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
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
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,
Joel Embiid of Kansas has a broken foot and needs surgery. And now that piece of news has thrown everyone’s draft projections into disarray. Embiid was listed at No. 1 in Mock Draft 4.0, but he is not there in our latest edition. So does that mean the Cavs will not draft him? Perhaps not. The Cavs are now looking at trading down a couple of spots, believing that Embiid will still be available. And with the Philadelphia 76ers coveting Andrew Wiggins,
Lots of NBA news today, so let’s get right to the latest: FINALS WON’T DETERMINE LEBRON’S FUTURE Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com The Heat’s success or failure in these Finals will not affect LeBron James’ decision on whether to opt out of his contract by the end of this month, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. James and the Heat would be the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit and come back and win a title.
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