Otto Porter, Cleveland Cavaliers won't meet during combine
By Jason Lloyd Published: May 16, 2013
CHICAGO: When he was asked about the NBA teams that felt like the best fit for him, the first team Otto Porter Jr. mentioned was the Cavaliers. Yet he won’t be meeting with Cavs General Manager Chris Grant and the team’s traveling party during this week’s NBA combine.
That’s mildly surprising, but it doesn’t mean the Cavaliers aren’t interested in the small forward from Georgetown.
“That’s interesting,” Porter said, referring to the omission of the Cavaliers from his itinerary. “I guess in talking to my agent (David Falk), maybe that’s a good thing and maybe it’s bad. We don’t know yet.”
Teams submit three lists of players they’d like to speak with during this week’s combine – an “A” list, “B” list and a “C” list. Team executives, however, aren’t guaranteed to meet with all the players on their lists – even those on the “A” list. Porter was on the Cavs’ submitted list, a source confirmed.
The Cavs still have plenty of time to talk with Porter when they presumably bring him to Cleveland Clinic Courts for a private workout. Those haven’t been scheduled yet. The Cavs typically put more of an emphasis on the interview process than most teams, although they took Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller last summer without working out or speaking to either one.
Waiters made himself unavailable because his agent pulled him from the draft process. The Cavs didn’t talk to Zeller because they didn’t think they’d be in position to take him.
Porter was named the Big East Player of the Year and plays the one position the Cavs haven’t addressed in the first round of this rebuild. He averaged 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Hoyas, leading Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim to declare Porter the best small forward in Big East history.
Porter made it clear he’d like to play for the Cavs and his agent, David Falk, reassured him that just because the two sides won’t meet in Chicago doesn’t mean there isn’t a future between the pair.
“I had a long talk with my agent,” Porter said. “He told me if (the Cavs) wanted to, that could be a great possibility.”