Chad Ford’s 2014 NBA Mock Draft 9.0 (2 Rounds)

We have a bunch of information and rumors coming out regarding the Cleveland Cavaliers and we will do our best to address them all here at FoS. Yet ESPN’s Chad Ford has come out with his 2014 NBA Mock Draft 9.0 (Insider, costs $) that includes 2 rounds so we wanted to get to it first. Ford has had the Cavaliers selecting Joel Embiid for a long time now until the foot injury changed everyone’s course of thought. Like everyone else Ford decides now between Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker as he isn’t projecting trades in his mock draft. That leads him to the Cavs selecting…

"A week ago, Joel Embiid looked like a lock to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. News of a stress fracture in his right foot sent the Cavs spinning. Now the Cavs are wrestling between three options: draft Jabari Parker, draft Andrew Wiggins or trade the pick.Sources close to the Cavs told ESPN.com this weekend that the Cavs are now leaning toward taking Parker with the No. 1 pick. However, it’s far from a lock. Parker came in to work out on Friday in front of the Cavs front office and ownership. Parker wasn’t great. He was a bit heavy (he weighed in at 255 pounds), didn’t shoot the ball well and got winded at times. Furthermore, two different sources told ESPN.com that Parker seemed a bit indifferent. One source said he thought Parker “tanked” the workout.Why? A source says he strongly prefers to play in Milwaukee. The Cavs appear to be aware of this. “Jabari wasn’t himself,” one source said. “It was clear we weren’t his first option.”Meanwhile, Wiggins came in and nailed his workout on Wednesday. He shot the ball well, showed off tremendous athleticism and had a good interview. In fact, Wiggins was emphatic that he wants to be the No. 1 pick and wants to play for the Cavs.So why is Parker ahead of Wiggins?From what I can gather, while there are disagreements in the front office, Cavs GM David Griffin feels that Parker fits a more immediate need at the 3. Parker also is the most NBA-ready. They feel that whether he wants to play there or not, those hesitations will disappear when he arrives. They have a new front office, a new head coach and believe that he can actually help them build the sort of culture they want. Parker’s workout on Friday did create doubt, especially among ownership, but so far it looks like they are still leaning Parker.The third option, a trade, is also on the table. The Cavs received intriguing offers from the Sixers, Magic and Jazz late last week. Each is offering its own high lottery pick plus a veteran. The Cavs could theoretically get one of Thaddeus Young, Arron Afflalo or Derrick Favors and still have a top-5 pick in the draft. It would make it much easier to draft Embiid if you knew you got additional value in the form of a veteran who can help now."

So after giving tons of reasons why they should not draft Parker, Ford has the Cavs drafting Parker. He uses the same “is most NBA-ready” line that we have heard over and over again. It discounts the defensive side of the ball drastically. That he is a high character player who “can actually help them build the sort of culture they want” doesn’t fit with the previous information about him “tanking” the workout. Those two things seem mutually exclusive and could impact the Cavs decision. Parker is not the physical specimen that Wiggins is and him being winded shouldn’t be surprising. It is a clear sign that he would struggle defensively to guard small forwards and would have to save himself for the offensive end so he didn’t get tired. Not exactly a game changer on both ends.

That doesn’t mean he couldn’t have a high impact on the team on the offensive side and possibly protected by a solid defensive center on the other end of the court. Andrew Wiggins would be ready to defend right away but might struggle on offense. A solid defensive system should help Parker as a solid offensive system would take advantage of Wiggins’ abilities. The trade scenarios are all interesting. Can the Cavs secure a Top 5 pick, another lottery pick and a solid veteran to help the team now by trading #1? The 76ers and Magic could offer Top 5 and Top 12 picks as well as a veteran to plug in right away. The Jazz have Favors and a lower 1st rounder that could benefit the Cavs. All of these seem to end with the Cavs getting Embiid. Those trade scenarios also seem to start with the Cavs drafting Wiggins. In the second round Ford has the Cavs adding more youth to their roster:

"33 Cleanthony Early Cleveland Cavaliers (33 – 49) COLLEGE: Wichita State HT: 6-7 WT: 210 POS: SFIf the Cavs decide to chase upside with Wiggins, they can go with Early to get the team some much-needed maturity, shooting and leadership. Early’s Shockers went undefeated in the NCAA regular season. He’s got size and he can shoot it. A great get for the Cavs at No. 33."

The wording is interesting as it seems that Ford is saying the Cavs drafted Wiggins at #1 in his mock, which they didn’t. Either way Early is a solid fit. He can shoot and guard out of the 3 spot. With Parker more likely a 4 and Wiggins able to spend some time at the 2, Early could see some early time with a team trying to compete. Walter Tavares, who Ford has as the next pick, would also be interesting out of Spain. He could provide the shock blocking and rebounding the Cavs want at the center spot, though his offense is limited.

What do you think of a Parker/Early two some out of this draft? Any of the trade scenarios interest you?