NBA Draft 2012: How The Cleveland Cavaliers Can Become Contender with Picks

On the strength of its 2012 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers will shock the league in Uncle Drew-like fashion and suddenly emerge as a contender for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference in 2012-13.

This seems improbable for a team drafting in the lottery, but the Cavs could follow a strikingly similar model to a team that has ascended to elite success in a very short period of time: The Oklahoma City Thunder.

If you look at the coincidences, it starts to get a little scary... and exciting, if you're a Cavs fan.

The first spark

Back in 2007, the franchise formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics had a choice between two No. 1 caliber players: Greg Oden and Kevin Durant.

It depended on what happened before them, as the Portland Trail Blazers held the first selection.

When the Blazers picked Oden, the Sonics grabbed Durant. The rest, as they say, is history.

Two-for-two

Armed with another lottery pick at No. 4 overall and an additional first round selection at No. 24, the Sonics selected UCLA point guard Russell Westbrook and then Serge Ibaka from the Republic of the Congo.

These two draft picks ended up being stunning successes. Two genius picks by general manager Sam Presti in one year.

A third explosive perimeter player

After another year of hardship and losing, and the team moving to Oklahoma City, the newly-dubbed Thunder selected Arizona State's James Harden with the No. 3 overall pick in 2009.

Harden has lived up to his high billing as a stellar all-around player who can put up 20 points any night.

Does that sound familiar?

The Thunder used three lottery picks and a mid-late first round selection to grab the following: On the interior, a raw power forward with improving offensive skills, immense strength, incredible athleticism, and shot-blocking ability.

On the perimeter: a superstar, a sidekick superstar and a third big-time scorer.

While the sequencing is slightly different, the Cavs' "first spark" is Kyrie Irving, the first lottery pick. He was a No. 1 overall pick, the same caliber as Durant.

The Cavs also faced a draft-day dilemma laced with uncertainty.

Irving only played 11 games in college, but judging by his NBA Rookie of the Year award, the Cavs made the right call in a tough situation, as Irving is an emerging superstar.

Tristan Thompson has many of the same traits that Ibaka has, and flashed enough potential last season to indicate that he can develop into an exceptional NBA power forward like Ibaka.

What the Cavs can find in the draft tonight is a sidekick superstar in the mold of Westbrook with the No. 4 selection; the third lottery pick. It would also be the very same pick Westbrook was selected with in 2008.

It's also very possible the Cavs could add an explosive scorer at No. 24 this year, which would be the exact late-mid first round pick the Thunder used to draft Ibaka in 2008.

Both the Thunder and the Cavs also have veteran big men that are among the best interior defenders in the game.

Kendrick Perkins, who was acquired in a trade for OKC, and Anderson Varejao, who has played for the Cavs his entire career.

As talented as this draft is, the Cavs should be able to fill the requisite positions in order to fill out its starting lineup and compete for a playoff spot next season. A projected lineup could look like this:

PG: Irving

SG: Projected 2012 No. 24/Free agent X

SF: Projected 2012 No. 4

PF: Thompson

C: Varejao

Although center isn't Varejao's natural position, he has made it work. He was enjoying a career year last season before suffering a wrist injury.

With that framework as context, the Cavs have formidable draft options in 2012 at the holes it needs to fill.

In mock drafts on NBADraft.net, FOX Sports, HOOPSWORLD, DraftExpress and more, there is no consensus as to what the Cavs will do with these two picks. However, here are players who would be great fits:

At No. 4, the pick should be...

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF Kentucky

The intangibles, leadership, athleticism, and work ethic MKG brings to the table have been constant talking points by draft gurus and writers around the country.

The Cavs need a winner who can step in right away and contribute, and Kidd-Gilchrist can do just that. He also plays exceptional perimeter defense, something the Cavs need desperately.

Although Harrison Barnes wouldn't be a bad pick here either, Kidd-Gilchrist brings the all-around game and enough offense to help the Cavs more immediately than Barnes could.

According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the fact that Kidd-Gilchrist and Irving were high school teammates also doesn't hurt the cause. There would should be some form of built-in chemistry there.

At No. 24, the pick should be...

Doron Lamb, SG Kentucky

There should be plenty of guards left at this point due to the depth of the 2012 class, but pairing two players who won a national championship together doesn't seem outrageous, does it?

However undersized for a shooting guard Lamb might be, he is smart with the basketball, can shoot the heck out of the ball from the perimeter, and will provide built-in chemistry if the Cavs select MKG first.

Whether Lamb would be in the starting lineup would depend on free agency, which is pointless to make projections about considering the way the Cavs will draft is an uncertainty.

If I had to make a recommendation, though, I would grab OJ Mayo.

A former lottery pick for offense alone out of USC, Mayo has morphed into a defensive asset and has put to rest any concerns about work ethic and attitude after taking a bench role with the Grizzlies.

Mayo has to be determined to prove himself, and starting alongside Irving in the Cavs backcourt wouldn't be a bad place to do it.

He would also serve as a convenient comparison to the Thunder's Thabo Sefolosha, who starts but might not get starters' minutes once younger players emerge.

Whether the Cavs follow an eerily similar blueprint to the Thunder remains to be seen, but it certainly seems enticing.

Watch out, fellow NBA crews—Uncle Drew and Co. may be coming for you.