The NBA Draft is Thursday, but that hasn't stopped the Cleveland Cavaliers from being completely conflicted with the No. 1 overall selection. Reports are surfacing that Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wants Andrew Wiggins while new general manager David Griffin favors Jabari Parker.
Chad Ford of ESPN was the first with the report and believes that Griffin, as well as majority of the front office, want Parker for the team while Gilbert stands by Wiggins.
“Parker came in for a workout and was less than stellar, appearing out of shape and even disinterested. Sources told ESPN.com that the former Duke forward prefers to play in Milwaukee Bucks, which is closer to his Chicago home and also a spot in which he can be featured as a go-to player. In an interview with ESPN's Andy Katz, Parker also predicted he would land in Milwaukee.
Sources said that it's still unclear whether Gilbert will overrule Griffin and the Cavs' front office -- as was the case when he offered Kentucky coach John Calipari the coaching job prior to hiring David Blatt.”
Ford as well as many other sources believe that the Cavaliers selection of Anthony Bennett in the 2013 NBA Draft has made Gilbert gun-shy. In that draft, head coach Mike Brown was given all authority with the selection which is part of the reason Brown isn't with the Cavaliers anymore.
It’s unknown what Gilbert’s motivation is for his favoritism toward Wiggins, but t could be in part as a way to lure LeBron James back to Cleveland. The Cavaliers have to be looking at every single scenario when it comes to the draft and the looming free agency. The decision they make has to leave them in a better place than last season or they risk losing Kyrie Irving and reverting back to irrelevancy.
[ESPN]
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