2014 NBA Draft

[mr. synellinden]

Unbelievable - the Cavaliers get the #1 pick again - with a 1.7% chance -- and this time in a loaded draft. Do they go for the post presence in Embiid or a forward in Wiggins or Parker? And who is going to coach this team? The first thing I thought about when they won the draft lottery was - what are the chances Lebron comes back? All of a sudden, the Cavs' and Kyrie's future got much more interesting.

Also, I was distracted by the Bucks representative - Mallory Edens - the daughter of one of the new owners - who is about to become a household name and a Twitter sensation if it hasn't happened already. There are probably going to be a billion tweets that she won the lottery or that someone would take her with the 1st pick in the draft.

[Dukehky]

Barring some bad news with his team physicals, which will be very elaborate, the Cavs will take Joel Embiid, and probably should.

Now we all have to hope that Milwaukee takes Wiggins, because nobody wants to see Jabari play for the Bucks. Out of the top three, which I would be shocked to see Bari fall out of, I would much rather see him play in Philly than Cleveland or Milwaukee. Seriously, no more Duke kids under the tutelage of the worst owner in sports, Dan Gilbert. I also don't want my guy any where near the crap storm that is Johnny Football (who I actually like, but the media is going to lump all the young "Cleveland Stars" together)

Note: Sterling, worst person; Gilbert, worst owner.

[Selover]

Also, I was distracted by the Bucks representative - Mallory Edens - the daughter of one of the new owners - who is about to become a household name and a Twitter sensation if it hasn't happened already. There are probably going to be a billion tweets that she won the lottery or that someone would take her with the 1st pick in the draft.

Don't quote me, but I believe she's still in high school lol.

[gocanes0506]

My mock

CAVs- Parker. With as much of a mess as Bennett has been, the CAVs will pick the safest pick.
Bucks- Wiggins
BOS- Embiid (The 76ers already have a project big man. they will look to move out.)
Lakers- Exum. Lakers want him bad and will trade way too much to get him. #7 + next 1st rounder maybe even more
76ers- Randle (gives them a nasty combo with Noel. They have enough 2nd rounders to move up one slot.
Utah- Smart
Orlando- LaVine
Kings- Gordon
Charlotte- Harris
76ers- Hood
Denver- McDermott
Magic- Saric
Twolves- Young
Suns- Grant

[Newton_14]

Barring some bad news with his team physicals, which will be very elaborate, the Cavs will take Joel Embiid, and probably should.

Now we all have to hope that Milwaukee takes Wiggins, because nobody wants to see Jabari play for the Bucks. Out of the top three, which I would be shocked to see Bari fall out of, I would much rather see him play in Philly than Cleveland or Milwaukee. Seriously, no more Duke kids under the tutelage of the worst owner in sports, Dan Gilbert. I also don't want my guy any where near the crap storm that is Johnny Football (who I actually like, but the media is going to lump all the young "Cleveland Stars" together)

Note: Sterling, worst person; Gilbert, worst owner.

I think I disagree. My bet is they take Jabari. Embid, due to the back issues mainly, is still considered somewhat of a risk. Jabari is the closest thing to a sure thing there is in this draft, and after flopping with the Bennett pick last season, I think the Cavs want a sure thing. I think the Cavs keep the Duke connection going and take Jabari. I would if given the choice to make the decision for them.


The surprise to me is that for several weeks Randle has no longer been in the discussion with the "top 3". He was replaced by Embid in those conversations and is now lumped in the grouping with Smart, Aaron Gordon, Exum, and Noah Vonleh. Earlier in the year the big 3 of Parker, Wiggins, Randle was all the rage with all 3 being seen as the potential Number 1 pick depending on which team landed the top pick. The guy can play. I don't know that I would take anyone not named Parker or Wiggins over him.

I am not down on Embid but I am cautious with him. Incredible talent. I worry first about health and longevity, and to a lesser degree, what is his real ceiling? I wish him well. The league could use another dominant big man. Greg Oden was supposed to be that guy but health issues killed that dude.

[TexHawk]

Barring some bad news with his team physicals, which will be very elaborate, the Cavs will take Joel Embiid, and probably should.

Crazy all of the weird stuff out there tonight.

Chad Ford ‏@chadfordinsider 15m
I know, but good source in Cleveland just corrected me RT @440shane: Pre lotto you said they liked Parker?
Chad Ford ‏@chadfordinsider 18m
Our new Mock is my faithful editors hands. Think Andrew Wiggins is odds on favorite to go No. 1 to Cavs

I personally don't think Jabari makes much sense in Cleveland. He would be fighting for the leftover shots after Kyrie/Waiters get theirs. Wiggins doesn't need the ball as much right now, and he would immediately bring NBA-level defense. Parker makes more sense to Milwaukee (unfortunately) or Philly. Both teams need help offensively, and both have good defenders in the post who could hide him a bit.

If Cleveland doesn't take Embiid, I think he slips to 4, at the earliest.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Seriously, no more Duke kids under the tutelage of the worst owner in sports, Dan Gilbert. I also don't want my guy any where near the crap storm that is Johnny Football (who I actually like, but the media is going to lump all the young "Cleveland Stars" together)

Note: Sterling, worst person; Gilbert, worst owner.

When has an NBA owner "taught" a player anything on the court? So I don't follow the "tutelage" comment.

Also "the crap storm that is Johnny Football" and lumping all the young Cleveland stars together? Again, what does this mean?

My thoughts are:

If the Cavs get Cal as head coach, look for them to draft Wiggins and make a push for Lebron.

Crazy? Yeah, but so is winning the lottery 3 out of 4 years.

If no Lebron, I see Parker as the "safe" and more likely pick.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Crazy all of the weird stuff out there tonight.

Chad Ford ‏@chadfordinsider 15m
I know, but good source in Cleveland just corrected me RT @440shane: Pre lotto you said they liked Parker?
Chad Ford ‏@chadfordinsider 18m
Our new Mock is my faithful editors hands. Think Andrew Wiggins is odds on favorite to go No. 1 to Cavs

I personally don't think Jabari makes much sense in Cleveland. He would be fighting for the leftover shots after Kyrie/Waiters get theirs. Wiggins doesn't need the ball as much right now, and he would immediately bring NBA-level defense. Parker makes more sense to Milwaukee (unfortunately) or Philly. Both teams need help offensively, and both have good defenders in the post who could hide him a bit.

If Cleveland doesn't take Embiid, I think he slips to 4, at the earliest.

The Cavs would be stupid to not take either Wiggins or Embiid. Both of these players have shown something that Parker has not: defense. The Cavs ranked 19 or 30 in defensive efficiency, and this was with a defensive-minded coach. With Parker, we are talking about their top 3 players who cannot play a lick of defense: Irving, Waiters, and Parker. That is a recipe for disaster.

With Wiggins, they have a potential top 3 defender and don't need to rely on Wiggins for offense for the first few years. With Embiid, they have a 7-foot Ibaka who has more potential than either Parker or Wiggins.

I really think that Parker goes either 2nd (Bucks, nooooooo) or 3rd (76ers, not bad). Also, I don't want Parker in basketball hell.

[superdave]

My mock

CAVs- Parker. With as much of a mess as Bennett has been, the CAVs will pick the safest pick.
Bucks- Wiggins
BOS- Embiid (The 76ers already have a project big man. they will look to move out.)
Lakers- Exum. Lakers want him bad and will trade way too much to get him. #7 + next 1st rounder maybe even more
76ers- Randle (gives them a nasty combo with Noel. They have enough 2nd rounders to move up one slot.
Utah- Smart
Orlando- LaVine
Kings- Gordon
Charlotte- Harris
76ers- Hood
Denver- McDermott
Magic- Saric
Twolves- Young
Suns- Grant

Did Boston and LA trade up? I must have missed when that happened...

[gocanes0506]

Did Boston and LA trade up?mi must have missed when that happened...

oh no but it may happen come draft day. just me mocking a draft.

[superdave]

The Cavs would be stupid to not take either Wiggins or Embiid. Both of these players have shown something that Parker has not: defense. The Cavs ranked 19 or 30 in defensive efficiency, and this was with a defensive-minded coach. With Parker, we are talking about their top 3 players who cannot play a lick of defense: Irving, Waiters, and Parker. That is a recipe for disaster.

With Wiggins, they have a potential top 3 defender and don't need to rely on Wiggins for offense for the first few years. With Embiid, they have a 7-foot Ibaka who has more potential than either Parker or Wiggins.

I really think that Parker goes either 2nd (Bucks, nooooooo) or 3rd (76ers, not bad). Also, I don't want Parker in basketball hell.

I think you are correct here. It will be interesting to see what happens with Embiid's back and with Kevin Love. Those two things will shape this draft at the top. But Parker is unlikely to go #1 overall.

[superdave]

oh no but it may happen come draft day. just me mocking a draft.

Seems to me that neither the Lakers or Celtics rebuild via the draft. Both are far more likely to shop their picks for veterans. I bet both try to put together packages including their lottery picks for Kevin Love.

[theAlaskanBear]

The Cav's can't take Parker because he and Bennett play the same position -- SF/PF tweener. It comes down to Embiid and Wiggins, unless Cleveland foresees an Irving exit and drafts Exum to trade Irving or Waiters. Embiid might be great next to Thompson, but Wiggins would be a safer pick. A college center with back problems? I don't want any part of that.

I don't see Wiggins as a great fit in Milwaukee, because of the early success of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks have a solid front line, I really think Exum would be a great fit, but I suppose they could take Parker -- they have a plethora of big men though. Embiid means trading Henson or Sanders (probably Sanders with his off-court issues).

Philly with the 3rd pick would be the best place for Parker to land. He can play SF/PF with Noel backing up the paint.

[TexHawk]

Seems to me that neither the Lakers or Celtics rebuild via the draft. Both are far more likely to shop their picks for veterans. I bet both try to put together packages including their lottery picks for Kevin Love.

The Lakers can probably do both. Love has always had his eyes on LA, and he will be a free agent regardless of trade. The Lakers could take someone like Marcus Smart, let him learn for a year, then roll with both of them in '15-16.

[brevity]

So... Cleveland wins the NBA Draft Lottery in 2011, 2013, and 2014.

The real winner in all of this? Anthony Davis, 2012.

[FireOgilvie]

I would probably take Wiggins at #1, but I think the Bucks will be thrilled to have Parker at 2.

The Cavs are a disaster. They're the only franchise that can take Luol Deng and turn him into a mediocre player - his numbers went down across the board on a worse team. Unfortunately, I'm a Cavs fan, but if I was building a championship roster in the Eastern Conference from scratch, I wouldn't want a single Cavs player on my roster anywhere, including Kyrie. I love the guy, but I think he should leave ASAP and go to the Western Conference where he can run up and down the court and not worry as much about things like defense or toughness. I don't see LeBron coming back unless some major changes occur; they need to blow up the entire roster and start from scratch.

[Duvall]

I would probably take Wiggins at #1, but I think the Bucks will be thrilled to have Parker at 2.

The Cavs are a disaster. They're the only franchise that can take Luol Deng and turn him into a mediocre player - his numbers went down across the board on a worse team. Unfortunately, I'm a Cavs fan, but if I was building a championship roster in the Eastern Conference from scratch, I wouldn't want a single Cavs player on my roster anywhere, including Kyrie. I love the guy, but I think he should leave ASAP and go to the Western Conference where he can run up and down the court and not worry as much about things like defense or toughness. I don't see LeBron coming back unless some major changes occur; they need to blow up the entire roster and start from scratch.

That may not be enough. Dissolving the franchise and adding an expansion team in Seattle is probably the safer bet.

[mattman91]

1. This is obviously rigged. The chances of Cleveland getting the top pick were only 1.7% higher than the chance of me getting drafted.
2. Glad Charlotte gets a top 10 pick.
3. Cool to see Kyle, as well as Nick's dad.
4. The Bucks daughter is very pretty, but not as drool worthy as her recent Twitter follower surge would suggest.

[sagegrouse]

I would probably take Wiggins at #1, but I think the Bucks will be thrilled to have Parker at 2.

The Cavs are a disaster. They're the only franchise that can take Luol Deng and turn him into a mediocre player - his numbers went down across the board on a worse team. Unfortunately, I'm a Cavs fan, but if I was building a championship roster in the Eastern Conference from scratch, I wouldn't want a single Cavs player on my roster anywhere, including Kyrie. I love the guy, but I think he should leave ASAP and go to the Western Conference where he can run up and down the court and not worry as much about things like defense or toughness. I don't see LeBron coming back unless some major changes occur; they need to blow up the entire roster and start from scratch.

LeBron left Cleveland and Akron, his hometown, because he had spent 25 years there and wanted to be someplace else. The Beach? Ah, yes, the Beach. He was vilified by one and all Northern Ohioans when he left. Why would he ever consider returning?

LeBron could decide to stay in Miami, but one would have to guess that media markets like LA and NY, which each have two teams, would be as big a pull.

[Selover]

1. This is obviously rigged. The chances of Cleveland getting the top pick were only 1.7% higher than the chance of me getting drafted.
2. Glad Charlotte gets a top 10 pick.
3. Cool to see Kyle, as well as Nick's dad.
4. The Bucks daughter is very pretty, but not as drool worthy as her recent Twitter follower surge would suggest.

KD seems to think otherwise...

mallory-edens.jpg