NBA Draft 2014 News: Cavaliers No. 1 Pick is Andrew Wiggins; 76ers Wants Wingman Too?
So it happened. The Cleveland Cavaliers used its No. 1 pick on Kansas small forward, Andrew Wiggins, in the 2014 NBA Draft, which the Los Angeles Times said, shaped up to be one of the most open ended in years, all thanks to the fracture, center Joel Embiid, suffered.
Wiggins will play under David Blatt, a new coach for the Cavs, Time said. Blatt has 20 years experience in Europe but is a first-timer in the NBA. If the stars align for Cleveland fans and the NBA Superstar opts out of his Miami Heat contract, LeBron James would play by Wiggins's side.
Before his freshman season at Kansas, the Los Angeles Times said, Wiggins was seen as the best NBA prospect since LeBron James. When the season started, though, he delivered defensively but was erratic offensively. He averaged just under 17 points and six rebounds a game, which would have been good if only he hadn't been named the second coming of LeBron. Embiid's injury propelled him up the draft class.
Also benefitting from the Embiid misfortune, Jabari Parker, considered the best overall player in his draft class, was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks. He had said earlier this week that he expected to go to Wisconsin, less than two hours from his hometown of Chicago.
The Philadelphia 76ers took former No. 1 prospect Joel Embiid for the third pick--he had to watch the draft from Los Angeles rather than attend the event at the Barclays Center, Time said. This is a high spot in the drafts considering recent reports said he would be out of the Top 5.
It was earlier reported by Philly that the Sixers were doing all they could to trade for the No. 1 overall pick, because they "really, really, really want Andrew Wiggins." The Sixers had the third and 10th slates in the first round.
Their interest may have gotten greater when Kansas center Joel Embiid injured his right foot last week. However, a tweet by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski said the deal was a no-go.
Wiggins, second pick Jabari Parker and Embiid were widely considered the Top 3 players in a deep draft--and Thursday's draft only affirmed that.
It is unknown when Embiid is going to be able to play, the Los Angeles Times reported however, and he might sit out the coming season. He takes with him the promise of versatility, though, averaging 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds while blocking 72 shots to earn Big 12 defensive-player-of-the-year honors. Injuries aside, he can be a franchise center who can run, shoot and defend.
The day of the draft was a key day for the Lakers as well, the report added. They had the seventh overall pick--the first time since 2007 that they held a first-round pick--and took in Julius Randle, a power forward from Kentucky.