Just prior to the 2013 NBA Draft, Victor Oladipo was regarded by many as a player that could go No. 1 overall – a pick that belonged to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team, however, already had Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters at the guard positions, leaving Oladipo to play a backup role if he joined the team. Still, it was a destination that he wanted to be a part of at the time, from Henry Abbott of ESPN:
“If the Cavaliers, who hold the top pick, see things that way — it’s one of many going theories — Oladipo could be a Cavalier this evening, which he says would make him happy. “Oh no question. Everybody wants to be number one. But only one person can.”
“I’m so nervous. A little anxious. A little excited.”
Going to Cleveland would make an electric pairing with Kyrie Irving, which is something Oladipo has thought about. “It’d be a nice little fit. But we’ll see.”
Of course, the Cavaliers ended up picking Anthony Bennett, allowing the Orlando Magic to scoop up the talented guard. Since then, Oladipo has had the chance to show what he’s capable of during Summer League action:
On Thursday, he had the opportunity to meet some lucky season-ticket holders and apparently said the following:
Well alright then. RT @Orlando_Magic: The Magic’s @VicOladipo: “To be honest, I really didn’t want to go to Cleveland.”
— Mike Prada (@MikePradaSBN) September 12, 2013
Surprisingly, it was the person in charge of the Orlando Magic’s official twitter handle that appears to have quoted Oladipo on not really wanting to go to Cleveland. Not surprisingly, the foolish tweet was deleted soon after.
@VicOladipo‘s Cleveland remark was harmless banter. Was simply making the point that he REALLY wanted to be drafted by the #Magic.
— David Steele (@SteeleMagic) September 13, 2013
Harmless banter or not, the unfortunate result of one person’s shortsighted decision apparently had Oladipo receiving plenty of negative feedback, forcing the guard to apologize for something that was meant to be heard by a very select group of people:
Sorry to all the cavs fan if I offended them in anyway making the comment I made I didn’t mean it the way you all took it.
— Victor Oladipo (@VicOladipo) September 13, 2013
If anything, he has probably learned an early lesson as a professional athlete – always watch what you say. As for @Orlando_Magic, way to put your own guy on the spot.
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.