The Cavaliers fielded calls for over a month regarding the No. 3 pick in the draft. However the team’s brass was more excited about adding a rookie with a very high ceiling than reconstructing the roster, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. The Cavs selected USC big man Evan Mobley with the pick. “We were able to draft a transformative talent, whose versatility, athleticism and physical gifts are qualities we covet in a player. Evan Mobley checks each of those boxes,” GM Koby Altman said.
We have more from the Eastern Conference
- Pistons owner Tom Gores calls top pick Cade Cunningham a natural leader and feels giddy about the team’s future, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I’ve never felt better,” Gores said. “I woke up this morning and felt like we won already. We haven’t won a game yet. We felt like we won. I feel excited about where we’re at, but I also know through my life experiences we’ve got to go to work. We’ve got a great foundation.”
- Zach Guthrie and Mike Miller will be part of Wes Unseld Jr.‘s staff with the Wizards, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets. Guthrie worked under Rick Carlisle in Dallas last season, while Miller is the former coach of the G League’s Westchester Knicks. Former Magic assistant Pat Delany had already agreed to join the Wizards.
- Becky Bonner is expected to be a bench coach on Jamahl Mosley‘s Magic staff, Fischer adds in another tweet. She’s already the team’s Director of Player Development and Quality Control. Nate Tibbetts, Dale Osbourne and Kaleb Canales are expected to be on the front of Orlando’s bench assisting Mosley, according to Fischer (Twitter link).
Not that the Cavs made the wrong choice but they went from taking Garland when they already had Sexton (2 points) to now taking Mobley after they got Allen (2 centres)
Going to be interesting to see how they all fit and work together..
Btw this is what happens when you draft on talent and totally don’t care about fit.
You need to have a balance of both.
Didn’t like the Garland move but you had to pick Mobley.
I’m just glad they didn’t go fit and draft Culver.
2013 – Nerlens Noel C
2014 – Joel Embiid C
2015 – Jahlil Okafor C
2016 – Ben Simmons Point Center lol
If the #1 ranked player was an actual center, and Hinkie was still the GM…
But in all seriousness, nothing is worse – and I mean NOTHING is worse than drafting back-to-back Point Guards ahead of Steph Curry.
I’m not sure if was steph or his dad, but they told the wolves that he didn’t want to play there.
Del is a wise man.
I wonder if they will let Mike Miller lay down and coach from the floor like he did in Miami.
Based on all the talent assessments on Mobley that I’ve read or heard of, he should have no issue excelling alongside Allen. If he does, the fit with Allen is the least of their concerns. A 7’0″ 215 player doesn’t get graded as top overall pick material if there’s any real possibility that he’s going have trouble guarding on the perimeter or if he doesn’t show at least nascent offensive perimeter skills.
I’m not going to lie, normally I would question taking certain bigs early on, but after the small amount of stuff I’ve done so far to start catching up on draft prospects (havent had a chance to watch the draft yet) I saw Mobley and was super impressed with a lot. Hard to believe he isnt the number 1 guy available. Cade is pretty talented as well, and makes things look super easy, but this guy is going to be a big deal if they use him right and have the right things around him. I do question moving Taurean Prince though, and am curious to see what lineups they employ, assuming they also keep Allen b/c I’m not usually a fan of multibig lineups. I think Mobley can probably play the 4 in some lineups, but would prefer to see him at the 5 in super athletic lineups
Sexton should either be the 6th man, or get moved for shooting/defense at the 2/3 spots
Mobley and Green have a ton of upside, both even more than Cade has.
Cunningham was the safe pick for Detroit because he has the highest floor.
All three will be good. All three could be special. Cade is ready now. He’s absolutely the the one in this draft. In five yrs we could be talking about 6-8 stars from this draft. Cade already is one lol.
Ya, I’m not going to lie and say there arent other potential big stars. I think when I said it’s hard to believe he isnt a number 1 guy is speaking more to the fact that means there is another big option instead of him b/c when you watch/read this guys scouting reports, he jumps out a lot
I do wonder about fits though for some of these guys, but I cant say as much as I normally would at this point b/c I pretty much only through a handful of players so far, being super behind this year
I remember I liked Green in the 3-4 games I saw of him like 6 months ago, but I had 4 more games to watch I saved for before the draft, and they got deleted off my DVR somehow a couple of days ago, which was extremely frustrating. Was hoping to watch those b/c I think I remember them being the best ones to watch for the guys on that roster, and honestly I couldn’t remember much of what I had seen. I tried to do what I normally do without games for most prospects to try to remember, but everything I found was different from what I remembered
One thing I’ll say about Cade from what I saw. He kind of reminds me of a mix of a bunch of different guys. Not necessarily sure what his main position really is. As I said, he makes things look really easy. It also kind of feels like he never accelerates. Not saying he doesnt play with effort, but that stood out to me. I also thought he struggled with that first step quickness on both sides of the ball, especially against smaller guards.
Kind of reminded me of a combination of Tobias Harris, Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons, Luka, a little of Kevin Durant, a little of Lebron…with a lot less athleticism than a couple of those guys
That being said, detroit needed shooting at the 2/4 spots, and at PG, and they have made a pretty versatile roster pretty quickly, and have a lot of size across the board. He also seems like a relatively ready made guy
You’re kinda right but Cade’s floor is Mobley’s and Greens ceiling
O ya he for sure does have a high floor. Didnt mean to imply otherwise. I’m not even really saying he isnt the number 1 guy either. Just saying a lot of other years Mobley would probably be that guy
Why is it so hard to believe? You don’t think the suns aren’t kicking themselves for not picking doncic, or the warriors not picking ball??
Like I said before I just don’t understand the fetish for centers. You’re not winning a championship in this era if your best player is a center.
B/c he doesnt seem like an ordinary big. I’m usually the first one to talk about not paying bigs more than a certain amount in today’s NBA, outside of a handful of guys, or drafting certain bigs early…this guy isnt just a regular big. That being said, the roster around him is going to be a big part of making sure he develops. Fits at the top of the draft for certain guys seemed off to me at first glance
What makes him not an ordinary big? I’m pretty sure Everybody thought the same with Mo Bamba. Bamba is Taller, longer and a better shooter(and both lack in size). Unless a new age shaq comes in the league I’m not picking a hybrid big over playmaking & scoring.
Well first off Mobley shooting percentages in college are better than Bamba’s. Mobley offers value as a passer which Bamba does not, he also does commit alot of fouls.
Again, I’m the first one to talk about passing on bigs. Ask anyone here. I said the same about Wiseman in terms of fit and what was there…
Mobley can playmake and potentially spread the floor, and do all the defensive things you want from a modern day big. He has guard skills
Real1, maybe read a scouting report?— too much effort? Bamba never had varied skills. He was just tall and funny-looking I always made light of him.
That really is a silly thing to say. Regardless of what position they SAY he is, Giannis plays like a center. He rebounds like one. Dominates the paint like one. He just didn’t come into the nba built like one. In contrast, despite a similar size, Durant does NOT play like a center despite being 7ft tall.
To say a team shouldn’t draft a particular player because of position is silly. Special players are special players. AD might not be better than LBJ but he was just as integral to the championship as LBJ.
Imo Mobley is a Center. Still needs to fill out. He can step out and is smart enough to play with Allen. But today you do t want him guarding wings. Recipe to get hurt. Let him gain knowledge of NBA and weight. Best case is Cavs will get good value for Allen later. I think Suggs could have been the pick here. Truth is I don’t pass on Mobley either. Unless Raptors offered a great deal for him.
In my brief looks at him so far, I thought he was somewhat reminiscent of Chris Bosh, Anthony Davis, a little KG, and a little bit of Giannis before he added weight, also not entirely like him in terms of post game and less polished skill (which is crazy b/c he was raw and new to the game at thr time), but body wise, Embiid when he was in college
Not saying he is any of those guys, but you can see some of that there. Watching him made me wonder why I hadnt heard more about him
He’s a good 2way big. It’s why you want him at center. He’s also a center that can step out. He can shoot and like Joker some. He’s truly a new generation 7’. I see him inside and out. But he’s still a center to me. Also think it’s a good thing not to rush him. So sitting behind Allen is not a bad thing.
I said he is a 5. I didnt argue that. I do think he could play some 4 in certain lineups, against certain matchups, but in general, he is mostly a 5
You’re usually the one that considers most of these guys 4s. What changed, out of curiosity?
He’s Webber, longer and less difficult.
He will be perfect with Allen, as a 4.
Allen being there, will keep fools from making him a center, which he is too skinny for and would limit him for no reason.
I would like to see Altman call him a 4 instead of vague comments about playing him alongside of Allen. Cripes get it done. Losing GMs can luck into talent, like Weltman getting Suggs.
Mobley is a likely great.
In lineups where both play together, you need more shooting around them…if they hadn’t moved Taurean Prince, their versatility would be really interesting g
Garland, Okoro, Osman/Dotson, Prince, Mobley
Sexton, Dotson/Osman, Allen, Nance, shooter
Hard to really say though without seeing what else they do, but definitely shooting is a need at those 2/3 spots, and at the 4, especially after grabbing Rubio. In terms of adding a playmaker and someone that can defend at PG, besides Okoro and Jeremiah Martin, he is a good addition, but I’m not sure about his fit with Sexton on the roster, and until they add that shooting. They do have a couple of guys, like Windler that can knock down some shots, but you definitely want defense around him…and that’s without considering where Kevin Love fits into all of this
As of now, maybe
Garland, Okoro, Windler, Osman, Allen
Sexton, Dotson, Mobley, Nance/Kevin Love, Shooter, Rubio/Martin? I also wonder what happens with Kabengele at the 5/4 spots…definitely a lot of possibilities, but they’re going to have to decide what to do with Sexton, Nance, Kevin Love, and addressing that shooting. Jarrett Allen taking a step forward offensively, as I believe he is capable of, would be a very big deal for them, and solve a lot of the issues, to be honest, especially of he can be more consistent spacing the floor
Sexton has shot 38% for his career from the 3. He IS that shooter. I would like to see an additional shooter from the SF position. In a position less game, I wonder if the 6’7 Nance could slide to SF and continue to improve on his 3pt shooting (about 36% on 3.5 attempts last 2 years). and playmaking ability 5 apg per 100 possessions.
Ya, which is why I still mentioned him, and think they can have certain multiguard lineups with him in it. That being said, you dont want too many people that need the ball in their hands on the floor together, and you also want to try to balance the floor with defense and your general scoring options. Definitely want to have his scoring on the floor in those 2nd units. Also better shooters around those pieces will likely help them shoot the ball at those improved clips more frequently b/c of more space on the floor
Formerlyz you’re nuts. Prince was not a better shooter than about six others… Nobody keeps him as he doesn’t help well on defense. You keep saying you’re still thinking, will get around to seeing videos like someone asked for a report with a deadline.
Why must so many be surprised… His older brother was a 4 so he was not. Now they’re not together.
Mobley could lose confidence if he gets put at center.
Comparison Chris Webber, who forced out when GSW HC Nelson drafted him as a center.
Taurean Prince is relatively similar to Jae Crowder. Plays the 3/4, can defend, put the ball on the floor, and shoot…He has had a couple of injuries the last few years
Webber would mostly be a 5 nowadays, and played the 5 in certain lineups with Sacramento, even back then
But ya, Mobley isnt a strict 5. In certain lineups, he can play some at the 4, which is why I said that…