The Raven Report, 6.27.14: NBA Draft Review

"And with the first pick…"

The Cleveland Cavaliers made history last night, selecting Kansas Jayhawks guard Andrew Wiggins with the first pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. In Wiggins freshman season at Kansas, he set a freshman-record scoring 17.1 points per game. The pick was met with all around excitement in the city of Cleveland. While "some" fans may have preferred to draft Jabari Parker or Joel Embiid, Wiggins appears to be the better fit for Cavs GM David Griffin and new head coach David Blatt.

In Round 2, the Cavs selected 6'6" shooting guard Joe Harris from Virginia. Harris,22, averaged 12 points per game in his senior season while shooting 40% from 3-point range. Later, the Cavs made a trade with the newly renamed Charlotte Hornets for the 45th overall pick Dwight Powell of Stanford, and the contract of Brendan Haywood. While not official yet, it is said that the Cavs will be sending Alonzo Gee to Charlotte in return. Wiggins and Harris to go along with Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and the upcoming free agency period can make the Cavs and VERY good team in the 2014-2015 Eastern Conference.

Other notable picks seen Duke forward Jabari Parker going 2nd to Milwaukee, Joel Embiid taken 3rd by Philadelphia, Arizona power forward Aaron Gordon to Orlando at 4, Australian point guard Dante Exum to Utah at 5, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart to Boston 6th, Kentucky forward Julius Randle to the Lakers at 7 and Creighton small forward Doug McDermott taken by Denver at 11, then traded along with Anthony Randolph to Chicago.

On a side note, the classiest, most emotional moment of the NBA Draft was Commissioner Adam Silver coming out to honorarily select Baylor center Isaiah Austin. Austin was said to be one of the top centers in the draft, but will not be able to play basketball again due to having a genetic disorder called Marfan Syndrome, which was just found days ago. Marfan Syndrome is a disorder of connective tissue that affects the skeletal system, cardiovascular system, eyes, and skin. Great job by Adam Silver and the NBA to give this kid his spotlight moment.



The U.S. Men's National Team will continue on in the World Cup! They lost to Germany 1-0 in awful, soggy conditions Thursday. But with the blessings of the points system and Portugal's defeat of Ghana, the team will advance on to play Belgium Tuesday afternoon.

The Indians will open up their weekend series late tonight on the West Coast, against the Seattle Mariners. Trevor Bauer will get the start Friday night versus the M's Chris Young. Start time is at 10 PM.

Lastly, opening in theaters this weekend is Transformers: Age of Extinction. A great way to close out the month of June with a BIG Summer blockbuster action movie.

Leadoff with Lee 6.23.14

Y'all been waiting for the return? A new Leadoff With Lee? Well, here we go!

-Carmelo Anthony is leaving New York, he ain't coming back. Anthony, 30, has informed the New York Knicks that he will opt out of his contract and become a free agent. There are many rumors saying that LeBron James will stay in Miami and the big 3 will take a pay cut to take on Carmelo. We shall see how this one plays out, as Chicago, Dallas and Houston are also in play.

-There have been new teams, but not much movement on the Kevin Love trade front. Denver, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers have suggested offers, and even a 3 way trade in the Lakers case to acquire the All-Star power forward. Perhaps he gets traded on draft night this Thursday? Perhaps during the start of free agency in July? Or maybe not until the trade deadline in February. Who knows at this point what Minnesota will settle for.

-Kyrie Irving will still be in C-Town...I have been told he will take his this city and draft pick to get some free agents on the budget ,

-Bitter and short. The Indians blew an opportunity to inch closer to the Detroit Tigers this weekend by getting swept. Shameful.

I don't want to talk Tribe or Browns at this point because I have more about the Browns, Tribe to come this week. More info and updates when news breaks to me.

-The United States Men's National Team ended up in a draw Sunday afternoon against Portugal at 2-2. The U.S. gave up the game tying goal with less than 30 seconds left in stoppage time. For the U.S. to advance in the World Cup, they will need to win or draw vs Germany on Thursday morning (11:30 AM). But if they lose to Germany, they can advance with a Ghana/Portugal draw or have the goal differential tiebreaker over the Ghana/Portugal winner.

-US Women's soccer star Hope Solo was arrested over the weekend after an alleged domestic disturbance at her home involving her sister and 17 year old nephew. She's currently being held without bail, pending charges of domestic assault. In 2012, her husband, former Seattle Seahawks player Jerramy Stevans, was arrested on domestic violence the day before the couple's wedding.