2019 Draft, Pick #30 - Kevin Porter Jr., USC

Seemed like it was harder to make contact with the ref than avoid him there. Dumb thing to do. Should have apologized. Won't maximize his talent until he drops the attitude.

KilgoreTrout said:

Seemed like it was harder to make contact with the ref than avoid him there. Dumb thing to do. Should have apologized. Won't maximize his talent until he drops the attitude.

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He did apologize...

NMCav said:

He did apologize...

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I think Kilgore was saying that he should have apologized to the ref. I don't think it had to be a formal letter and tears but just some sort of action other than continuing to run back to the bench without hesitation.

Splitz said:

I think Kilgore was saying that he should have apologized to the ref. I don't think it had to be a formal letter and tears but just some sort of action other than continuing to run back to the bench without hesitation.

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Refs parents should apologize to him for making him so small and weak.

Barely touched the guy. Weak suspension IMO.

I hope he is contrite and this ends up being no big deal. I am hoping he can be our 2 guard down the road and we move Sexton to the sixth man role.
Its up to him if he continues to do dumb stuff he just won't play. Bielein has no obligation to play him if he acts like an idiot...we have other players we can throw out there. Windler is coming back soon and Its not like we are winning anything this year anyway.

Not to reignite the fire but yall are tripping. Only one who knows for sure if KPJ himself but I would be very very surprised if that wasn't intentional. How he acted was exactly how you would act if you meant to bump into somebody and play it off as an accident, and he had every opportunity to not bump into him. And when is the last time you bumped into someone accidentally and didn't apologize immediately. If he wanted to sell it better he should have immediately turned around and apologized.

Not trying to make a mountain out of a molehole but to me that seems like a clear act of trying to intimidate the ref and it shouldn't really be downplayed as "not that bad of a thing". How often do players get suspended for contact with a referee? Rarely ever. And he's a rookie so if he already didn't have respect from the refs, this won't help his case.

Now I'm not saying he won't learn from it, he's only 19 and yadda yadda yadda, by no means am I saying he's a lost cause. I love the kid and his potential. He just did something really stupid if he did it intentionally, and we don't need to downplay the fact that what he did was pretty stupid and moderately unheard of.

I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Porter thus far. We’ve already seen signs of improvement on a couple of his biggest weaknesses from last year. Though a small sample, his free throw shooting has improved greatly compared to his numbers at USC where it was a problem. FTs are often used as a sign of future shooting development, so seeing the improvement there could make you more hopeful on his 3PT shooting.

Additionally, he has attacked the rim way more than he did at USC. He gave up open lanes all the time in college, but has really attacked it well.

I know he was just suspended, but he doesn’t seem as distant from his teammates as he did at USC, too.

If Clarkson gets moved, I hope to see him slide down to the 2 more often and getting more handling reps. I’m still not certain that he can have that sort of role, but I’d like to see him try it.

I’m optimistic considering this was a pure upside play at pick 30, and I’ve already seen some improvement from his NCAA season just 5 games in.

LackOfSkill said:

I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Porter thus far. We’ve already seen signs of improvement on a couple of his biggest weaknesses from last year. Though a small sample, his free throw shooting has improved greatly compared to his numbers at USC where it was a problem. FTs are often used as a sign of future shooting development, so seeing the improvement there could make you more hopeful on his 3PT shooting.

Additionally, he has attacked the rim way more than he did at USC. He gave up open lanes all the time in college, but has really attacked it well.

I know he was just suspended, but he doesn’t seem as distant from his teammates as he did at USC, too.

If Clarkson gets moved, I hope to see him slide down to the 2 more often and getting more handling reps. I’m still not certain that he can have that sort of role, but I’d like to see him try it.

I’m optimistic considering this was a pure upside play at pick 30, and I’ve already seen some improvement from his NCAA season just 5 games in.

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Pairing him 2 and Windler 3 to give Porter space would be nice with Delly and Nance.

LackOfSkill said:

If Clarkson gets moved, I hope to see him slide down to the 2 more often and getting more handling reps. I’m still not certain that he can have that sort of role, but I’d like to see him try it.

I’m optimistic considering this was a pure upside play at pick 30, and I’ve already seen some improvement from his NCAA season just 5 games in.

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KPJ was a real lottery ticket (not to be confused with that other lottery) at 30. If he pans out, that's huge for the Cavs. Not just because of how low in the draft they got him; also because they'll have him at a very team-friendly salary ($9.2 million over the next four seasons, assuming they exercise his options).

I can't remember the last time I said this about a young player, but I really believe that he couldn't have landed in a better place for his development than Cleveland. He'll get excellent development here ... and the relative anonymity of playing for a lottery-bound team in a cold smaller market means that his missteps (like bumping the ref the other day) won't be blown out of proportion by a ravenous media.

AllforOne said:

KPJ was a real lottery ticket (not to be confused with that other lottery) at 30. If he pans out, that's huge for the Cavs. Not just because of how low in the draft they got him; also because they'll have him at a very team-friendly salary ($9.2 million over the next four seasons, assuming they exercise his options).

I can't remember the last time I said this about a young player, but I really believe that he couldn't have landed in a better place for his development than Cleveland. He'll get excellent development here ... and the relative anonymity of playing for a lottery-bound team in a cold smaller market means that his missteps (like bumping the ref the other day) won't be blown out of proportion by a ravenous media.

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Really curious as well how the Cavs were able to convince him to take only 80% of the set rookie salary scale as well. I can’t even recall a first round pick not getting 120% of the rookie scale. But great point on the salary/team control. Can pretty much pick up his options without even thinking about it since those numbers will be so low - barring something unforeseen.

LackOfSkill said:

Really curious as well how the Cavs were able to convince him to take only 80% of the set rookie salary scale as well. I can’t even recall a first round pick not getting 120% of the rookie scale. But great point on the salary/team control. Can pretty much pick up his options without even thinking about it since those numbers will be so low - barring something unforeseen.

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It's only 80% this season. And that's still more then he would have gotten as a 2nd rounder and it still guarantees him 2 years. He lost 400k this season but is still making 800k more then a 2nd round minnimun would make and it goes to 120% like most rookie deals in years 2,3,4.

LackOfSkill said:

Really curious as well how the Cavs were able to convince him to take only 80% of the set rookie salary scale as well. I can’t even recall a first round pick not getting 120% of the rookie scale. But great point on the salary/team control. Can pretty much pick up his options without even thinking about it since those numbers will be so low - barring something unforeseen.

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The last rookie I can remember who didn't get 120% was Roberson with the Thunder a few years back. In fact, that's the only one I can remember.

But I suspect it was a gentlemen's agreement along the lines of "Kevin, we really like you and want you in Cleveland, and we're willing to take you in the first round ... but only if you can do us a solid and take a lower salary the first year, because we're right up against the tax. Otherwise, good luck in the second round. Get back to us when you decide. No rush."

AllforOne said:

The last rookie I can remember who didn't get 120% was Roberson with the Thunder a few years back. In fact, that's the only one I can remember.

But I suspect it was a gentlemen's agreement along the lines of "Kevin, we really like you and want you in Cleveland, and we're willing to take you in the first round ... but only if you can do us a solid and take a lower salary the first year, because we're right up against the tax. Otherwise, good luck in the second round. Get back to us when you decide. No rush."

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Magic did something even weirder. They took Okeke from Auburn and had him sign with Lakeland Magic (GLeague affiliate). So I wonder if he gets 3 years when he signs with them next year or 4.

He did bump himon purpose, but the ref should have given him a T, or ejected him even if he had a problem. One game suspension is a bit harsh