Holding Onto Hope. The Reason For Not Trading:
It is no secret that the city of Cleveland has long suffered heartbreak caused by years of watching their sports teams either lose early and often during the course of a season or simply crumble under the pressure of high expectations in the postseason. With most campaigns in all Cleveland sports being a wash usually by mid season many deranged fans have accepted the fact that it is no secret that the city has touted such events as the NFL and NBA Drafts as personal Super Bowls. And they are right. They are personal Super Bowls.
The excitement this great up and coming city felt when the Cleveland Cavaliers came away winners of the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery was completely different than the feeling of winning the 2013 Draft Lottery. The 2013 NBA lotto was atrocious. Even one future All-Star ever coming out of that draft would most likely be bet against. The number one pick Anthony Bennett had a terrible season. Of course he can improve but his ceiling has never been that of a potential perennial All Star.
It’s the week of the draft. Media outlets are buzzing with rumors, trade possibilities, and player debate. At this point we know who the consensus top 2 prospects are. Andrew Wiggins of Kansas and Jabari Parker of Duke are arguably the top healthy players of this year’s draft class. Rumors have surfaced that Parker tanked his Cavaliers workout. Reports are he is overweight. Sources state that he would rather play in Milwaukee. Yes, Milwaukee. Well I will pay no attention to that. For sake of conversation I will also mention Joel Embiid’s injury. Hate to see a young promising player go down. I do wish him a speedy recovery. What I am getting at though is the stars have completely aligned for the Cavaliers and they better not mess this up!
Not only is the last man practically and literally standing Kansas’s Andrew Wiggins, but he is the perfect fit right now for a franchise desperate to win. The one position the Cavs have not filled ironically is the Small Forward spot left behind by Lebron James. Andrew Wiggins is the best prospect in this draft. He has been the number 1 prospect of his class since junior high school. Wiggins is arguably the most athletic player in this class. He plays both ends of the court. He has ability to be a lock down defender. He has a smooth jump shot and is extremely unselfish. What an amazing consolation prize the Cavs have access to even before King James decides to opt in or out of his contract.
Often in pro sports situations just come together. Whether it be destiny or pure luck is up for debate. The famous pick of Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan because Portland valued size was possibly the worst draft decision of all time regardless of Clyde Drexler being a Shooting Guard or not. The decision to take Greg Oden over the obviously more talented Kevin Durant was another poor decision that will not be soon forgotten. But for the Chicago Bulls, and at the time the Seattle Supersonics, the situations that transpired leading up to those respective drafts shaped the actual night of the NBA Draft. They chose the next best player available and they came away winners. Pieces fell into place. No outrageous gamble was made. No one sided trades were attempted. They simply took the best player available. With Embiid’s injury and Jabari’s possible reluctance, why even debate this anymore?
The night of June 26th 2014 the Cleveland Cavaliers will select Andrew Wiggins former Kansas Jayhawk with the first pick of the NBA Draft. He should have been the undisputed choice all along. Cleveland, you only have one shot, and based on recent events, even Cleveland cannot mess this one up.
-Cory Jarrous
Image courtesy of: http://www.sikids.com
