MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2014
PAGE 18
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Cavaliers select Wiggins No.1 overall
NBA DRAFT
BEN FELDERSTEIN
sports@kansan.com
Brooklyn, N.Y. - Ever since Andrew Wiggins was named the number one college recruit last year, he has had one goal in mind. A goal that only one player can achieve each year. A goal his fellow Canadian, Anthony Bennett, achieved last season with the same organization.
Wiggins wanted to be the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, and tonight his dream came true. At 7:41 EST, Wiggins came off the board number one and joined the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.
The third chapter in his young life has just begun.
"A thousand thoughts are going through my head right now," Wiggins said. "I always wanted to be the number one pick."
Wiggins made his way from the stage through the underground halls at the Barclays Center to the media stage. In his floral blazer and matching lapel, Wiggins sat down in front of the media. With a smile on his face and confidence in his voice, he addressed their questions.
Shortly into Wiggins' press confer
ence, Joel Embiid was drafted third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid couldn't attend the draft due to his recent foot injury, but tweeted his thanks to Silver.
"This is a proud moment for me and Joel," Wiggins said. "We're happy to represent Kansas. Kansas has the greatest fans in the entire world and I know they're proud of us."
NOW, Wiggins and Embiid will be playing in front of new fans in different cities. Cavalier and 76er fans look forward to seeing these former Jayhawks in action.
"We can't wait for Wiggins," Anthony and Matt Corte, Cavaliers fans from Cleveland, said. "He's a great athlete. I hope that he can help us make a push for LeBron."
They're not the only ones that hope the Cavaliers can bring the Akron native back home.
While Embiid may not take the court for Philadelphia right away, 76ers fans are eager and excited about his potential.
"I want to win," Wiggins said. "If he [LeBron] wants to win, I think wed be good together."
"Embiid is a great talent," Tom Deewees, a 76ers fan from Baltimore who
attended the draft, said. "Sam Hinkie always makes calculated decisions and does his homework, I trust him. Joel is strong and faster than most seven footers. He'll help us going forward."
Andrew Wiggins became Kansas' second number one overall pick after Danny Manning in 1988. "I think it's huge," Wiggins said. "It's making history. The Kansas fans supported me through everything, a good game, a bad game. I'm happy to represent them."
Wiggins will join all-star point guard Kyrie Irving to try to turn around an organization that has been struggling since the departure of James in 2010. Embiid will play in Philly, joining last season's Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams, and former Kentucky center Nerlens Noel who sat out last year due to injury.
While Wiggins can make an immediate contribution on the court with his athleticism and lockdown defense, the Sixers may have to wait a while to see production out of Embiid due to injury. Nonetheless, Wiggins and Embiid went first and third overall respectively and look to have a tremendous impact on their new
ASSOCIATED PRESS
organizations.
Andrew Wiggins hugs NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the number one pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
"It was a proud day," Wiggins said. "Me and JoJo, we became so close this year at Kansas. It was so good that I had the opportunity to share this journey with him."
— Edited by Kaitlyn Klein
COMMENTARY
One-and-done Embiid contributed to success
Even though Joel Embiid was a one-and-done, Jayhawk fans should remember the good
times they had with him in a Kansas uniform.
Although he was injury-prone and missed some of the most crucial games of the season, Embiid was still a major contributor to the Jayhawks' success.
Embiid, who was picked third overall in the NBA draft, is poised for a successful professional career. His ability to block shots, handle the ball and shoot well are all part of why he was drafted so early. Some analysts
have compared the 7-foot-0 center to NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon who was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Without Embiid's body in the paint and his ability to break down opposing players, the Jayhawks could have struggled greatly during the season. Instead, the Jayhawks won their tenth straight Big 12 conference title and were a number two seed during the NCAA Tournament.
If Embiid had the good fortune of staying healthy all season long, the season could have continued much deeper into March.
And coach Bill Self agrees.
"We weren't a two-seed without Jo, but with Jo we certainly were good," Self said Thursday night in a teleconference. "We still could have easily won, but [Embiid's injury] was
Self said it's hard to overcome the loss of a guy who might be number one in the draft,remove him from your team and still manage to win a couple games.
"It certainly hurt us,"Self said. "Tarik [Black] stepped up and did some nice things as did the rest of the players, but it just wasn't quite enough."
certainly a factor and probably was why we weren't near as good."
The loss of Embid certainly stood out for Kansas during March Madness when they had an early exit, losing to Stanford in the second round.
"He had surgery and the recovery time for the surgery is four to six months," Self said. "I don't know if he'll play this year because of that or they look at getting him back sometime around the first of the year."
Self said he thinks Embiid will be able to make an immediate impact in Philadelphia with teammate Nerlens Noel.
Embid will make his 76ers debut once his foot heals. When that will be, at this point, is still up in the air
"I think it'll be a great fit," Self said.
Edited by Emma LeGault
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