Another factor increasing Cle chances of trading the #1

[BloopOracle]

http://www.thescore.com/nba/news/525381

So, with Joel Embiid injured, Jabari Parker must be ecstatic, right? He may now be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, after all.

Well, apparently he may not be. Parker failed to impress the Cleveland Cavaliers, who own the No. 1 pick, at a recent workout, and the team is concerned Parker may have tanked his workout, according to a report from ESPN's Chad Ford.

From the report:

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."

Ford continues that Andrew Wiggins "nailed his workout" earlier in the week, leaving the Cavs to choose between Parker, Wiggins or trading the pick. Why is everything always so complicated with the Cavs? Would they really risk drafting Parker if he doesn't want to play in Cleveland?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Milwaukee's about an hour or two away from Chicago, where he's from, so that makes sense. I'd still draft him No. 1 if we got that pick.

[TeamRicky [enjin:6648771]]

I'm hoping Cleveland and Minnesota are both looking to do a Love for #1 exchange and they are negotiating over the sweeteners in the deal. If the Wolves aren't getting any blow me away offers from Golden State, Boston or Chicago, maybe Cleveland feels their hand is stronger and they can work the sweeteners in their favor. I really don't care if we get Waiters, Thompson or Bennet as throw-ins. Perhaps, if the Wolves were the ones sweetening the deal a bit, the #1 is ours for the taking. How much of a sweetener would it take for them to do the deal. I'd hate to give up the 13th pick and Love, but if we get diddly decent offers, I'd have to consider it. Maybe swap the 13th to Chicago for their later two picks and send one to Cleveland. I know we'd be happy to throw in Shved and maybe Blatt would view him as a postive. Perhaps, there might be a bad salary we can take on instead of sweetening with a pick.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Listen to yourself, man. Saying Minnesota needs to sweeten the offer when they're the ones holding the proven superstar. And yes, I believe Love on a one year deal essentially is still more valuable than the No. 1 pick if you're Cleveland.

[worldK]

Interesting. This actually makes me question parker's character.

I understand players may have preference on where they want to play but usually alpha dog players want to go number 1. Also, parker's weight has been an issue of his and being over his playing weight certainly is not a good sign.

I remember wiggins saying in an interview he wants to go number 1. Parker tanking a workout and being overweight to not go number 1? Not good

[SameOldNudityDrew]

I honestly don't believe any of what is written about these players in the days leading up to the draft. At this point, these sportswriters are desperate to come up with headlines, front office people are sending out smokescreens all over the place, and people are looking at everything with such a microscope that they're missing the bigger picture to focus on the latest development.

I think Parker is the best player in this draft, and if the Cavs would trade the #1 pick and with Thompson and Waiters for Love and Martin, I'd do it to get Parker. If it were true that Parker was tanking the workout, that obviously looks bad (I can't imagine he'd prefer Milwaukee, but who knows?). But there's no real proof. Maybe he just had a subpar workout. Maybe he's a little burned out by all the work leading up to the draft. Maybe it's nothing. Who knows. I do know though that the guy has a very wide range of skills, and looks to be able to make them translate well in the NBA. I think he's the best prospect in the draft.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

You can see how the Cavs would be wary of spending the #1 pick on an overweight player, after the Bennett debacle last year.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Tanking a workout is one thing, but the guy not being in shape when that is his number 1 job right now should be a huge red flag. Nobody can honestly believe he chose to be out of shape just to help him tank a workout. The reports around the combine said he was out of shape then as well. He's sliding into undersized 4 territory if he can't keep his weight down, which apparently he can't. Sure he can get in shape with a trainer, but then what has he been doing since he declared for the draft? People put down Wiggins for not having a killer instinct and also associate that with a lacking motor. Doesn't being out of shape for workouts that decide a couple million dollars in earnings difference qualify as a lack of motor?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I honestly don't believe any of what is written about these players in the days leading up to the draft. At this point, these sportswriters are desperate to come up with headlines, front office people are sending out smokescreens all over the place, and people are looking at everything with such a microscope that they're missing the bigger picture to focus on the latest development.

I think Parker is the best player in this draft, and if the Cavs would trade the #1 pick and with Thompson and Waiters for Love and Martin, I'd do it to get Parker. If it were true that Parker was tanking the workout, that obviously looks bad (I can't imagine he'd prefer Milwaukee, but who knows?). But there's no real proof. Maybe he just had a subpar workout. Maybe he's a little burned out by all the work leading up to the draft. Maybe it's nothing. Who knows. I do know though that the guy has a very wide range of skills, and looks to be able to make them translate well in the NBA. I think he's the best prospect in the draft.

Approved. Approved. Approved.

I'm with you here, Drew.

[TeamRicky [enjin:6648771]]

Listen to yourself, man. Saying Minnesota needs to sweeten the offer when they're the ones holding the proven superstar. And yes, I believe Love on a one year deal essentially is still more valuable than the No. 1 pick if you're Cleveland.

I'd rather have Wiggins than Love. Love is more valuable to Cleveland and Wiggins is more valuable to us. I think a straight up trade makes sense. We get a new younger building block making less money and Ricky and Deng could be nice complementary pieces. Now, if all we get is crap offers, then the market has spoken and we need to adjust our offer. Hopefully, Boston or Sac blows us away and Cleveland is the one sweetening the deal, but lets not lose the deal over secondary trade pieces.