The NBA Draft was overshadowed today when news broke that LeBron James will be opting out of his contract with the Miami Heat. The four-time MVP had been rumored to be leaning towards opting out, but today his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Management, confirmed that LeBron informed the Heat of his decision. Unlike four years ago, LeBron no longer shares an agency with Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade. Today LeBron James is his own entity, and having endured a
It’s NBA Draft Week, and the Cavaliers are on the clock. Cleveland has eliminated Joel Embiid as a candidate for the top overall pick. According to sources, the Cavaliers currently have Jabari Parker rated above Andrew Wiggins by a razor-thin margin. Both small forwards were in Cleveland last week, and while Wiggins was more impressive than Parker, the Cavs are intrigued by Parker’s ability to make an impact as a rookie. There is still a chance the Cavs could opt for Wiggins,
With the news that Kansas’ Joel Embiid had surgery Friday to repair a stress fracture in his navicular bone, the NBA draft among lottery teams has become quite intriguing. It is rare to have a consensus No. 1 pick experience such untimely misfortune. The top pick will earn a rookie salary of $5.51 million. The No. 5 pick will earn $3.61 million. And that is just in Year 1 of a four-year rookie scale deal. Taken out over the full four years,
One week from today is the NBA draft, and chaos has been unleashed. Thursday’s revelation that Joel Embiid has suffered a stress fracture in his foot and will be unable to work out for teams or attend the draft has turned what appeared to be a settling draft order upside-down. Cleveland, owners of the top overall pick for the second consecutive season, now is in a difficult position. Before the news of the injury, Embiid was the player the Cavaliers had
Less than two weeks until the 2014 NBA Draft, and now the pecking order is taking shape. Teams are conducting pre-draft workouts, but no visit was more important than Joel Embiid’s to Cleveland on Wednesday. While the Cavs have had Embiid on top of their board, their were concerns over his back, and Cleveland insisted they would conduct their own medical exams to ensure Embiid is worthy of being the top choice. According to my sources, the Cavs came away comfortable with
We are just over three weeks away from the 2014 NBA Draft, and now that the order is set, it’s time for pre-draft workouts. Now is the time when prospects can distinguish themselves and improve their stock like Elfrid Payton and Zach LaVine have done. On the other hand, players such as Laquinton Ross and Kyle Anderson have failed to impress scouts. According to sources, Cleveland has locked in on Kansas center Joel Embiid, and barring an unexpected surprise medically, will tab him
The 2014 NBA draft lottery came and went Tuesday night, and now that teams are on the clock, there is more clarity as to the draft order. In what seems like a scene from Groundhog Day, the Cleveland Cavaliers emerged as the winner for the second straight year. And they even won without human good luck charm Nick Gilbert on hand as the Cavs were represented by new GM David Griffin. In the last four years, the Cavs have won the top overall
The NBA Draft Combine in Chicago has come and gone, and there is growing buzz as GMs, scouts, and coaches are all watching and analyzing every movement and every answer from the invited prospects. The teams get universal measurements and medical reports and the opportunity to sit down and interview prospects that they may select on June 26. The beginning of the Combine was a bit flat as the top prospects Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid all pulled out.