NBA Draft Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers owner, front office at odds over No. 1 pick
With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft the Cleveland Cavaliers select…well, that depends on who you believe these days. Speculation over trades have run rampant ever since the Cavs won the NBA Draft lottery, but on Wednesday ESPN’s Chad Ford is reporting that there is internal strife over who to take with the No. 1 pick.
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Yes, it now appears the Cavaliers are looking at keeping the No. 1 pick, but who will it be? According to Chad Ford’s report, the Cavs are torn over Kansas’ forward Andrew Wiggins and Duke guard Jabari Parker.
On the side of taking Andrew Wiggins is owner David Gilbert, on the side of taking Jabari Parker is the entire front office. However, we’ve seen Gilbert veto the wishes of the front office before.
It happened just weeks ago when Gilbert chose to offer the job to Kentucky’s John Calipari over David Blatt. In the end, Calipari turned down the Cavs and Blatt was hired anyway.
What isn’t known is who will ultimately win out, and Ford’s sources are also in the dark on that point:
"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."
Gilbert has been a hands-on owner from the start, but last year he allowed the front office to control the pick and it was Anthony Bennett. His rookie season was largely a disappointment, as Bennett averaged just 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season.
Could Gilbert draw off that experience and veto his front office for the second time in the offseason? According to Ford it very well could.
“After what happened last year, he may choose to make the call himself,” one source close to the situation told ESPN.com.
The experience of individual workouts could also have a major effect, where it has been reported that Wiggins did well and Parker tanked in front of Cavs personnel.
Only Gilbert actually knows what will ultimately happen, and it appears we’ll likely all find out together when the No. 1 pick is announced at the NBA Draft on Thursday night.