After securing the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft three of the last four years, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has put his team on notice that it’s time to take advantage of their great fortune.
After finishing the year at 37-45 and out of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Cavs again hold the top overall selection in Thursday night’s draft, where they are expected to choose between either Duke’s Jabari Parker or Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins.
“Owner Dan Gilbert has given a mandate to ownership to turn this roster into a playoff squad this season,” a source told ESPN, adding that in keeping with that plan the team may be leaning toward selecting the more NBA-ready Parker with the top pick.
The son of former NBA journeyman Sonny Parker, the 19-year-old averaged 19 points and nine rebounds for the Blue Devils this season, earning the Wayman Tisdale Award as the nation’s top freshman player.
After firing coach Mike Brown after just one season, the Cavs recently hired David Blatt as new coach and one of his first orders of business would seem to be trying to develop better chemistry for the largely dysfunctional team.
The Cavs bickered almost as much as they struggled last season, with star guards Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters at one point reportedly coming to blows and Irving walking away with a broken nose and black eye.
Since the season ended, Irving and management have also butted heads over his perceived worth, with the third-year guard demanding a max contract extension before his deal formally expires at the end of next season and front office execs hinting that they didn’t think he had proved worthy of such distinction.
This year’s draft is considered one of the most star-studded in years, also boasting the likes of Aaron Gordon, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Dante Exum, and Tyler Ennis.
