LeBron James is officially back in Cleveland and he has already turned GM David Griffin into his puppet. I believe that if LeBron hadn't pushed for the win-now team, that the Cavs would hold onto Andrew (Ender) Wiggins to see what they have. Now, it looks like it will be another what-if footnote in NBA history. (For those that don't get the Ender's game reference, I highly recommend the book. It's about a kid genius phenom in the future who is being trained to lead an army to save mankind. His name is Andrew Wiggin, nicknamed Ender. This book was written in 1985. The parallels are almost prophetic if basketball was the same thing as saving the world.)
People generally sit in one camp or the other as far as the Wiggins/Love trade goes. Some believe with LeBron turning 30 this year and Love squarely in his prime, it makes more sense not to waste any of LeBron's prime waiting for Wiggy to develop, as this will take years. Kevin Love is a proven commodity and top-ten player who will rebound everything and space the floor. The stretch 4 is a big thing for LeBron and will really complement his skills. They can be a force together for years.
The other camp believes that it makes more sense to hold onto Wiggins and his cheap contract. This will open up cap space to pursue other guys for at least the next 3 years. Although he's young, you could argue that Andrew's skills, however raw they are at this point, might be a better fit. He's young enough to play all the minutes you want, could spell James and reduce his minutes, and he can defend the wing. Imagine James and Wiggins as perimeter defenders. They could lock up a team's best 1,2,3, or 4. Of course, it would take him time to learn NBA defenses, but you can't argue he doesn't have the raw talent to do so. Another cool thing to think about is Kyrie surrounded by James and Wiggy. It could be the new lob city. I don't know if it's the intrigue of seeing the best player in the world in his prime and the best wing prospect we have seen since KD play together. It could be. I don't think I've seen a situation like that before. The closest comp would have to be David Robinson and Tim Duncan teaming up and winning the championship in Timmy's rookie year, but even then there are two major differences. Duncan was a polished senior who was ready to dominate and they were both big men. Still, it would have been cool to see two of the best athletes in the game mesh and Wiggin's game flourish under the best mentor he could ask for. It's not to be.
I'm finally getting to my point here. Although selfishly, I would like to see Wiggy and Bron for a while, I get why Love is a better choice right now. The main problem I have is WHY IS CLEVELAND JUST THROWING IN ANTHONY BENNETT AND A FUTURE NUMBER 1 PICK?!?! From a leverage standpoint, Cleveland has all of it. Minnesota has made it clear that Andrew Wiggins is the apple of their eye and now all current proposals pale in comparison, even if Golden State decided to throw in the splash bro. If Cleveland told Minnesota that they want Love, but they are only getting back Wiggins and some salary flotsam to make the deal work for Love, do you really think Minnesota would consider this a deal breaker? Sure, they would sit in a power stance and bluff that they aren't doing it unless they get more, but even Minnesota's owner has made it clear that he wants Wiggins. They would ultimately take this deal because it's already a great deal. Wiggins alone will be the best haul a team has ever received for a superstar who is in the last year of his deal and has made it clear the Mini Apple ain't cutting it. Say what you want about Bennett, but he was the number 1 pick last year. Maybe he should have gone a little lower (I thought Noel should have been the pick, more about that later), but the kid does have potential. He can shoot the 3 and rebound. He looked a lot better in Summer League and would be a great guy to bring off the bench. He should not be some throw-in for Minnesota.
And then a number 1 pick to boot? Cleveland has made this mistake before. They mortgaged their future when LeBron was there in an effort to keep him happy and the roster turned ugly quick. LeBron saw that and bolted. Could not blame him one bit. The Cavs don't need to add all of this in the trade. They can use the depth Bennett would give them and a future number 1 pick is not to be thrown away. But, this is going to happen and Cleveland will certainly profit in the short-term. We may see this really harming them down the road though.
Right as I am about to tip my cap to Flip Saunders for killing this trade (said no one ever) I see news that Philly, those damn vultures, are coming in the deal. It looks like they will be making a smaller scale move similar to the big one of this deal. The proposed trade has them sending Thaddeus Young, with 2 years left on his deal, for Anthony Bennett. This baffles me. Is Minnesota rebuilding or trying to make the playoffs? I mean, it kind of makes sense if your goal is to keep Rubio happy and staying in Minnesota, but Bennett has more long-term potential and his contract extension is a year away from Thad's. Philly just waited in the weeds. It didn't just dump Young for the first good deal. It patiently waited out the market and it looks like they will be coming away with the number 1 pick of last year's draft to add to Noel and MCW. Philly man...Hate on them all you want, but they are making perfect moves to set them up as a contender in a few years. With a core of MCW, Bennett, Noel (looked awesome in Summer League), and Embiid, that is a core a lot of teams would love to have. Add in Saric in two years and a likely top-6 pick in this upcoming draft and watch out. They remind me of Daenerys Stormborn from Game of Thrones (who I would give at least 3 fingers to have sex with just once). They have their baby dragons in a far away place. Too far to threaten the throne, but there are whispers of the future. When the dragons grow bigger and breathe fire, uh oh. When her journey takes her closer to those in power. Philly's coming. They aren't close enough yet to be a threat, but beware the baby dragons. They are coming...
