SB Nation Seattle: All Posts by Scott Coleman

Cavaliers keeping options open with No. 1 pick

2013-05-22T14:00:06Z

For the second time in three years, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have the No. 1 pick at the NBA draft. For a franchise just a few seasons removed from LeBron James' controversial departure to Miami, it sure seems the Cavs are well on their way to becoming relevant in the Eastern Conference again.

The early money is on Nerlens Noel heading to Cleveland come draft night. Noel impressed with the Kentucky Wildcats as a freshman, leading the SEC in blocked shots while averaging 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. He tore his ACL in February and is currently rehabbing, with his NBA debut expected in late December.

Even with the Kentucky big man's upside being higher than anyone else's in this year's draft class, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert made no commitments on Tuesday night.

"I think as most people who study this will tell you, this isn't a draft with a clear cut, obvious, no-holds-barred, No. 1 choice," Gilbert said in a phone interview. "Obviously, we're going to have workouts between here and the draft that will play a role in this. I don't think there's a direction the franchise is leaning at this point. We're going to be open minded knowing we have that choice and just hope we make the right pick for the team."

Assuming Noel is able to make a full recovery, he could join Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao and a handful of other young players in Cleveland. That's a solid core to build around, especially if Irving continues to develop as one of the league's top point guards.

If not Noel, the Cavaliers could elect to take Otto Porter of Georgetown or Victor Oladipo of Indiana. Cleveland really struggled on the defensive end last season, and both players are regarded as defensive specialists on the wing.

Regardless of who the pick is, Cleveland appears to be in good shape.

"We're going to have a choice of several really good options here at the top, not to mention our 19th pick, cap space and everything, and our new coaching staff," Gilbert said. "We are more than excited."

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NBA Draft 2013: Cavaliers will reportedly gauge trade interest with top pick

2013-05-22T12:30:02Z

Hours after winning the top pick at the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery, the Cleveland Cavaliers have decided they will keep any and all options open when it comes to trades.

According to a tweet from ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Cavaliers will use their two first round picks and salary cap space to investigate any deals that may be sent their way. Kyrie Irving isn't going anywhere at the point, but any other spot on the roster could stand to be improved.

Given Anderson Varejao's injury concerns, the frontcourt could use some bolstering in the offseason. Nerlens Noel is projected to be best prospect available in the draft, though, and would provide Cleveland with a defensive presence around the rim that is rare in today's game. For that reason alone, it seems unlikely a trade for the No. 1 pick is made.

One thing that could keep Cleveland from taking Noel with the top pick would be the health of his surgically-repaired knee. The Kentucky forward tore his ACL in February and is not expected to be back until December, although he has not had any hiccups while rehabbing.

There is also the chance the Cavaliers fall in love with another prospect. Someone like Otto Porter of Georgetown or Victor Oladipo would appear to be terrific fits on the wing, especially given their ability to dig in defensively. Neither have the upside of Noel, though, and could likely be had with a later pick in the 2-5 range.

With more than a month remaining before draft night, expect to hear the Cavaliers mentioned in more trade rumors. Just don't expect the No. 1 pick to be dealt anytime soon.

More from SB Nation:

• NBA mock draft: We know nothing

• Ziller: Defense is the way to win cheaply

• Spurs blast Grizzlies in Game 1

• Dwight Howard considering Rockets, Mavericks

• Can Nerlens Noel play in the middle? | More combine coverage

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

2013 NBA Draft order complete after Cavaliers win draft lottery

2013-05-22T01:58:09Z

The Cleveland Cavaliers organization celebrated as they claimed the No. 1 overall pick at the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night. This will be second time in three years that Cleveland won the lottery, with star point guard Kyrie Irving being their selection in 2011.

The Orlando Magic entered the lottery with the best chances of securing the top pick. They ended up with the second pick, likely giving them a shot at any player not named Nerlens Noel. The Washington Wizards had just a 3.5 percent chance of drafting first, although they still managed to move up to the third spot.

The rest of the lottery order held to form for the most part. The Charlotte Bobcats dropped from two to four, but there was very little unexpected movement besides that.

With the lottery set, here is a look at the complete order for the 2013 NBA Draft.

First Round:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Washington Wizards
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Phoenix Suns
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Portland Trail Blazers
11. Philadelphia 76ers
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Toronto)
13. Dallas Mavericks
14. Utah Jazz
15. Milwaukee Bucks
16. Boston Celtics
17. Atlanta Hawks
18. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston via Brooklyn)
19. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Los Angeles)
20. Chicago Bulls
21. Utah Jazz (from Golden State via Brooklyn)
22. Brooklyn Nets
23. Indiana Pacers
24. New York Knicks
25. Los Angeles Clippers
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis via Houston)
27. Denver Nuggets
28. San Antonio Spurs
29. Oklahoma City Thunder
30. Phoenix Suns (from Miami via L.A. and Cleveland)

Second Round:

31. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Orlando)
32. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Charlotte)
33. Cleveland Cavaliers
34. Houston Rockets (from Phoenix)
35. Philadelphia 76ers (from New Orleans)
36. Sacramento Kings
37. Detroit Pistons
38. Washington Wizards
39. Portland Trail Blazers (from Minnesota via Boston & Cleveland)
40. Portland Trail Blazers
41. Memphis Grizzlies (from Toronto)
42. Philadelphia 76ers
43. Milwaukee Bucks
44. Dallas Mavericks (pick may be conveyed to Lakers)
45. Portland Trail Blazers (from Boston)
46. Utah Jazz
47. Atlanta Hawks
48. Los Angeles Lakers (pick may be conveyed to Dallas)
49. Chicago Bulls
50. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston)
51. Orlando Magic (from Golden State via Denver & New York)
52. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Brooklyn)
53. Indiana Pacers
54. Washington Wizards (from New York)
55. Memphis Grizzlies
56. Detroit Pistons (from Clippers)
57. Phoenix Suns (from Denver via. Lakers)
58. San Antonio Spurs
59. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Oklahoma City)
60. Memphis Grizzlies (from Miami)

The 2013 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 27.

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Julio Teheran Developing Nicely For Braves

2013-05-21T13:00:09Z

Coming up through the Minor Leagues, Julio Teheran projected to be a front-end starter with big strikeout numbers. Through his first eight starts this season, that hasn't been the case. Yet he's been perfectly fine with a different approach on the mound.

Instead of aiming to blow everyone away, Teheran is settling in early with solid control. He has continued to improve in every start since a rough stretch to begin the season, with a masterful performance over 8 1/3 innings coming Monday night in a 5-1 win over the Twins.

Why has Teheran been successful without the strikeouts? It's pretty simple: his walks are way down.

"He's just hitting his location and trusting his pitches." - Gerald Laird on Teheran

After walking seven batters in his first three games, Teheran has walked just two in his last five starts. That's a stretch of 33.2 innings, 13 of which came in Colorado and Arizona, arguably the two most hitter-friendly parks in baseball.

On the season, Teheran's averaging just 1.63 walks-per-nine innings pitched. That's a great sign. His K/9 ratio of 5.44 is rather pedestrian, but as long as he continues to not give up free passes to the opposition, he will be just fine.

While Teheran's success on the mound probably shouldn't come as too big of a surprise following a dominant showing in the Dominican League and Spring Training, it didn't seem likely he would achieve such results with the formula he's used thus far.

The sky is the limit for Teheran, and he showed just how good he can be on Monday night with his best performance of the year, even if it was against a pretty mediocre Twins ball club.

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Eric O'Flaherty Has Torn UCL; Braves Bullpen Suddenly In Shambles

2013-05-18T22:22:48Z

Just when the Braves' injury situation seemingly couldn't get any worse, the club announced Eric O'Flaherty has a tear in his UCL.

O'Flaherty has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, although Frank Wren said Saturday afternoon that a quick recovery is not expected. He will meet Dr. James Andrews this week, and it seems highly likely that reconstructive surgery will be needed. If that's the case, EOF would be out for the remainder of the year.

The news of O'Flaherty being lost for the season comes days after Jonny Venters was lost for the season with his second Tommy John Surgery in five years. Jordan Walden, who has dealt with injuries throughout his career, was also placed on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation.

Cristhian Martinez has been out for more than a month with a right shoulder strain and is reportedly not close to returning. Recently acquired reliever Luis Ayala remains in the Minor Leagues as he adjusts to pitching on medication for an anxiety disorder.

To replace O'Flaherty, Atlanta called up Gwinnett closer Cory Rasmus. He posted great numbers in AAA, although he's unproven at the big league level. With so many relievers out, look for Cory Gearrin and Luis Avilan to handle most of the late-inning duties along with the suddenly-hittable Craig Kimbrel.

Wren also said on Saturday that the club would look outside the organization to help restock the bullpen. Make of that what you will.

Justin Upton's Grand Slam Was Magical (VIDEO)

2013-05-18T18:27:33Z

Broadcasting has always been at the forefront of baseball. Here are three different calls of Justin Upton's grand slam last night, including Jim Powell with yet another terrific call on the Braves Radio Network and a pretty hilarious call from the Dodgers analyst. Also, be sure to check out Carl Crawford's reaction in left field.

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ESPN estimated the ball carried 461 feet into the Atlanta night. After not hitting a homer in two weeks, it seems J-Up has rediscovered his power stroke as teams continue to pitch around him. That's bad news for everyone else. Now let's just hope the rain stays away tonight.

The Braves are ready to make their move

2013-05-17T16:38:43Z

The past month has been pretty tough on the Braves.

Fortunately, brighter days are ahead. Much, much brighter.

As we noted a few weeks back, Major League Baseball dealt the Braves a shit hand to begin the season. Only 14 of their first 40 games came at Turner Field, including eight of their last 34. The team has already had two road trips of 10+ days.

By win-loss percentage, the Braves have played the ninth-toughest schedule in baseball thus far. No team from the NL East is in the top-15.

Yet, somehow, Atlanta still features a 22-18 record, which is good for a half-game lead over the Nationals.

Jason Heyward has been out for nearly a month. He comes back Friday. When he's playing, Atlanta is 13-5. They went 9-13 when he was on the disabled list.

Brian McCann is healthy and absolutely pounded the ball his first week back. B.J. Upton will hopefully break out of his funk sooner rather than later. Brandon Beachy will be ready to go within a month's time. If the club needs to make a trade, they have about $8 million saved from the offseason to spend.

The combined record of the Braves' next 10 opponents is 182-207. That bodes really well for a team that's finally getting healthy. And it could mean that the team is about to go on another tear, putting distance between themselves and the rest of the lackluster division.

NBA Draft 2013: Shabazz Muhammad could be in danger of dropping from lottery

2013-05-17T14:40:30Z

This time one year ago, many experts felt Shabazz Muhammad could be the No. 1 overall pick at the 2013 NBA Draft. With the draft now a little more than a month away, there is talk that he could fall out of the lottery.

As Muhammad and the rest of the 2013 Draft hopefuls began interviews, workouts and scrimmages at the combine on Thursday, questions were raised about UCLA's freshman forward. There's no denying he can score the basketball, although he did not do much else during his time in Westwood.

One executive said, on the matter of Muhammad dropping in the draft, "I'm not saying it happens. But I wouldn't be surprised."

Another front office member said it was possible he fell out of the lottery.

In addition to having a reputation of being a chucker with the ball in his hands, there are other reasons to be concerned about Muhammad. For one, he's not a very good teammate. Or at least there's video evidence to suggest he isn't. Every player in the league wants to shoot the ball; if Muhammad is unwilling to distribute the ball on the offensive end, he isn't going to see much time in the floor.

There is also the issue of him lying about his age. While he led most to believe he was 19 years old, it was discovered he's actually 20. This may not seem like a huge deal, but considering he was more physically mature than most of the players he dominated in high school, questions about his true ability against equal competition have to be raised.

Muhammad still has more than a month to get his stock trending in the right direction, but as of now it seems the nation's former top high school recruit could be in for a long draft night.

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