2014 NBA Draft

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Wine & Gold United 2014 Draft Party

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4th Annual Draft Legacy Project

Following one of the biggest nights of his young life, the newest Cleveland Cavalier arrived at what will be his work office for the foreseeable future. Very soon, he’ll been sweating it out with his teammates under the tutelage of new coach, David Blatt, at the Cleveland Clinic Courts. But on Friday afternoon, it was all about a warm welcome for the top pick in the 2014 NBA Draft – Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins played one season at Kansas, wrecking the freshman record books before declaring for the Draft. And after a months-long debate over whether he, Jabari Parker or his former Jayhawk teammate, Joel Embiid, would be taken No. 1 overall, the choice came down to the uber-athletic Ontarian.

Joined by his family members – including mother and father as well as his sisters, Tia and Angelica, as well as his brother, Mitchell Jr. who, according to the Elder Wiggins, actually has the best vertical lift in a family full of world-class athletes. He was flanked by Coach Blatt and Cavaliers GM David Griffin.

”Andrew is a player we couldn't be happier to have here for many, many reasons,” said Griffin – who hired his first head coach and tabbed his first Draft pick as the GM of the Cavs this week. “Primarily because he's a two way player who has the potential to really exhibit greatness on both sides of the floor, and he's going to be as good as he works himself to be. I think we've really come to understand that Andrew is driven to be truly special.

“And I think one of the things that mattered more to us than anything else in this process is that he wants to be truly special in the city of Cleveland.  He's all the way in on this team, the direction of this team and where we're going as a city, and that spoke to us at a very guttural level.”

Before Wiggins fielded some questions from the assembled media, he, Griffin and Blatt took a moment for the photo-op with his Cavaliers jersey No. 21. (No. 22, which belonged to the great Larry Nance, obviously, hangs in the rafters of The Q.)

As most fans know by now, Wiggins is the scion of some pretty accomplished athletes in their own right. His father, Mitchell, was the 23rd overall pick of the Pacers in the 1983 Draft. His mother, Marita, is the co-Canadian record holder in the 400 meters and the Canadian record holder in the 200 meters. She competed in both the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.

It’s somewhat obvious – for those old enough to remember his father’s playing days – what traits he picked up from his dad. Wiggins responded when asked about what he took from his mother’s side.

“I got a lot of different things from my mother,” said Andrew. “On the mental point of view, I got a lot of just toughness, a lot of things to be aware of my surroundings, know where I'm at and, from the athletic point of view – I think I got a lot of stuff from my legs, my speed, my jumping ability and just my fast metabolism. I can really eat whatever right now and stay thin.”

Wiggins cracked up the crowd when asked about his dad’s claim that Andrew never beat him on the backyard basketball court.

”He never lost because he stopped playing when he got older,” laughed the league’s newest No. 1 pick.

One of the things that appealed to teams – and certainly the Cavaliers – was Wiggins’ willingness and ability on the defensive end of the floor. When asked what some of his goals were as an NBA rookie, he listed the All-Defensive Team as one of them – something that’s slightly uncommon for a 19-year-old entering the Association.

”It all started when I was young, my father always really emphasized that fact,” explained the 6-8, 200-pounder. “Everyone knows that defense wins games. I really took it personally. I tried to set goals every game about the person I'm guarding and just trying to lock them up. I don't like when my man scores – even when I'm on the bench and he scores, that makes me mad.  So it's always been a big priority of mine.”

That was music to Coach Blatt’s ears, and the Wine and Gold’s new bench boss spoke glowingly of his team’s newest weapon.

”One of Andrew's greatest qualities is that he can play both ends of the court – and there's always minutes for a guy that does that,” said Blatt. “I think any team and any great player has to have four things. It starts with character, and obviously and based on what Griff told you, and we did more than just a little bit of homework to find out what a young man this guy is. The second one is quality. Anyone who understands anything about basketball recognizes the great quality in Andrew's game. The third thing is coaching, which is my responsibility to put him in the situation, put him in the positions on the floor where he can be successful he'll help me by holding down his end on the other side so that keeps him out there. Finally is continuity. We didn't bring Andrew in here for a year. This isn't a one and done; this is a career player. And we're thrilled to have the opportunity to work with him.”

Following the live presser in Independence, the Cavaliers second-round selection – Virginia guard Joe Harris, taken with the No. 33 overall selection – spoke briefly with reporters via the phone from his hometown of Chelan, WA.

Harris was a four-year player at UVA and played in more games (135) than any player in Virginia Cavalier history. The 22-year-old drained the second-most treys in school history (263) and was a First Team All-ACC performer as a junior. He averaged double-figures in each of his four years in Virginia and ranked 11th all-time in school history with 1,698 points scored.

“I have a lot of confidence in my game,” said Harris. “You obviously don’t know until you get in that situation and you’re playing against guys of that caliber day-in and day-out, but as far as I’m concerned I’ve always had confidence in my ability to shoot the ball, my ability to move without the basketball and create space for myself. So obviously, it will be an adjustment, but I’m really looking forward to trying to improve as much as possible between now and Summer League and from Summer League to Training Camp.”

The Cavaliers got a huge infusion of young talent on Thursday night – and they’ll join some of Cleveland’s other young bucks when Summer League tips off in Sin City in just over two weeks.

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Wine and Gold Welcome for Wiggins

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Wiggins Introductory Press Conference

Conor Kenney

**NOTE: The news clips and articles listed don't necessarily reflect the views or beliefs of the Cleveland Cavaliers or their Basketball Operations staff, partners, or sponsors.**

Cleveland Cavaliers select Andrew Wiggins with first pick in 2014 NBA DraftAuthor: By Mary Schmitt Boyer
Publication: The Plain Dealer

"BROOKLYN, New York -- Andrew Wiggins had been a Cavalier for all of about 10 minutes when a reporter asked him what kind of pitch he'd make to get free agent LeBron James to come back to Cleveland.

"I want to win,'' Wiggins said with a big smile after the Cavs made him the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday night in Barclays Center. "If he wants to win, we'd be good together.''

Exactly 11 years ago Thursday, the Cavs took James with the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Whether he'll return to the Cavs to join forces with the super-athletic Wiggins is anybody's guess, but Cleveland is a better team today -- especially defensively -- than it was yesterday after adding Wiggins. The Cavs also took Virginia shooting guard Joe Harris with the 33rd pick in the second round." - CLICK HERE to read full story.

Cleveland Cavaliers get the No. 1 (healthy) talent at the top of the draft -- Bud ShawAuthor: By Bud Shaw
Publication: The Plain Dealer

"CLEVELAND, OH – Let's hold off on the Tracy McGrady comparisons with Andrew Wiggins.

(The Fourth Amigo references, too, Thursday night's fashion statement aside)

It's enough to say he's the best pick the Cavs could've made in this draft. Drafts aren't about next year. They're about the next 10 years.

So if Jabari Parker was the most NBA ready, well, that's fine if his ceiling is as high. Wiggins is already a superior defender and athlete, the offensive polish to come." - CLICK HERE to read full story.

Cleveland Cavaliers stay true to their new approach by drafting Andrew Wiggins -- Terry PlutoAuthor: By Terry Pluto
Publication: The Plain Dealer

"CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If Andrew Wiggins plays as well as the Cavs front office performed in creating confusion about the No. 1 pick -- the new Cavs small forward will be the Rookie of the Year.

I believe the Kansas product has been at the top of the Cavs draft board ever since Joel Embiid broke his foot last week.

The Cavs wanted to keep the pick a secret. They totally frustrated ESPN, which wanted the pick in advance. That's why some people at ESPN wrote and said some ridiculous things about how the Cavs couldn't figure out what to do with the pick." - CLICK HERE to read full story.

daily-news-june-27-2014

Daily News - June 27, 2014

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For the second straight season, the Wine and Gold went north of the border to select the top overall pick, nabbing ultra-athletic swingman Andrew Wiggins. The high-flying two-way star was predicted by many to be the NBA’s pick before the previous NCAA season tipped off, and he fulfilled that prophecy on Thursday night.

Wiggins, who rewrote Kansas’ freshman record book in his lone season in Lawrence, joins fellow canucks – Tristan Thompson (taken No. 4 overall in 2011) and Anthony Bennett (tabbed No. 1 last June) – in Cleveland.

“We’ve always been really cool, especially me and Tristan,” said Wiggins, referring to his fellow Cavalier countrymen. “I played in the AAU circuit with Tristan and I played in the AAU circuit and at the national level with Anthony Bennett. And I think we all connect pretty good. The chemistry is already there and we all have goals that we want to accomplish and a lot of them are the same goals. So I think it’ll be pretty good.”

Going into Thursday’s Draft, the debate continued over which of the night’s two top prospects – Duke’s Jabari Parker or Wiggins – would be the first player taken. That speculation came to an end when NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Wiggins name, and the lithe swingman took the stage, donning a black-and-white floral print dinner jacket and an ear-to-ear smile.

After the smoke cleared on Thursday, Cavs general manager David Griffin – who recently completed his first head coaching search – talked about Wiggins, the first player he selected at the helm of Cleveland’s front office.

“As we said from the beginning, you’re either all the way in or all the way out and Andrew Wiggins is all the way in on Cleveland – and we’re really excited about having him,” said Griffin. “I don’t know that I talked to a player who’s more joyful with where he’s going. I know that he’s already been in contact with Kyrie Irving, who reached out to him directly and Kyrie’s really excited about having him in the mix.”

Wiggins – whose father, Mitchell, spent six seasons in the NBA with the Bulls, Rockets and Sixers and whose mother, Marita, was a track star in the 1984 and ‘88 Olympics – was named to the John Wooden All-American Team and was a Second Team All-America selection by the AP, NABC, USBWA, SI.com and Sporting News. He was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, All-Big 12 First Team, All-Newcomer Team and Championship All-Tournament Team.

In his single season with the Jayhawks, Wiggins set multiple Kansas freshman records, including scoring average (17.1 ppg), points (597), field goals attempted (422), free throws made (176) and free throws attempted (227). He led Kansas in steals with 41 and was second in blocked shots.

“I always wanted to be in the NBA, but I never really thought about being the No. 1 pick until high school,” beamed the Thornhill, Ontario native. “So once it happened, it’s like a dream come true and more.”

One of the things that separated Wiggins from his closest competition was his ability on the defensive end of the floor. At Kansas, he was often asked to guard the opponents’ toughest perimeter player and consistently rose to the challenge. He’s truly a two-way player who takes great pride in his defensive prowess.

“My father really put that in my head that defense is one of the key things in basketball,” offered Wiggins. “You can’t be a great player without playing both ends of the floor. And that’s what I do – I really focus in, and my athletic ability helps me.”

With the Wine and Gold’s second pick on Thursday – the No. 33 overall pick – the Cavs selected Virginia guard Joe Harris.

The 22-year-old Harris was a four-year man at UVA, where he connected on the second-most three-pointers in school history (263). The 6-6, 225-pounder was a First Team All-ACC performer as a junior and was named to the Second Team as a senior. Harris averaged double-figures in each of his four years in Virginia and ranked 11th all-time in school history with 1,698 points scored.

“(Harris is) somebody we had rated very highly, much higher than No. 33 overall,” Griffin explained. “And (he’s) somebody that we believe is one of the better, if not the best, shooter in the Draft off of screens, and that’s also a big part of what David Blatt likes to do. So, from a ‘fit’ standpoint, he’s ideal. From a human standpoint, from a working standpoint, he’s everything that we want our culture to be about. (He’s) very similar to a (Matthew) Dellavedova – an overachieving, gritty kid who’s going to leave everything he has on the court.”

Wiggins went through the pre-Draft process almost completely unscathed. One of the only chinks in the armor was his perceived lack of aggressiveness at Kansas – something that David Griffin also addressed after the selection.

”I think Andrew understands that there’s another level to his game that we’re expecting him to find,” said Griffin. “And he really, really wants to achieve it. He knows he has more in the tank. And (Kansas) Coach (Bill) Self knew it as well and drove him very hard.

”But I think another component of Andrew’s passivity – if that’s the right word – is that he’s very much a team guy. Andrew’s not a ‘me’ guy, he’s a ‘we’ guy. And he was doing what needed to be done in the system that was there. They weren’t running plays for him to do his thing. He was taking what was there. And that fits us very well.”

Wiggins sounded genuinely excited to come to Cleveland – and even did a little homework on the city’s painfully long quest for a title. The youngsters have a long way to go, but the infusion of talent on Thursday night might just get the Cavaliers a little closer to that quest.

”I know some of Cleveland’s sports history,” said the Cavaliers newly-minted rookie. “I know they haven’t had a championship in a very long time – I think since the ‘60s. So I just want to build and bring something to the town, bring a championship, do something that hasn’t been done in a while.”

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Prepared for Take-Off

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The team also selected Joe Harris (33rd overall pick) in the second round.

Wiggins, 19, was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-League in his only year at Kansas. The Ontario, Canada native was selected to the John R. Wooden All-American Team, and a Second Team All-America choice by the AP, NABC, USBWA, SI.com and Sporting News. In 35 contests with the Jayhawks, the 6-8, 200-pound guard averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block in 32.8 minutes per game. He set Kansas freshman records in scoring average (17.1 ppg), points (597), field goals attempted (422), free throws made (176) and free throws attempted (227), while connecting on .775 from the free throw line and .341 from the three-point line.

Wiggins led Kansas in steals with 41 and was second on the team with 34 blocked shots. He posted a career high and freshman record 41 points at West Virginia on March 8 (first Jayhawk to break the 40-point barrier since Terry Brown on Jan. 5, 1991). He has represented Canada in FIBA play and averaged 15.2 points with 7.6 rebounds at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, helping Canada finish third.

Harris, 22, spent four years at Virginia where he ranks first all-time in school history with 135 games played. The 6-6, 225-pound guard averaged 12.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 30.3 minutes for his career at Virginia. He also connected on .407 from the three-point line and owns the second-most three-pointers made in school history (263). Harris was named Second Team All-ACC as a senior and First Team All-ACC as a junior. The Chelan, Washington native also averaged double figures in scoring in each of his four years at Virginia and ranked 11th all-time in school history with 1,698 points scored.

Last season, Harris helped lead Virginia to its second ever outright ACC regular season title, with a 16–2 conference record, as well as only their second ever ACC Tournament title.

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Cavaliers Select Andrew Wiggins with the First Overall Pick in the 2014 NBA Draft

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2014 Draft Night Photos

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