The Cleveland Cavaliers have won free agency by convincing their prodigal son LeBron James to return home, but lost in the shuffle is one truly amazing fact-the Cavs are currently rostering four No. 1 overall picks.
Cleveland's been mocked for their unending lottery luck, and their inability in some cases to capitalize, but the presence of four top picks is an anomaly. LeBron was the first of them in 2003, followed by point guard Kyrie Irving in 2011. Then the Cavaliers infamously drafted Anthony Bennett first in the 2013 draft, and got the No. 1 pick again this summer which they used on Andrew Wiggins.
James has become the best player in the NBA, capable of halting an entire free agency period while he pondered his future. Irving is a 22-year-old enigma at this point-he is obviously a talented player with averages of 20.7 points, 5.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds a game, but he hasn't yet been able to elevate the Cavaliers to playoff-caliber.
Bennett has been a disaster in his only season, seeing the floor for just 12.8 minutes a night and averaging 4.2 points and three rebounds. Wiggins hasn't seen NBA action yet, but as a freshman with the Kansas Jayhawks he posted 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists a night.
LeBron's move to Cleveland could be the first domino to fall in a series of moves that may stack the Eastern Conference's Central division. Lance Stephenson may still return to Indiana, who won 56 games this past season, and Carmelo Anthony is rumored to still be considering a jump to Chicago.
If Anthony went to the Bulls, he'd join a nucleus that already includes former MVP Derrick Rose, one of the top defensive centers in the NBA, Joakim Noah, and a premier perimeter defender, Jimmy Butler.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.