The Cavaliers should look to trade down from the No. 5 spot in the draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic opines. Cleveland is in need of more assets in order to complete its rebuild, in Vecenie’s view, and there are some teams who might look to move into its slot. If that doesn’t happen and the draft picks fall in line with current projections, USC center Onyeka Okongwu might be its best option due to his defensive skills, Vecenie adds.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Kevin Love is no longer with the Cavaliers at their in-market mini-camp, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. Love had indicated he would leave early but wanted to show leadership by attending some of the mini-camp. Love departed the facility on Saturday, Fedor adds.
- University of Minnesota big man Daniel Oturu interviewed with the Bucks on Monday, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. Oturu is ranked as the No. 36 overall prospect by ESPN and Milwaukee owns the 24th pick in the draft.
- The Pacers are looking for a coach and Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files goes over some of the questions those candidates need to answer, including their ability to develop young players and their plan to make the team’s offense more potent.
Okongwu at 5 is my prediction
Do the Cavs want LaMelo？
Knicks have completed two steps
1 interviewed Ball
2 figure out the real Ball
Hey, Kevin Love! Showing up for a few workouts and then leaving does not show that you are a leader but that you are primadonna *bleep*hole.
Newsflash, there are no games at hand. The Cavs are one of the uninvited.
Veterans are skipping across all camps. A few skipped the Orlando camp. The greater odds of skipping is one thing that happens when the commish excludes your team.
The abandoned player list is long, about 8×17 or 117.
link to hoopsrumors.com
Teams ignored have about 2 to 4 or more skipping, players FA or who assume they have nothing to prove. KLove isn’t listed since he was there. It’s better he isn’t, given his injury history. There’s no need to look desperate. The kids like to play and in March I hope they play mad, more like primadonna whatholes that dominate the conference and generally don’t bother holding practices.
Veteran + attending some of the minicamp does not equal good team leader…the same is true with good stats + high salary.
Considering these mini camps are for the development of young players, and Kevin Love is a veteran; it makes plenty of sense why he is leaving and allow the focus of the camp to be on the young players. The fact that you pretend to know what makes a good leader only makes you look bad
You are making my point for me…Love left early because his presence might hinder the development of young players or at least not help it. Exactly what you want from a team leader.
It sounds like abandonment issues at hand.
1. Nobody wants a leader for the tears and handholding. 2. There are no games scheduled. 3. Nobody is pretending there is a goal worthy of the captain. 4. I would prefer he not be there under these circumstances and I suspect Cavs fans agree. 5. From the beginning I and Silver have said that nobody should have to show for whatever these camps are called. Restart nonstarts.
A tournament should exist IMO, except some people think 22 teams was the right number a fan should see. That was the key view out of New York if not Cleveland. Personally I want to hear about Windler making steps, and there are coaches there to steer progress if not opponents to measure against.
Remember JV teams?— the varsity got banned.
Maybe calling Love a primadonna bleephole was overboard but he has had his moments in the past. Love said he showed up for leadership purposes and I have a different opinion on someone who is looking to claim that they are leading a group of elite athletes. The counter arguments amounted to either irrelevant facts or personal attacks.
In regards to the personal attacks, either “looking bad” or having “abandonment” issues are irrelevant to my premise that Love is not a very good leader.
Now the “facts”:
The fact that lots of veterans skipped these camps does not bear on the premise. Love chose to go to camp to lead.
He hasn’t played bball in months so he should be pretty injury free but if he is made out of glass then he probably should not have come at all. You could also argue it would better for him to play some competitive ball now rather than wait a year or more to do so. Either way, he went to camp so he must not be that concerned about it.
Your post above with the numbered list (1-5) makes it sound like I claimed that Love should have showed up to the camp to be a leader. He showed up on his own, claimed leadership then left early. That list does not really address that.
Address what he did? But nobody is saying he did not do those things. He did regular things in that situation, and to club expectation. I supported that normalcy with a list of facts completely to that point, if not your side of it. You’re the one with a cursing judgement that sounds like the writer’s projection, now shrinking the premise instead of supporting an insinuation (“he has had his moments”). (He tried to force his way out last year, also rational.)
Most people are not good leaders, but if one does it and gets asked why, are liable to say it was done for leadership. What else was he supposed to say? “Leader” gets thrown around a lot.
Ironically the Cavs got some primmadonna-bleephole-ness with their EC titles and it was probably helpful, and keeping KLove was supposed to help the club retain some of that attitude. So in a way that OP would accidentally be helpful!
Would Cleveland trade #5 to Boston for their 3 first rounders?
Memphis’ is the highest pick. It’s hard to be sure the player you like is still there. But if nothing changes between now and #15 pick time, and my middraft favorite is still there,
… I would do it. If the choices at the #5 pick are a tossup, make a call to Boston to break the tie.
But that could go for any team slotted in the top half or so with other assets.
Gilbert never wanted to give up a #1 pick, but #5 might be GM Altman’s call.
Not sure why, but that posted before I was done.
@mikedickinson
According to my valuation and evaluation,
Valuation ^ (14+26+30) = 7
Valuation of 3 Firsts is worth 7th pick
From a premium talent perspective, this is one of the worst NBA drafts in years. There is no consensus #1 pick, nor is there a consensus Top 5 either. There’s a fairly decent chance that a player drafted at 14 in this year’s draft could be as good, if not better than the 5th overall pick so New York should consider that deal if that’s an option available to them.
There are rumors that Golden State wants to trade down from #2 as well. One of the early rumors also involves the Celtics where Boston would send Marcus Smart and some of their picks to GS for the #2 overall pick. If that was to happen, I’d assume Boston would either go with Wiseman or Ball (preferably Wiseman) as they really need an athletic big man to keep up with Bam, Embiid and the other talented bigs in the East.
Smart may have played himself out of that trade rumor.
Indeed, Smart has shown that he’s probably more useful to the Celtics than Kemba Walker, he’s not going anywhere. Also, Smart and Draymond
Green in the same team might not be a great idea.
The Pacers can make their offense more potent by telling Turner to get under the basket and stop chucking up threes.
There is a a consensus #1. Just cause they tell you there isn’t, does not mean there isn’t. Wiseman will be be best player in this draft. If someone doesn’t trade up for him. Cause Minny is taking Edwards. After Beasley getting busted. GS could trade out. If not Wiseman will not go past Charlotte. It will be MJs best pick ever. Book it. Cavs should be looking at Toppin first. He’s a better fit with Drummond. And they should trade Love for a pick. Minnys second #1 pick. Cavs should be in full rebuild.
O tutu is a solid big prospect. Old school PF team player. But Stewart should be there for Bucks. I take him first. More athletic and just as big.
Good stuff. I’ve been through all the top3 for the #1, then the arrest. That may take the ball out of Rossas’ hands. If he doesn’t take Edwards he may look dumb for passing on need.
Same thing for the Cavs tough, if they don’t trade Love or Drummond. Need points to Okoro.
I don’t think you really know what the word “consensus” means. It doesn’t means that you are personally 100% sure you are right. It means EVERYONE agrees that you are 100% right. That’s not the case here. Wiseman is not Zion or Ben Simmons.