Poll: Who Will The Cavs Select First Overall?
The Cavaliers have won the NBA Draft lottery and secured the first overall pick for the third time in four seasons. The team finished with a record of 33-49 and jumped over eight other teams to secure the top selection. Cleveland possessed only a 1.7 percent chance of landing the first pick and only a 6.1 percent chance of landing in the top three, but still took home the prize.
Winning the draft lottery is hardly a guarantee of future success, as no team with the No. 1 overall pick has won the NBA title since 1998, per Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight. But if the pick is used wisely, it certainly won’t be a detriment to the Cavs rebuilding efforts.
The team has met with mixed results the last two times it has selected a player with the first overall pick. In 2011 the team chose Kyrie Irving. Irving has had his share of locker room issues. The team isn’t sure if they will be able to sign Irving to an extension when he is eligible this summer, and they risk losing him after next season. But his on court numbers have been excellent. This season, in 71 games, Irving averaged 20.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 6.1 APG. Last season’s number one overall selection, Anthony Bennett hasn’t fared as well thus far. In his rookie year, Bennett averaged 4.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 0.3 APG.
Who the team selects this year will have a major impact on the future of the franchise. Here are the top possibilities:
- Joel Embiid (C): With Spencer Hawes set to become an unrestricted free agent, the only other centers on the roster are currently Anderson Varejao and Tyler Zeller. Embiid averaged 11.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 2.6 BPG in 23.1 minutes per game during his freshman year. The seven-footer out of Kansas would normally be a lock for the top selection, but worries about the lingering effects of a stress fracture in his back have raised concerns. These are understandable when considering the short shelf life and injury woes that have struck big men in recent years. If healthy though, Embiid has the potential to be a star at a position lacking top shelf talent. You can check out our full prospect profile for Embiid here.
- Andrew Wiggins (SF/SG): The Cavs have Dion Waiters already at shooting guard, so taking Wiggins would push Waiters to the bench, allow the team to move him in a trade, or Wiggins could slot in at small forward where there should be an opening with Luol Deng unlikely to re-sign with the team. In his freshman season at Kansas, Wiggins averaged 17.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, and 1.2 SPG in 32.6 minutes per contest. He is a gifted athlete and has a wealth of potential, but Wiggins has also shown a tendency to disappear in games. That’s not a desirable trait from the first overall pick, but Wiggins’ upside might be higher than any in the draft. You can read our full profile of Wiggins here.
- Jabari Parker (SF/PF): Perhaps the most polished and NBA-ready player in the entire draft. Parker led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.1 PPG and 8.7 RPG while shooting 47.3% from the floor. Parker’s NBA position has been questioned, which is his biggest negative. He has the offensive game to be a small forward, but defensively he may not be quick enough to guard NBA threes, and is too small to be a full time power forward. He also might not have as much upside as the other players on this list, but he also carries the lowest risk. Parker’s full prospect profile can be viewed here.
- Dante Exum (PG): Exum is a long shot to go as the top pick, but I mention him because he has the potential to rise up draft boards quickly as more teams get a look at him in pre-draft workouts. His potential may just be intriguing enough for Cleveland to take a risk. If the Cavs were looking to trade Irving, then Exum would certainly be discussed. Exum could also slot in as a shooting guard, which could aid the team in moving Waiters, or Exum could begin his career as a backup for both guard positions as he learns the game. Our full profile on Exum can be seen here.
Tyronn Lue To Interview With Cavaliers
Tyronn Lue is scheduled to interview for the Cavaliers vacant head coaching position late next week, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Lue is currently an assistant with the Clippers, and was also on Doc Rivers‘ staff when the coach was with the Celtics. Lue, 37, played 10 seasons in the NBA, and won two championships while with the Lakers, and is regarded as one of the league’s most well-respected young head-coaching prospects, according to the article.
The Cavs had been examining the college ranks for their next coach, and are now searching through the NBA’s assistant coaching ranks, writes Wojnarowski. The job may have a stronger appeal now that the team has secured the top pick in the NBA Draft for the third time in the last four seasons.
Another member of the Clippers’ coaching staff, Alvin Gentry, is also a candidate for the Cavaliers job. Gentry has a strong relationship with Cavs GM David Griffin extending back to their days together with the Suns, notes Wojnarowski.
Lawrence On Thibs, Irving, Love, Knicks
The Grizzlies are on a shoestring budget and don’t have the room necessary to bring coach Tom Thibodeau over from the Bulls, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. “Do they realize how much that will cost?’” said one Chicago official, when word surfaced that the Grizzlies will look at Thibs if Memphis winds up allowing Dave Joerger to take the Timberwolves’ head coaching position. An Eastern Conference president, factoring in Stan Van Gundy’s $7MM/year deal in Detroit, estimated that it would cost Memphis $8MM per year to have Thibodeau serve as their coach and president. Here’s more from today’s column…
- The Cavs are making noises that they aren’t going to offer Kyrie Irving “max money’’ this summer via a long-term extension. They don’t want to deal the 2014 All-Star Game MVP, but it could come to that, especially if the guard and his family continue to tell people that he wants out. Irving hasn’t been a leader in his first three seasons and he’s also gained the unwelcomed reputation as a locker-room problem. “He was just handed too much, too soon,’’ said one source. “You’ve got to make these young guys earn it, and that’s where this team did a bad job with him.’’
- The Cavs are not looking for a coach with a strong veteran presence who wants to do things only his way. That probably rules out Jeff Van Gundy, George Karl, and Lionel Hollins, although Lawrence is a fan of all three. New GM David Griffin is looking for a college or NBA coach who agrees to accept input and instructions from himself and hands-on owner Dan Gilbert.
- The Cavs know they can’t get Kevin Love from the Wolves in a deal for the No. 1 pick. If they keep it, they’re expected to take Kansas big man Joel Embiid, unless the stress fracture in his back injury from last season has the chance to become a long-term issue. Meanwhile, agent Arn Tellem might not make his client’s medical records available to teams with which he doesn’t want Embiid to play.
- The Nuggets aren’t going to allow coach Brian Shaw to come to the Knicks if they fail to land Derek Fisher, even if the Knicks offer compensation. “We didn’t hire Brian for a one-year position with our team,’’ Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said. “We see Brian being with us for years to come.’’ If Fisher turns Jackson down, Kurt Rambis is the next in line.
- Just because Bucks GM John Hammond and Pelicans exec Dell Demps came to New York for the lottery doesn’t mean that they’re going to be around for the long haul. Lawrence gets the sense that both are on the hot seat.
And-Ones: D-League, Cavs, Age Limit
It appears the NBA and the D-League are thinking about reinstituting a limit on the number of D-League assignments an NBA team can make, as Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside hears. The move would be made to address the logjam possible if 13 NBA teams end up sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants next season. Here’s more from around the league:
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer pegs the odds at 50% that the Cavs hold onto their No. 1 draft pick, rather than swinging a deal for an established premier talent such as Kevin Love.
- Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer doesn’t get the sense that the Cavs are spending much energy trying to orchestrate LeBron James‘ return to Cleveland, and thinks a move to acquire Love without the assurance of him re-signing with the team would be foolish.
- Tom Ziller of SB Nation sees the draft age-limit as one of the player union’s only bargaining chips to leverage for the next CBA discussions, and thinks the players should push to reduce team control over rookie scale contracts in order to give its best young players more power.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Rumors: Fizdale, Nogueira, Ross
Paul George has been cleared to play in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, days after being diagnosed with a concussion suffered in Game 2. The Pacers have fared well on the road this postseason, and will hope to regain home court advantage by snagging a win in Miami. Here’s a roundup of Eastern Conference news:
- Heat assistant David Fizdale hasn’t been contacted by any teams with head coaching vacancies, but does have Erik Spoelstra’s blessing to pursue a job, he tells Ira Winderman of Sun Sentinel. “There have been no [contacts], no conversations, nothing like that,” Fizdale said. “Quite honestly, [Spoelstra] gets very annoyed with me, because he’s like, ‘Why don’t you care about being a head coach?’ And I’m like, ‘Cause we’re in the playoffs.'” Fizdale has been linked with the Cavs vacancy, but downplays having any ties to Cleveland’s front office.
- Hawks 2013 first-round pick Lucas Nogueira has decided to leave his Spanish league team and either play for Atlanta or another European team next season, reports Javier Maestro of Encestando (translation via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype). Nogueira still has a year left on his contract with Asefa Estudiantes of Spain, but his NBA buyout is $600K, which is precisely the maximum amount NBA teams are allowed to pay next season to cover a buyout from an international club without any money counting toward the cap.
- In an answer to a mailbag question, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star suggests that Terrence Ross is a trading chip the Raptors should gauge interest in this summer.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Coaching Rumors: Scott, Gentry, Grizzlies
Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune thinks Dave Joerger, who is interviewing to leave the Grizzlies and become the Wolves head coach, could bring the defensive focus and toughness Minnesota has lacked. Scogging also opines that Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders could find an outlet for his lingering coaching energy by grooming a young coach like Joerger. Here’s more from the coaching movement around the league:
- Byron Scott said he thinks he’s the perfect guy for the Lakers job in an interview with ESPNLA 710 Radio (transcription via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). Scott invoked his relationships with Kobe Bryant and Dr. Jerry Buss to bolster his case. “It’s all about winning championships,” said Scott. “And [winning for Buss]…he was the first one to call me and tell me, ‘When you come to L.A., let me know so we can hang out and watch a game together,’ and things like that. Those two reasons alone is one big reason why I want the job so badly.”
- Scott also laid out what his first steps would be on the job, including getting on the same page with Bryant and emphasizing defense. “I think that’s the first thing [we’ve got] to get better at, the defensive part of basketball,” Scott said. In Scott’s most recent coaching stint in Cleveland, the Cavs never ranked better than 26th in defensive efficiency.
- Alvin Gentry is coveted by both Steve Kerr and Mike Malone as an assistant for their Warriors and Kings benches, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. The former head coach is currently an assistant with the Clippers, and is a head coaching candidate for the Cavs, Grizzlies, and Jazz.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com thinks that bringing Lionel Hollins back to coach the Grizzlies makes a lot of sense, considering the main difference between the team now and when he guided it to the Western Conference Finals is that the front office members that fired him are gone.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Boozer, Del Negro
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes that the Celtics may be better off enduring another year of rebuilding instead of turning in their best assets for a blockbuster acquisition like Kevin Love. Here’s the rest of the night’s notes from Boston and the rest of the Eastern Conference:
- NBA GMs see Rajon Rondo among the league’s best when he has his A game, but they’re concerned about his personality and consistency, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, who examines the leaguewide perception of the players on the Celtics roster. One GM is wary of trading for Jeff Green, believing agent David Falk will convince him to opt out if he has a productive season, and the Celtics and other teams noticed the dedication Brandon Bass showed in an otherwise lost season for Boston, Bulpett hears.
- The Bulls coaching staff told Taj Gibson to prepare to become a starter next season, sources indicated to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who suggests it’s further evidence that Carlos Boozer has played his last game for the team.
- The Cavs will soon schedule head coaching interviews with Alvin Gentry, Adrian Griffin, Vinny Del Negro, and other candidates, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Gentry and Griffin were known to be strong candidates, but this is the first report verifying Del Negro’s candidacy.
- New Bucks owners Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens are taking the reigns in Milwaukee following the draft lottery, telling Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel they will soon start meeting with front office and coaching personnel, whose future with the team is still up in the air. “I think right now we just want to spend time with everybody,” Lasry said. “Then we’ll have more of an understanding.” Head coach Larry Drew and GM John Hammond both have multiple years left on their contracts, but haven’t been assured of staying with the team.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Northwest Notes: Love, Nuggets, Blazers
Tim Bontemps of The New York Post ranks eight potential suitors in the Kevin Love sweepstakes, speculating that the Cavs and Suns have the best shot to pry the All-Star from the Wolves. Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Sources close to the Lakers tell Sam Smith of Bulls.com that they still believe Love wants to play in L.A., in spite of his rumored affection for other teams. Smith covers plenty of other Love topics in his latest mailbag column.
- Nuggets president Josh Kroenke tells Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post that he thinks Denver’s roster is already good enough to make the playoffs if healthy, and doesn’t feel an urgent need to overhaul the team after a disappointing 36-46 season. “I’ll be disappointed if we stay healthy and we’re not in the playoffs next year,” Kroenke said. “This roster, we’re always open for business and we’re always looking to improve our team, but sometimes the best thing you can do is just have continuity.”
- Kroenke also told Dempsey that the team has hopes of fully recovering from the departure of Carmelo Anthony in the next couple years. “That situation was so big at the time that it was going to have a ripple effect of probably four to five years,” Kroenke said. “Next year is going to be a very crucial year. It will be four years out, we’ll have had the guys for three years. And so it’s going to be a telling year. It’s a big year on a lot of levels for a lot of people.”
- The Blazers are not bringing back Mike Born as their Director of NBA scouting, sources tell Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Teammates Doubt LeBron James Will Leave Heat
LeBron James‘ Heat teammates have been just as reticent to speak on the record about the four-time MVP’s plans for free agency as James has, but they’ve privately dismissed the idea that he would sign elsewhere this summer, according to Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick. James has an early termination option on his contract that he can exercise to hit free agency this summer, but it would take a “dream scenario” for him to sign elsewhere even if he decides to opt out, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com put it earlier this week. The most likely scenarios involve James either opting in or becoming a free agent and re-signing with the Heat on a new long-term deal, Skolnick writes.
James has dropped few hints about his future even as the Cavs and surely others prepare to bid for the Rich Paul client. Chris Bosh, who like James can opt out this summer, answered affirmatively when asked in March whether he and James would return to the Heat for next season. Heat owner Micky Arison recently pegged the team’s chances of keeping James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade for next season at 100%, but he suggested in the same interview that it could be a challenge to do so.
Bringing back the trio of stars at maximum salaries for next season would require a combined amount close to the projected salary cap, leaving little flexibility to assemble the rest of the roster. Norris Cole is the only Heat player with fully guaranteed salary for next season, which would put pressure on team president Pat Riley and his staff to use Bird rights to re-sign most of the club’s existing talent if James, Wade and Bosh return. Doing so would almost certainly require the Heat to pay the luxury tax for a third straight season, which would trigger repeat-offender penalties.
Amico’s Latest: Cavs, Deng, Waiters, Thompson
There might be more storylines surrounding the Cavs than any other team in the NBA. A third No. 1 overall pick in four years, a coaching search, tons of cap flexibility and the lingering specter of a LeBron James return figure to fill up our Cavs rumors page all summer long. We passed along some news about the Cleveland’s plans for the top draft pick from Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio last night, and he has plenty more on the team in his latest dispatch. We’ll run down the highlights here:
- The Cavs will likely explore sign-and-trade possibilities for Luol Deng, Amico writes. Deng has given indications that he doesn’t want to re-sign with Cleveland, and the Cavs can still execute a sign-and-trade even if they renounce his Bird rights to clear cap space.
- Teams around the league have interest in Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson, Amico writes. It’s nonetheless unclear how willing the team is to trade either of them.
- The Cavs don’t appear to be ruling out a trade of Anderson Varejao, Amico suggests.
- GM David Griffin has reportedly been planning a strong push to retain Spencer Hawes, but Amico hears the team is having second thoughts about the center.
- The coaching search remains “in the very early stages,” Amico writes, but Tom Izzo isn’t a possibility, in spite of Cleveland’s reported pursuit, and John Calipari is highly unlikely to end up in the job, according to the Fox Sports Ohio scribe.
- Bulls assistant coach Adrian Griffin remains a legitimate candidate for the Cavs head coaching position, but Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry, whom the Cavs want to interview, would have to dazzle owner Dan Gilbert to be hired, sources tell Amico.