SH Blog: Jabari Parker’s father denies notion that son tanked workout for Cavaliers, Bulls offer Gibson, Snell and picks for Love

With the 2014 NBA Draft fast approaching, teams have a tough decision to make due to Joel Embiid’s unexpected foot injury.

After having surgery on his right foot – believed to be a very serious type of injury – the 7-footer is expected to miss four-to-six months of action. Not surprisingly, this has caused teams to reconsider their plans of drafting the center.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, in particular, are looking at Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins now. They may even simply trade the No. 1 pick. One issue with drafting Parker, though, is that they’re not quite sure if the dynamic forward wants to play for their organization. Chad Ford of ESPN.com has details:

A week ago, Joel Embiid looked like a lock to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. News of a stress fracture in his right foot sent the Cavs spinning. Now the Cavs are wrestling between three options: draft Jabari Parker, draft Andrew Wiggins or trade the pick.

Sources close to the Cavs told ESPN.com this weekend that the team is now leaning toward taking Parker with the No. 1 pick. However, it’s far from a lock. Parker came in to work out on Friday in front of the Cavs’ front office and ownership. Parker wasn’t great. He was a bit heavy (he weighed in at 255 pounds), didn’t shoot the ball well and got winded at times. Furthermore, two different sources told ESPN.com that Parker seemed a bit indifferent. One source said he thought Parker “tanked” the workout.

Why? A source says he strongly prefers to play in Milwaukee. The Cavs appear to be aware of this. “Jabari wasn’t himself,” one source said. “It was clear we weren’t his first option.”

Meanwhile, Wiggins came in and nailed his workout on Wednesday. He shot the ball well, showed off tremendous athleticism and had a good interview. In fact, Wiggins was emphatic that he wants to be the No. 1 pick and wants to play for the Cavs.

So why is Parker ahead of Wiggins?

From what I can gather, while there are disagreements in the front office, Cavs GM David Griffin feels that Parker fits a more immediate need at the 3. Parker also is the most NBA-ready. They feel that whether he wants to play there or not, those hesitations will disappear when he arrives. They have a new front office and a new coach, who the Cavs believe can actually help them build the sort of culture they want. Parker’s workout on Friday did create doubt, especially among ownership, but so far it looks like they are still leaning toward Parker.

The third option, a trade, is also on the table. The Cavs received intriguing offers from the Sixers, Magic and Jazz late last week. Each is offering its own high lottery pick plus a veteran. The Cavs could theoretically get either of Thaddeus Young, Arron Afflalo orDerrick Favors and still have a top-5 pick in the draft. It would make it much easier to draft Embiid if you knew you got additional value in the form of a veteran who can help now.

For what it’s worth, Parker’s father doesn’t believe his son “tanked” with a specific goal in mind, according to Gery Woelfel of Racine Journal Times:

Sonny Parker on an ESPN report that his son Jabari “tanked” his workout with Cavs: “He wasn’t raised like that. He wouldn’t do that.”

More from Sonny Parker: “Jabari has a lot of morals, principles, values and integrity. He’ll play for whoever drafts him.”

Sonny Parker added, “If Jabari didn’t want to play there (Cleveland), he wouldn’t have gone there, trust me.”

If his father is right, there should still be a surprising concern about Parker in the sense that he is somehow out of shape with the draft approaching. The last thing any team should have to worry about with a No. 1 overall pick is how poorly they performed in a pre-draft work out – the Cavaliers in particular, given who they drafted last season. The only certainty heading into the draft appears to be that there is no clear-cut option at No. 1 at this point.

OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE: 

• Howard Beck of Bleacher Report explained why it may be time for Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks to part ways: “Putting aside the money and the New York glitz, why would Anthony want to stay? Given the results to date, why would the Knicks want him to? The Knicks have gone nowhere with Anthony dominating the offense and the payroll for the last three-plus seasons—unless you consider two first-round exits, one second-round exit and a 37-win season a success. Even with Anthony posting one of his finest seasons in 2013-14, the Knicks finished ninth in a horrendous Eastern Conference. And their prospects for next season are dim. The Knicks have no salary-cap room, no first-round draft pick and a roster packed with overpriced and/or unwanted players… Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher, the new team president and head coach, respectively, are savvy enough to turn this around. But it won’t happen until at least July 2015, when Jackson will have the cap room to make wholesale changes. By then, of course, Anthony will be 31, another year lost to the Knicks’ perpetual dysfunction. If his legacy truly matters, how many more seasons can Anthony afford to sacrifice?”

• According to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, a source close to Dion Waiters is not confident about the guard playing alongside Kyrie Irving come next season: “Interesting note to Dion Waiters talk: Source close to Waiters tells @FOXSportsOH that Waiters thinks he or Kyrie Irving will be traded.”

• Andrei Kirilenko will stay put with the Brooklyn Nets for another season, from David Aldridge of NBA.com: “Andrei Kirilenko opts in with Brooklyn for next season at $3.3M, per source. Second year of two-year deal worth $6.5M.”

• After having a fantastic comeback season, Channing Frye will explore his options in free agency, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports: “Phoenix Suns forward Channing Frye has opted out of the final season of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Frye passed on his player option for $6.8 million for the 2014-15 season, which would’ve been the final season of a five-year, $30 million deal. The Suns were notified of Frye’s decision on Monday. The Suns have a desire to re-sign Frye, sources said, but much will be determined about that viability through the draft and possible trades. After the diagnosis of an enlarged heart caused Frye to miss the entire 2012-13 season, he had a remarkable comeback season for the Suns. He played 82 games, averaging 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds, and shooting 37 percent on three-pointers.”

• Isaiah Thomas wants to become an eventual All-Star, from Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders: ““I have a lot [of goals],” Thomas said. “I want to be an All-Star; I’ve always said that when given an opportunity, I can showcase that I can play at a very high level and numbers don’t lie. I think the next thing in my career is just winning, and winning takes care of all of the individual success. I know with the numbers that I have, if I lead a team to wins then those accolades will come. I’m just going to continue to work and continue to try to reach my goals and win. … I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of better in the last few years. I was watching actually film of my rookie year a few weeks ago and I was like, ‘I didn’t even look good!’ I felt like I wasn’t even that good. The jump that I’ve made, I think it’s going to happen every year just because of the work I’ve put in. I’m ready for every opportunity that’s thrown at me. I’m ready to show the world that I can play at a high level. This summer, I’m going to keep working too. I’m continuing to work on shooting, but also working on my off-hand passing and learning how to pass through traffic. I just want to keep getting better at being a passer and making my teammates better.”

• Here is what the Chicago Bulls are willing to give up to acquire Kevin Love, from Ford of ESPN: “The Chicago Bulls are offering Taj Gibson, Tony Snell, plus the No. 16 and No. 19 picks in this week’s draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. The Bulls are believed to prefer Carmelo Anthony, who will become a free agent on July 1. Gibson is signed through the 16-17 season.”

• Although nothing is definite, Kevin Garnett may be looking to come back next season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN: “Nothing is official yet, but quiet optimism is emanating from Brooklyn when it comes to Kevin Garnett playing for one more season. Garnett has predictably said nothing since the Nets’ season ended with a second-round loss to Miami, but the whispers are starting to get louder that KG, at 38, wants to play out the final season of his contract, which is valued at $12 million. “I think he wants to keep going,” one source close to the situation said. Garnett’s return, of course, would certainly enhance the Nets’ chances of hanging onto free agent-to-be Paul Pierce, who is expected to draw interest from Doc Rivers’ Clippers and a slew of other contenders.”

• The Milwaukee Bucks will not be looking to draft Joel Embiid, from Charles F. Gardner of Milwauke Journal Sentinel: “Lasry is ruling out Bucks taking Embiid. “Our decision got a lot easier, mainly because Embiid got hurt.”… “It’s hard to take Embiid,” Lasry said. “We want somebody who is going to help us on Day 1.”

• The Dallas Mavericks will keep an eye out for Pau Gasol this summer, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas: “The Dallas Mavericks plan to be among the teams pursuing Los Angeles Lakerscenter/power forward Pau Gasol once free agency begins July 1, according to sources close to the situation. The Mavs’ level of interest in the 7-foot Gasol is largely dependent on his price tag, sources told ESPNDallas.com. The four-time All-Star, who turns 34 next month, is expected to take a major pay cut after making $19.3 million last season. Gasol could well represent the Mavs’ best opportunity to upgrade at the center position via free agency. They also have significant interest inWashington’s Marcin Gortat, whom they recruited as a restricted free agent in 2009, signing him to an offer sheet that was surprisingly matched by the Orlando Magic. Sources, however, say the Mavericks fear they’ll be priced out of the hunt to pry Gortat from the Wizards, who have ample space under the salary cap and are interested in keeping the 29-year-old Gortat as part of a young core of the team that broke the franchise’s five-year postseason drought and advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.”

• Mychal Thompson says his son Klay Thompson would be thrilled if he could play with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, from Diamond Leung of Mercury News: “I was just so flattered that the Lakers are even interested in Klay and would make that offer,” said Mychal, whose son grew up in Southern California rooting for the Lakers’ championship teams. “Yes, it warmed my heart. Yes, it made me think, ‘Wow, I wonder if the Warriors would go along with that, that he would actually be a Laker, and that would be kind of cool for me.’ You know, it’s my dream for him to be a Laker. He’s thrilled to be where he’s at at Golden State. “But if he got traded to the Lakers, he would make the most of it. He would be happy to be here (in Los Angeles). Kobe (Bryant) is his idol. If he had a chance to play with Kobe, he said he’d be thrilled to play with Kobe. If he stays with Golden State, hey, it’s fine.”

• Either way, the Kevin Love three-way deal involving the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors appears to be dead at the moment, according to Ric Bucher: “Sources: KLove deal to Warriors is dead. Love “unlikely” now to be dealt before draft.”

• Not surprisingly, Tim Duncan will return for another season with the San Antonio Spurs, from Woj of Yahoo Sports: “San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan has decided to exercise the final-year option on his contract worth $10.3 million, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Duncan will revisit his future with the Spurs next summer. Duncan, 38, won his fifth championship with the Spurs this month, and once again played at a high level for the Spurs, averaging 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and three assists. Duncan has had a decorated career in San Antonio: a 14-time All-Star, three-time NBA Finals MVP and two-time NBA MVP.”

• Doc Rivers will lose another assistant this summer, from Woj: “Los Angeles Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue has agreed to become the associate head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources told Yahoo Sports. In what’s believed to be a financially strong assistant coaching package, Lue will partner with Euroleague icon David Blatt, the new head coach of the Cavaliers. Cleveland general manager David Griffin wanted to pursue the hiring of both coaches after Lue was the runner-up in the process, league sources said. Blatt and Lue have been talking frequently, and Clippers coach Doc Rivers has given Lue his blessing to accept the job, league sources said.”

James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.