Jan 26, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari gives instructions to forward Nerlens Noel (3) in the second half of the game against the LSU Tigers at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated LSU 75-70. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Pretty hard to say this is some type of shocking news, but Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari wants the Cleveland Cavaliers, who own the first overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft, to select his former player Nerlens Noel.
Noel of course is recovering from a torn ACL, but despite that, he’s still expected to be a top three (more likely two) pick in the upcoming draft which pundits are calling relatively weak. Still, that shouldn’t take away from Noel’s ability as he’s one of the few premier talents in a relatively shallow pool.
As to why Calipari is pushing for the Cavs to select the 19-year-old big man? One would assume it’s nothing more than self promotion, given the factory of NBA-ready talent Calipari is known to produce, but not according to Coach Cal.
The reason why he wants Noel to become a member of the Cavaliers organization is because they’re “smart” and they “haven’t made any mistakes”.
Per Cleveland.com:
The reason Calipari wants Noel to wind up in Cleveland has more to do with his respect for Cavs General Manager Chris Grant and his staff when it comes to their draft history.
“They haven’t made mistakes,” Calipari said in a telephone interview on Wednesday, one day after the Cavs won the lottery to earn the No. 1 pick for the second time in three years. “If they pick him, in all likelihood, history tells you something: It’s not a mistake, which means it’s good for my kid.
“Chris Grant has been in our building more than any other GM. That’s no disrespect to any other GM. That’s just a fact. He and his staff are very thorough in what they’ve done. That’s why I say I hope he gets drafted by them.”
We’ll see if Calipari gets his wish when the NBA Draft is conducted on June 27th.
Topics: Cleveland Cavaliers, John Calipari, Kentucky Wildcats, NBA Draft 2013, Nerlens Noel
