With the NBA Draft coming up on Thursday, The Chronicle's Bobby Colton and Amrith Ramkumar had a chat about whether the Cleveland Cavaliers should select Duke product Jabari Parker or Kansas' Andrew Wiggins with the first pick.
BC: Amrith, we're less than a week away from draft day and chaos has ensued thanks to Joel Embiid's fractured foot. With the Kansas big man seemingly out of the picture for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first overall pick, if you were in charge, would you select Embiid's former teammate Andrew Wiggins, or Duke product Jabari Parker?
AR: It's a tough choice because of the pressure the team faces after 6-foot-8, 259-pound forward Anthony Bennett—last year’s number one pick—had one of the worst seasons in NBA history, but I would make Wiggins the first pick. The Kansas product is less polished than Parker and was much more inconsistent last season, but is a better fit for the team because of his ability to play off the ball and defend at a high level. The Cavaliers rely on another Duke product—Kyrie Irving—to play pick-and-roll basketball, and Wiggins’ ability to space the floor makes him more suited than Parker to play big minutes at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Luol Deng's free agent situation is murky, but the team has a lot of big men already—like Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Spencer Hawes and Tyler Zeller—and it is unclear how Bennett will continue to develop. The Cavaliers need an elite perimeter defender and reliable outside shooter, so I would take Wiggins based on the team’s current roster.
BC: It's funny that you tout Wiggins based on his ability as a shooter, when I was going to do the same for Parker. Parker actually shot a better percentage from deep than Wiggins—.358 vs. .341—which would allow him to spread the floor while Irving and fellow ball-dominant guard Dion Waiters slashed through the paint. Conceding to taking the less-polished pick in Wiggins is also a huge gamble for the Cavaliers. They want to win now. They said they were playoff or bust last year and they busted. Now that the ping-pong ball gods have graced Cleveland with another top choice, the team needs to see immediate dividends from its pick. Parker can do that...and I'm not sure Wiggins can. With Deng and Hawes free agents, Tyler Zeller a backup at best and Anderson Varejao permanently injured or on the trade block, there will be room for Parker to play the four, just as there would have been room for Embiid in the front court had he not fractured his foot. Bottom line for me is this: the Cavs need to win now, and Parker is the most NBA-ready player there is in the 2014 draft.
AR: Although Parker shot a better percentage from 3-point range, I think that Wiggins is more of a prototypical, stand-still perimeter shooter, which makes him a better fit for the Cavaliers’ offense. Parker frequently created space for his perimeter jump shot off the dribble, and shot just 20.8 percent from long range in road games, 33.3 percent in neutral-site games and 30.2 percent in conference play. It’s also unclear how switching to the NBA 3-point line will affect both players. I think your point about Dion Waiters being a ball-dominant guard is an argument in favor of Wiggins because Parker is more of a ball-dominant player that can hinder ball movement when trying to create offensively. With Wiggins, Irving and Waiters, the team would have a great deal of flexibility with its lineups and bench, and would have much better floor balance on both ends of the court. I don’t think that the number one pick will be the only move the team makes in the offseason, and believe that given the weakness of the Eastern Conference, Cleveland would be a playoff contender with the addition of Wiggins. The Cavaliers gave up more than 100 points per game last season, and need a lot of help defensively, so I think taking a player that struggled to play defense down low would also be a huge gamble. Defense comes first in the Eastern Conference—especially in Cleveland’s division that also houses Indiana and Chicago—and it remains unclear which position Parker could effectively guard without getting into foul trouble or creating a mismatch. Although he may be more NBA-ready based on skill-set, the learning curve for players wanting to play down low is much steeper, which could hold him back if a team decides to put him in the paint. My choice has more to do with the Cavaliers' needs.
BC: No one is questioning Parker's defensive shortcomings or Wiggins' advantage in that facet of their games. But the Cavaliers are a team in flux that needs a star to rally the fan base. Irving is due for a max extension that owner Dan Gilbert may or may not be willing to hand out. Waiters has reportedly had issues with Irving and Thompson and so may find himself on the trade block. Varejao is always rumored to be on the move. Deng is a free agent.
Even if Wiggins does fit the team better today, you admitted yourself that more moves are on the horizon for Cleveland. When selecting first overall, sometimes it's more prudent to take the best player than it is to take the best fit. Parker and Wiggins are both can't-miss prospects, but one is more ready to step in and be a star on day one. That's what the Cavaliers will need to wash out the bad taste of the Andrew Bynum fiasco, the Anthony Bennett bust and the inevitable crushing blow of LeBron James once again choosing not to play for the Cavs even though the media has gotten the fanbase's hopes up. If Wiggins takes two or three years to become the player we all suspect he'll be, will Kyrie still be in Cleveland? Will the East be as vulnerable as it is today? Will there be a Robin to Wiggins' eventual Batman? Pairing Parker with Irving today gives the Cavs a fearsome dual threat on offense. Add in a defense-savvy shooting guard and a shot blocker in the paint (Lance Stephenson and Emeka Okafor anyone?) and that's a young, explosive team that will almost certainly have a playoff spot in 2014-15 and will have a bright enough future to attract veterans at the mid-level exception.
AR: I think out of the two of them, Wiggins actually has more star power though in large part because of his freak athleticism and enormous wingspan. His skill set also makes him almost un-guardable in transition. Although Bennett was mind-numbingly bad a season ago, I still think it’s a little early to give up on him because of the potential he showed at UNLV and the tough learning curve for NBA big men.
I’m glad you brought up the possibility that the team could add a player like Lance Stephenson to compliment its other pieces after the draft, because a player like Stephenson would actually be much better equipped to play with Wiggins than Parker. Stephenson and Parker possess very similar traits, which would make it very difficult for them to play together and with Irving, though I think it’s unlikely that Stephenson leaves Indiana anyway. Although at times drafting the overall best player is more prudent, I’m of the opinion that the difference between Wiggins and Parker is so narrow that drafting the best fit with more potential should be the team’s priority because it can make other moves to balance its roster after the draft. The Thunder have also shown what can happen when drafting top-five picks based on positional need, potential and fit is a team’s focus. A stable foundation for the future can be secured, and that should be the Cavs’ goal in this draft and offseason. At a more basic level, I just don’t think the team needs another player to inhibit the minimal ball movement that currently occurs, especially with the platoon of young big men it possesses, and believe that Wiggins is the explosive two-way player Gilbert has been looking for.
BC: When push comes to shove, there really is no wrong answer for the Cavaliers this year. The book isn't closed on Bennett yet, as he may turn into a useful player as soon as this season, but the Cleveland faithful won't be embarrassed by their first overall pick the way they were last season—regardless of which direction Dan Gilbert and Chris Grant opt to go in. Wiggins provides defense and that ever-enticing potential that the Cavaliers could certainly use. Parker steps in on Day 1 and is a lethal scorer from all over the court. All that's left to do is wait to see which player gets to be the first name uttered by Duke grad Adam Silver at his first NBA Draft as the commissioner.
AR: I agree, there doesn’t seem to be any way the Cavs could really mess this one up, but after last year we should probably wait to say that.
Want to weigh in on the debate? Tweet at @dukebasketball, @Bobby_Colton or @AmrithRamkumar with #JabariVsWiggins to have your voice heard!
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