lock if posted http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2011/news/story?id=6681060 The Cavaliers, after taking the temperature of the Timberwolves and Jazz to see if Kyrie Irving could somehow fall to No. 4 in Thursday's NBA draft, are now committed to the former Duke guard as the No. 1 pick and are fielding offers for the fourth pick, league sources said Monday. In a perfect world for the Cavs, they would draft Irving and former Arizona forward Derrick Williams, which is why they were also interested in dealing for the second pick. Irving But what they found out is that getting both players would be a stretch. In preparation for the No. 4 pick, Cleveland was bringing in Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight for a visit Monday. And former Kentucky student Enes Kanter of Turkey, who was ruled by the NCAA to be permanently ineligible with the school, will return Monday for a second visit. The Wolves, meanwhile, won't let Williams slip beyond No. 2 and don't plan on trading Michael Beasley or Anthony Randolph.
I think i would have to go with Derrick Williams if i was the Cavs management. And either try for Brandon Knight with the 4th this year or try to get the top pick next year and take Austin Rivers.
It would be amusing if he and Bogut ended up on the same team. If he goes first overall there could be two Australian born first picks on the same team.
We all get to second guess things as armchair quarterbacks, but I know I would go Kanter first and cross my fingers Knight is there at #4. Derrick Williams looks a lot like Antwan Jamison to me, I don't know how well he'll do on a team like the Cavs (or Wolves) that would want him at the 3. I've made no secret that I'm in the minority and am not terribly high on Irving. He think he's a talented, whiplash scorer....but am skeptical about his ability to run the point. If Kanter pans out, the Cavs take a huge step forward heading back to respectability. The impact a bonafide center has is bigger than any other position. Of course....that's why Portland took Oden over Durant, so..... But if I work out Kanter and come away with confidence that he's at least a Bogut level guy and not a career backup....I have a hard time selecting Irving first and watching Kanter slip away to Utah.
Good idea. Though next year's draft could be full of forwards who I think will be better than Williams like Harrison Barnes, Perry Jones, Anthony Davis, Jared Sullinger, and James McAdoo.
The Cavs are in complete disarray, more than the BPA they need an alpha dog, someone who can shoulder the burden of being the face of the franchise. There's a high chance Irving won't be the best player in this draft, however he's the one with the most maturity and leadership qualities. What's the point of selecting Kanter and passing on Irving? Best case scenario is they reach the playoffs and get eliminated by the Heat, not sure what that would do to their rebuilding efforts. If I were the Cavs I'd draft Irving at 1, let Kanter go to the Jazz and then select Donatas with the 4rth. Irving has the image to get people on the Cavs band wagon again, even if they do end up sucking (see Clips and Blake Griffin). With Donatas, you end up with a guy who has played against better competition, no knee/health issues and could end up staying in Europe for 2 more years. Why's that important? The cavs need to suck as much as possible to keep getting high picks, and when donatas does go to them he'll be more seasoned with 2 more years of euro experience. Its a nice rebuilding plan you might end up with: Irving/lottery pick/lottery pick/Donatas/Varejao in two years.
With the scarcity of quality centers in the NBA. I believe Varejao will allow the Cavs a quick turnaround, ie more trade opportunities to become relevant again.
No-brainer pick. I'm not saying Irving will be a star, but he has a better chance of being an impact NBA player than Williams.
True enough, but to be fair, they're probably avoiding any future dissension by drafting white guys, especially Euros. I've been to Salt Lake City, and while I can say it's beautiful there....well, if you're white and Mormon, it's great. And maybe European players adjust without too much complaint. Parenthetically: While visiting there, I was tuning the radio and found one of the best R&B stations ever. In Utah. Couldn't believe it. Carry on with this thread, ya'll.
They might need to trade down, say, see if Washington will trade the #6 and #18 for the #2. Washington gets Derrick Williams, Utah still gets Jimmer (in case Sacramento wants to scoop him up at #7). Then Utah can still get some quality players at #12 and #18 or even use THOSE picks to trade up to, say, #8 or #9.
