Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Billy Preston is not a stranger to controversy. Before being signed by the Cavs to a two-way deal, Preston attended Kansas University, but did not manage to finish his first and only season as a Jayhawk. Preston decided to leave Lawrence, without even suiting up a single regular season game for the Jayhawks to play in Europe, a decision he had to make on the heels of an investigation of a car crash inside campus involving Preston.
While no one was hurt in the crash, the NCAA turned its attention to how Preston acquired the vehicle.
If it were not for that accident, Preston could have heard his name called in last month’s draft, but that was just not how things unfolded for the 6-foot-10 forward, as he was snubbed by all the teams, a painful effect of the sharp fall of his stock.
Preston is not one to mope over how he went from being projected by some as a lottery pick to becoming a draft afterthought, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
“I wouldn’t take back or change anything that happened now, good and bad,” Preston said. “I learned from everything. And I’m here today, and that’s all that matters.”
Billy Preston would rather look at the glass half-full, and that means he’s going to relish and, at the same time, try to prove himself that he’s worthy of a guaranteed contract in the NBA while spending most of his rookie year playing for the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ G-League affiliate.
