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| Andrew Wiggins will remain a Cleveland Cavalier for good reason. Photo credit: NBA |
Cleveland Cavaliers have told #1 NBA draft pick Andrew Wiggins that he will not be traded for anyone, including Kevin Love. The Cavs have a great reason why.
+Rodney FisherLast night in a sold-out gym in Las Vegas, Andrew Wiggins made his professional debut in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform. A day that was already circled on NBA fans' offseason calendar was upgraded after hearing the news that LeBron James will be "coming home" to join his former team.
Wiggins started his rookie season against the #2 pick in the draft Jabari Parker and finished with 18 points on only one turnover in 31 minutes. True, we have not seen him against the NBA's best, but not a bad start for a young player that has been heralded as the next basketball phenom. A moniker that his new teammate James knows all to well.
What better teacher for Wiggins to have guide him through the NBA than King James? James is the best player for him to identify with in terms of expectations. Wiggins was on the cover of Sports Illustrated getting compared to Wilt Chamberlain for crying out loud...Not your normal treatment for an 18-year old.
When LeBron joined the Cavs in 2003, the only veteran presence was Tony Battie, Eric Williams, and Kevin Ollie respectfully. What if he would have joined 2003-04 MVP Kevin Garnett during his rookie year? What if Michael Jordan would have entered the NBA as a teammate of Magic Johnson or Larry Bird? The greatness would inevitably be there, but the timetable to see it would have been shorter. The Cavs have the unique opportunity to try the experiment of joining the best player in the world with the best potential player in the world.
The thought of bringing in Kevin Love coming off a career year is "intriguing". When you have LeBron James any player would be intriguing to pair with him. The Cavs can take a wait-and-see attitude to Kevin Love. All indications suggest that he will leave at the end of next season regardless if he gets traded.
The Cavs are also hedging their bets in case King James decides to move court again. Let's face it...whenever he has had the opportunity to leave as a free agent his track record is 2-1 in favor of leaving. There are several unknowns that come from having a rookie head coach, repaired relationship with ownership, and an overall hunger to win that can go either way. This time the Cavs could have the next great player already on their roster.
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