The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to find ways to finally alter their course. After an unsuccessful effort to make it to the playoffs this past season, they hope that the No.1 pick they hold for the upcoming draft will be the one to increase their chances for something better in 2014 – 2015. This summer will be a very significant one for the Cavs. Big and potentially course – changing decisions for the franchise will have to be made. One of them is the extension of Kyrie Irving’s contract.
The Cavaliers might enter the 2014 – 2015 season as one of the teams with the best potential for the future or as a team which is still battling to find its way. The latest rumors state that the Cavs are not eager to offer Irving a maximum contract. If those reports are close to reality, Cleveland will risk losing Kyrie Irving in one year from now, when the 22 – year old All – Star will be a restricted free agent.
Of course, it’s not just money that might drive Irving away from Cleveland. He is still young and he will most probably have several chances to be a part of a winning franchise, a title contender. However, since LeBron James left Cleveland, the Cavaliers have not been able to make the playoffs no matter how hard they tried. Will Irving be willing to commit to a franchise which has not managed to turn its fate around?
The prospect the Cavaliers select with their top overall pick this summer will also be a key to the team’s future. In fact, it might also play a big role to Irving’s decision to accept or turn down the extension the Cavs present to him this summer.
At the moment, Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins seem to be the top two candidates for that top overall spot. We saw the Cavaliers failing to find a valuable piece a year ago, when they picked Anthony Bennett at the top of the draft. This year, though, they can’t do wrong, unless they aim to do so. Both Embiid and Wiggins are widely expected to become superstars in the NBA and even if the Cavaliers select Jabari Parker, they will still get an equally valued prospect. Superstar value will most probably be found in the top three spots of the upcoming draft.
Judging from the Cavaliers’ needs at the moment and keeping in mind that Luol Deng will most probably not return in Cleveland, Wiggins and Embiid seem to be perfect fits. Embiid would provide a strong presence and offense inside, something that Anderson Varejao could offer to the Cavs. Wiggins on the other hand will start in the place of Luol Deng if he gets selected by Cleveland. Either prospect is project to make its presence felt in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers are still in search of their next head coach and David Blatt seems to be one of the front runners for the position. No deal has been sealed up to now and the latest reports state that Blatt will either choose the head coaching position in Cleveland or the assistant coach position in Golden State.
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Thank you for reading. Ron Leyba is the lead editor of Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues, and a LastWordOnSports NBA Analyst. For more of his articles, follow his updates at Google+ or follow him on Twitter – @ronniedare. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and “liking” our Facebook page.
