It’s draft day, and the Cavaliers are on the clock. The Cavs have made it clear to teams that if they trade the No. 1 pick, they want proper compensation in terms of a lottery pick, or two, and a veteran player capable of helping next season. I am hearing that Philadelphia and Boston are still in the mix. This morning the Orlando Magic pulled the trigger on a deal that sent Aaron Afflalo to the Denver Nuggets for Evan Fournier
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,
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
Thursday afternoon the NBA unveiled the 2013-14 NBA All-Rookie Team, celebrating this past season’s top young athletes. One name you will not see on the the team is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ No.1 overall draft pick Anthony Bennett, who only played in 52 games, averaging 4.2 points and three rebounds in just 12.8 minutes per game. He is just the fifth top overall draft pick to miss the All-Rookie team in 26 years. There were quite a few young rookies deserving of the
With much of the national discourse centering on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, the reality of the matter is that a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine is the limit to what NBA commissioner Adam Silver is capable of doing. The rest falls on the shoulders of 29 team owners, as they—according to the NBA’s Constitution and By-Laws—must vote with a 3/4’s majority to force the sale of the team. Players, media pundits and people all across the nation
Poor Anthony Bennett tried to keep his head up. His right shoulder was heavily wrapped after a 31-point loss to the Knicks, and there was disappointment in his eyes. Bennett had another empty, unremarkable game just two days after a seemingly encouraging 15-point performance against New Orleans. It turns out that it was just a blip in a season of disappointments for both player and team. [Read more…]