6’10 – 285 – Michigan

4 WALTER TAVARES          7’2 – 265 – Spain

5 ARTEM KLIMENKO         7’1 – 228 – Russia

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RODA REPORT – ANSWERING YOUR TWEETS ABOUT THE CAVS

Posted: Jun 10, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Podcasts | 43 Comments

Thanks to all the Twitches who tweeted questions about Mark Price and the Cavs to me @TheKennyRoda on Twitter. Here is the Podcast answering some of those questions.

Mark Price Video Photo

MY 2014 NBA MOCK DRAFT 1.0

Posted: Jun 10, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 44 Comments

My approach to a mock draft is to take into consideration what a team’s biggest need is, gather information from as many sources as possible as to what they’re hearing the team might do and then factor in my ratings of the individual players. So it’s a combination of what I think the team should do and what I’m hearing the team might do. It’s not the greatest formula in the world, but then again this is just a mock draft. So if eight of my picks end up matching what the actual draft ends up being, I’ll be thrilled. With that said, here is the first of what will be two mock drafts. One today and then one on draft day, June 26th.

 

1st ROUND

1  Cleveland – JOEL EMBIID – Center – Kansas – 7’1 -255                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Embiid is the pick for the Cavaliers only IF he passes all of the medical tests on his back. If he does, he is the perfect “FIT” for Kyrie Irving and the Cavs defense. He’ll be able to play “Pick n Roll” on offense and be the rim protector the Cavs so desperately need. Plus he may have the most upside of any player in this draft. If he does not pass all the medical tests or there are any red flags, I would then have the Cavs select Andrew Wiggins first overall.

2  Milwaukee – JABARI PARKER – Small Forward – Duke – 6’9 – 241

3  Philadelphia – ANDREW WIGGINS – Small Forward – Kansas – 6’8 – 200

4  Orlando – DANTE EXUM – Point Guard – Australia – 6’6 – 195

5  Utah – NOAH VONLEH – Power Forward – Indiana – 6’10 – 245

6  Boston – AARON GORDON – Power Forward – Arizona – 6’9 – 225

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

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 – Small Forward – Wichita St. – 6’7 – 210

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

21 Oklahoma City – ELFRID PAYTON – Point Guard – Louisiana Lafayette – 6’4 – 185

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 –  C.J. WILCOX – Shooting Guard – Washington – 6’6 – 195

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 – KRISTAPS PORZINGIS – Power Forward – Latvia – 7’0 – 220

2nd ROUND

33 Cleveland – JORDAN ADAMS – Shooting Guard – UCLA – 6’5 – 210                                                                                                                                                                                                       If the Cavs take Embiid number #1 overall, they will look here to take the best wing player available and that could be Adams if he is still on the board.

 

“RR60” PODCAST – THE RODA REPORT IN 60 SECONDS

Posted: Jun 7, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Feature Articles, Podcasts | 42 Comments

The Roda Report Podcast on the topics of the day in 60 seconds or less. #RR60

Johnny Manziel Browns SI Cover Photo

COLLEGE COMPARISON’S – THE FRESHMAN YEARS – THE 2014 POTENTIAL TOP 3 PICKS

Posted: Jun 4, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 39 Comments

It’s not quite as good as Saved By The Bell: The College Years with C’Town’s own Bob GolicSaved By The Bell - The CollegeYears

But as the June 26th NBA Draft gets closer here’s some more info to process as you and the Cavs try to decide who should be the #1 overall pick. Each of the Top 3 candidates have been compared to some current or former NBA stars, so I went back to all of their freshman years in college to see how their stats stack up against one another.

JOEL EMBIID

Joel Embiid photo - Courtesy of USA Today

Joel Embiid –  7’1-255-2014 – 11.2ppg  –  8.1rpg  –  2.6blk  –  62%fg  –   20%(3fg)  –  68%ft

H.Olajuwon – 7’0-255-1982 –   8.3ppg    –  6.2rpg  –  2.5blk  –  61%fg  –   0%(3fg)  –  56%ft

T. Duncan –6’11-248-1994 –  9.8ppg    –  9.6rpg  –  3.8blk  –   54%fg  –  100%(3fg) –  74%ft

 

 

ANDREW WIGGINS

AP FORT HAYS ST KANSAS BASKETBALL S BKC T25 KS

A. Wiggins – 6’8–200–2014 – 17ppg – 6rpg – 1.5apg  – 44.8%fg – 34.1%(3fg) – 77.5%ft

M. Jordan –   6’6–195-1982 – 13.5ppg – 4.4rpg – 1.8apg – 53.4%fg – 0%(3fg) – 72.2%ft

Sidney Moncrief -6’3-180-1976 –12.6ppg – 7.6rpg – 2.1apg – 66.5%fg – 0%(3fg)– 72.7%ft

 

 

JABARI PARKER

Jabari Parker Photo 1

 

J. Parker – 6’9-240-2014 – 19.1ppg – 8.7rpg – 1.2apg  – 47.3%fg – 35.8%(3fg) – 74.8%ft

Melo Anthony – 6’8-230-2003–22.2ppg–10rpg– 2.2apg – 45.3%fg – 33.7%(3fg)– 70.6%ft

Paul Pierce – 6’6-230-1996 – 11.9ppg – 5.3rpg – 1.8apg – 41.9%ft – 30.4%(3fg) – 60.6%ft

(Photos courtesy of USA Today, StandingOSports.com and Zagsblog.com) 

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