First and foremost I wanted to thank you all again for showing interest in SportsKop. We hit a huge milestone as we are now approaching 10,000 likes on our Facebook page! For those who haven't already, please give us a like at SportsKop's fan page.
Anyways, you should expect a lot more interesting posts coming your way. I just finished my English final (which unfortunately means the end to one of my favorite classes of all time) and the other writers are all concluding their school year/returning from retreats meaning that we will have much more time to dedicate to our blog! Additionally, we have a couple of guest writers who will be making their debut in the next couple of weeks. Until then, we'll take a closer look at the National Basketball Association. With the NBA draft only days away, the nerves of many basketball fans, players, and front office men get rattled and kicked in ways that we'd find unimaginable. Futures of entire teams and cities will be determined by the call of a single name! This draft is most intriguing as many believe that there is Hall of Fame talent at the top of the board with perennial All-Stars riddled throughout the first round. In this year's lottery, the Cleveland Cavaliers was the team that was graced with a stroke of good luck as they ended up winning the first pick for the third time in fours years. Last year they selected combo forward Anthony Bennet who didn't exactly pan out as they hoped. This year Cleveland has a multitude of directions of where they can go including even trading the very pick they won. For this segment of SportsKop, I'm going to delve into the legitimate options the Cavaliers do have. There are a few factors that are going to influence this decision including a possible extension for All Star point guard Kyrie Irving, other available free agents, and most importantly, the draftee's personal talent/upside.
Assessing the rumors
Anyways, you should expect a lot more interesting posts coming your way. I just finished my English final (which unfortunately means the end to one of my favorite classes of all time) and the other writers are all concluding their school year/returning from retreats meaning that we will have much more time to dedicate to our blog! Additionally, we have a couple of guest writers who will be making their debut in the next couple of weeks. Until then, we'll take a closer look at the National Basketball Association. With the NBA draft only days away, the nerves of many basketball fans, players, and front office men get rattled and kicked in ways that we'd find unimaginable. Futures of entire teams and cities will be determined by the call of a single name! This draft is most intriguing as many believe that there is Hall of Fame talent at the top of the board with perennial All-Stars riddled throughout the first round. In this year's lottery, the Cleveland Cavaliers was the team that was graced with a stroke of good luck as they ended up winning the first pick for the third time in fours years. Last year they selected combo forward Anthony Bennet who didn't exactly pan out as they hoped. This year Cleveland has a multitude of directions of where they can go including even trading the very pick they won. For this segment of SportsKop, I'm going to delve into the legitimate options the Cavaliers do have. There are a few factors that are going to influence this decision including a possible extension for All Star point guard Kyrie Irving, other available free agents, and most importantly, the draftee's personal talent/upside.
Assessing the rumors
There are only three logical choices, but first I need to entertain the ludicrous notion that Marcus Smart could be chosen at the one spot. Everything surrounding this idea is based on Kyrie Irving’s uncertain future with Cleveland. Much of this crazed talk led to a few rumors so let's take a look at those being thrown around most often and debunk the scenarios that are fallacious.
a. Kyrie Irving was offered a max extension and already rejected it. Because of this, they plan to trade the superstar which would leave space for Smart to take over duties as the starting point guard.
b. Cleveland does not want to give Irving a max extension because they worry about his health and question his leadership. If Irving were to reject the offer that is given to him they would trade him which again, leaves space for Marcus Smart.
c. Neither scenario "a" nor "b" are true. The Cavaliers plan to offer Irving a max extension on July 1st. They want to build their team around him, not trade him. And to the writers who feel the need to write a story filled with lies and deceit in order to make their work more interesting, stop being stupid.
Scouting Report
Marcus Smart proved how talented he is after his suspension as Oklahoma State faltered without him and then heavily relied on the young man during the tournament. On the physical side of things, he’s got decent size (6' 3"), an enormous wingspan (6' 9"), and incredible strength. These qualities give him the ability to play either guard position. The bulk of his attack pattern centers around his high conversion rate at the rim and elite passing ability. His feel for the game is impeccable as well since he possesses such great natural athletic instincts. Smart also shows a competitive spirit on the defensive side of the court and opponents often find his aggressive on ball defense to be pestering. Although there have been times where he has been found guilty of flopping...
One noticeable downside for Smart is that his shooting leaves a lot to be desired for someone who wants to experience stardom in this league. Fortunately, he’s young and has plenty of time to improve on that aspect of the game. Although he has a lot to offer on the table, Smart does not compare to the other three candidates for the first overall pick.
Marcus Smart proved how talented he is after his suspension as Oklahoma State faltered without him and then heavily relied on the young man during the tournament. On the physical side of things, he’s got decent size (6' 3"), an enormous wingspan (6' 9"), and incredible strength. These qualities give him the ability to play either guard position. The bulk of his attack pattern centers around his high conversion rate at the rim and elite passing ability. His feel for the game is impeccable as well since he possesses such great natural athletic instincts. Smart also shows a competitive spirit on the defensive side of the court and opponents often find his aggressive on ball defense to be pestering. Although there have been times where he has been found guilty of flopping...
One noticeable downside for Smart is that his shooting leaves a lot to be desired for someone who wants to experience stardom in this league. Fortunately, he’s young and has plenty of time to improve on that aspect of the game. Although he has a lot to offer on the table, Smart does not compare to the other three candidates for the first overall pick.
Joel Embiid is one of the most interesting prospects in this draft as he only picked up a basketball a few years ago but already possesses an unbelievable amount of talent. The center stands at seven feet tall and owns a wingspan that stretches out to seven feet and five inches. His size coupled with his explosive leaping ability and good footwork makes him a nasty force to be reckoned with when going into the painted area. This translates to him being an above the rim player on the offensive side of the ball where he gets lots of opportunities for alley-oops and putbacks. With that said, he even developed some really nice post moves, like a jump hook and turn around jump shot, which is certainly impressive considering he hasn't been around the game all that much. There is a lot to be liked about his game as he plays hard, sets strong screens, and is constantly aggressive. All of these factors make his ceiling limitless and has many scouts drawing comparisons between him, Tim Duncan, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Quite the company to surround your name with if I do say so myself. The only downside with Embiid is that he has difficulties staying on the floor. He often gets into foul trouble and now injuries seem to be a recurring theme. After suffering a back injury during the NCAAB season he now has to have surgery for the stress factor in his foot.
Prediction
Although Cleveland has a tendency to surprise when it comes to their lottery picks (Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and Anthony Bennett were all considered reaches), I severely doubt they're going to select Marcus Smart. The other three players are all plausible selections but I see Jabari Parker as being the safest pick. As of now, many reports are bouncing all over the place. Initially it was said that Cleveland was sold on Embiid after discovering that he had no healthy risks but then he underwent foot surgery a few days later. Following that, the Cavaliers were rumored to be leaning towards Jabari, but now reports are saying that the team is torn between Wiggins and Parker. Our other writer Chengez even heard that Parker tanked his workout with the Cavaliers because he would rather play in Milwaukee.
My aforementioned colleague will further discuss why Parker would be the most sensible pick but I still want them selecting Joel Embiid. In fact, I'd hope that they have Wiggins higher on their draft board than Parker too. While it does provide a lot of risk because of his history with injuries, I think Embiid is too rare of a talent to come across as it's drastically harder to find a seven footer than a wing player. Legitimate centers are becoming sparse in this league and getting your hands on one would really separate yourself from other teams. Additionally, the Cavaliers have plenty of cap space that they could use to fill the void they have at small forward. There are plenty of options like trying to resign Luol Deng (unlikely), pursuing the restricted free agent Gordan Hayward (I'm a huge fan of his), and maybe even push for the return of LeBron James (who just opted out of his contract). The list of potential free agents goes on with other great alternatives such as Trevor Ariza, who just helped the Wizards make the playoffs, and Evan Turner who is already familiar and popular with the area from his Ohio State days.
My aforementioned colleague will further discuss why Parker would be the most sensible pick but I still want them selecting Joel Embiid. In fact, I'd hope that they have Wiggins higher on their draft board than Parker too. While it does provide a lot of risk because of his history with injuries, I think Embiid is too rare of a talent to come across as it's drastically harder to find a seven footer than a wing player. Legitimate centers are becoming sparse in this league and getting your hands on one would really separate yourself from other teams. Additionally, the Cavaliers have plenty of cap space that they could use to fill the void they have at small forward. There are plenty of options like trying to resign Luol Deng (unlikely), pursuing the restricted free agent Gordan Hayward (I'm a huge fan of his), and maybe even push for the return of LeBron James (who just opted out of his contract). The list of potential free agents goes on with other great alternatives such as Trevor Ariza, who just helped the Wizards make the playoffs, and Evan Turner who is already familiar and popular with the area from his Ohio State days.
I also have to look at how the player fits with the team. The Cavaliers are trying to build a tight core with the players they already drafted. This includes pairing Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving in the future despite the numerous reports and rumors (that have no substance backing the claims being made and are probably false*) stating otherwise. Both are ball-dominant players who need to be supported by those that can impact the game without necessarily needing to touch the rock. The Cavaliers have also been lacking a fierce interior defender for years now. Tristan Thompson was asked to secure that duty but his size makes it a difficulty to block shots consistently. Embiid can shore that up immediately. They shouldn't let other injury prone centers like Greg Oden and Sam Bowie deter them either since they're all different players with very different builds. But if the instance where trading the pick were to arise...
* Just for future reference, if someone claims that they are sharing information that they got from an "undisclosed source", it's safe to assume that everything being said in that article is a lie.
Looming trade?
Since the day the Cavs won the pick, new General Manager David Griffin has made it known that it is available for trade if there is an intriguing offer on the table. Many teams have contacted Cleveland to try to attain that first pick including the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, and Utah Jazz. Talks with the Nets and Timberwolves never surfaced into anything serious but Kevin Love's name was being thrown around. Meanwhile, the other trades have all caught the interest of upper management but no significant move has been made yet.
The trades offered are as follows:
Magic (thought to be most favored by the Cavaliers) send the #4, #12, and Aaron Afflalo
76ers send Thaddeus Young and #3
Jazz send Derrick Favors, Trey Burke, and #5 (Jarrett Jack would have to be included from Cleveland's side to keep the salaries matched up)
There is no reason for the Sixers trade to go through since Cleveland has no use for Thaddeus Young. They spent their first overall pick on Anthony Bennet last year and he plays the same position as Young. While many believe Bennet to be a bust, it is way too early to give up on him, especially after investing so much into him.
The Jazz have been connected to Jabari Parker through the entire course of the season so it would make sense that they would give up a lot in order to add him to their roster. They also don't like how Alec Burks and Trey Burke play together as their games don't mesh together. In their eyes, one of the players needs to be moved.
Lastly, the Magic put a strong offer on the table but it would leave a log jam at the shooting guard position. Cleveland already has Dion Waiters and spent another first round pick on a shooting guard in Sergey Karasev last year. Karasev has the size to move over to small forward but his lack of strength would leave him with problems. Finding enough backcourt minutes for Irving, Waiters, Jack, Karasev, and Afflalo could prove to be troubling.
Since the day the Cavs won the pick, new General Manager David Griffin has made it known that it is available for trade if there is an intriguing offer on the table. Many teams have contacted Cleveland to try to attain that first pick including the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, and Utah Jazz. Talks with the Nets and Timberwolves never surfaced into anything serious but Kevin Love's name was being thrown around. Meanwhile, the other trades have all caught the interest of upper management but no significant move has been made yet.
The trades offered are as follows:
Magic (thought to be most favored by the Cavaliers) send the #4, #12, and Aaron Afflalo
76ers send Thaddeus Young and #3
Jazz send Derrick Favors, Trey Burke, and #5 (Jarrett Jack would have to be included from Cleveland's side to keep the salaries matched up)
There is no reason for the Sixers trade to go through since Cleveland has no use for Thaddeus Young. They spent their first overall pick on Anthony Bennet last year and he plays the same position as Young. While many believe Bennet to be a bust, it is way too early to give up on him, especially after investing so much into him.
The Jazz have been connected to Jabari Parker through the entire course of the season so it would make sense that they would give up a lot in order to add him to their roster. They also don't like how Alec Burks and Trey Burke play together as their games don't mesh together. In their eyes, one of the players needs to be moved.
Lastly, the Magic put a strong offer on the table but it would leave a log jam at the shooting guard position. Cleveland already has Dion Waiters and spent another first round pick on a shooting guard in Sergey Karasev last year. Karasev has the size to move over to small forward but his lack of strength would leave him with problems. Finding enough backcourt minutes for Irving, Waiters, Jack, Karasev, and Afflalo could prove to be troubling.
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