New Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt maintains that No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins isnt going anywhere, not even in a package that would return proven All-Star big man Kevin Love. The 19-year-old Wiggins has tremendous upside, as has been evident in glimpses thus far throughout his two summer league appearances. His young legs and athleticism could be an ideal fit alongside LeBron James, and LBJ also could help him with the killer instinct many feel is lacking in his game. However, theres little doubt that the 6-foot-10 Love would allow LeBrons Cavs to make a legitimate run at an NBA championship sooner. The skilled big man can score in the post and also beyond the 3-point line, is one of the games top rebounders and also is one of the elite passing big men. The 25-year-old Love averaged 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game last season while Wiggins has yet to play in an official NBA contest. We posed the question to a dozen NBA folks whether they would move Wiggins in a deal for Love. There would have to be other assets (i.e. Anthony Bennett and Dion Waiters) moved to Minnesota as well as Wiggins, but our focus was Wiggins and Love. Youll be surprised by the results -- which worked out to be 7-5 in favor of keeping Wiggins. Wiggins support Love is so overrated. Hes never won, one NBA executive said. Id wait if I was Cleveland. I wouldnt involve Wiggins in a trade for Love. Kevin is a perimeter big, added one coach. He needs to have the ball on multiple possessions to be really effective. It will be very difficult for a first-year coach to divide possessions between LeBron, Kyrie and Love. Wiggins is going to be really good in time, added an NBA general manager. Right now he can shoot and defend. Playing off LeBron and Kyrie [Irving] will take a lot of the pressure off him in the present. He could become a go-to scorer in a few years. Star potential on rookie scale deal for four years, another GM added. I feel like Wiggins may only be a year or so away from being a legit contributor, one front-office executive said. And Wiggins is cheap, so you are able to add more. Love is gonna cost a ton. Love support Why wait on Wiggins when Love makes them better now, one assistant GM said. And if you dont get Love now, hes going to be a Laker next summer. I definitely wouldnt want to, but might have to, one high-ranking NBA executive said. I wouldnt want to because Wiggins has a chance to be one of the top five players in the league and you could be set for 10 years. However, I might do it because Love helps you win a title in the next couple. I know what Love can do. Hes a proven commodity, plus his game meshes with LeBrons, one NBA scout said. Without a doubt. Cleveland would be a top-five team in the NBA and the top team in the East -- with Chicago and Indiana a close second and third, an NBA exec said. Cleveland becomes the favorite to win it all with the trio of LeBron, Kyrie and Love. With Wiggins, its going to take time. Sure, hell give you a terrific defender -- but now you have that with LeBron. Young talent Wiggins scored 18 points in his summer league debut, a matchup against No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker. Wiggins was 7-of-18 from the field and just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. Parker was 5-of-11 from the field, 7-of-11 from the line and finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Here were some thoughts from a couple of NBA guys watching from the stands: [+] EnlargeAndrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images Andrew Wiggins outscored Jabari Parker in their first matchup as pros. On Wiggins: • Great step-back jumper. • Very good standstill stroke from 18 feet. • Crashes the boards like a fiend. • Decent ballhandling skills, but must improve in that area. • Overall, very good first showing. Skys the limit. I thought he was aggressive on both ends. Hes more ahead defensively than offensively. His handle needs to improve, but he attacked the rim with abandon -- which wasnt always the case this past season in college. His jumper is a work in progress, but was productive. Thought it was a good first game. On Parker: • Very good in the post, will be a handful to guard there. • Was excellent in transition ... made some very difficult finishes at the rim. • Streaky from the outside ... solid range from 15 to 18. • Sneaky athleticism ... almost had the free-throw line dunk. I didnt know he could do that. Hes a scorer. He pressed tonight, but made a couple of wow moves. He played in a bit of a vacuum. Hes much better when hes getting in a flow.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 11:16:56 +0000
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