2008 NBA Draft: Cleveland Cavaliers Analysis, Pt. 2

In Part 1, I established the case for the Cavaliers needing to draft a center. Now let's take a look at their options in this year's upcoming draft.

Before naming names, it's important to consider just what kind of center the Cavs should draft.

For instance, they could pick a very traditional center. That is, someone with a big body who uses their size and strength to play back-to-the-basket, post-up basketball, box out for rebounds, and take up lots of space in the lane defensively. It's not uncommon to see this kind of center in the half-court style of offense that the Cavs use. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a good example of a traditional center, though he gets most of his points off of tip-ins and mid-range jump shots.

But the traditional center in the NBA has become more rare in recent years. With the exception of a handful of players including Yao Ming, Chris Kaman, and Dwight Howard, you don't really see the prototypical Shaq-style seven footers scoring from the five position anymore.

Most of the scoring seven footers such as Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Pau Gasol are found at the power forward position where they can use their face-up game as a weapon. The Cavs are in desperate need of a player who can effectively guard such over-sized power forwards.

There's another way the Cavs could go. They could switch gears and try the smaller yet more athletic centers that many more NBA teams are playing these days.

These non-traditional centers are natural power forwards who manage to use their quickness, athleticism, and finesse to out play even larger men. Examples of such players include Marcus Camby, Amare Stoudamire, and dare I say, Rasheed Wallace or Antonio McDyess. Such players are perfect for more of an up-tempo game as they can run the floor better and, despite being shorter, often have a better above-the-rim game than taller players.

The Cavs could use Ilgauskas' eventual retirement as an opportunity to revamp their frontcourt in the style of Dallas or San Antonio. That is, Varejao and Wallace playing roles similar to Fabricio Oberto or Eric Dampier and recruiting an lengthy offensive threat at the power forward position.

It's not likely, but this fan can dream nonetheless. 

That being said, here's a list of draftees in order of which ones are most likely to be drafted by the Cavs:

1. Roy Hibbert—Hibbert falls into the category of the traditional center. He's 7'2", 270lb, and known well for his ability to score. This in itself should be enough for the Cavs to pick him up if he's still available, but that's a big "if."

Despite the depth of this year's draft class, I find it hard to believe that more than 15 teams would pass up on a guy with his size and ability to score. On the other hand, Hibbert could easily be shown up by other dominant big men like Brook Lopez, DeAndre Jordan, JaVale McGee, and maybe even Hasheem Thabeet.

Whoever Phoenix, also looking for a center, picks at the 15 spot could prove to be the difference.

2. Hasheem Thabeet—At 7'3" and 265, Thabeet is tall like Hibbert but not quite as bulky. If Hibbert goes first, then Thabeet could still be available by the time the Cavs pick. Thabeet has more of the quickness and athleticism that Hibbert lacks, but less of the things that can be taught.

In this sense, he would be better than Hibbert for the Cavs. But I'm convinced that despite Conneticut's early exit from the NCAA tournament, Thabeet is more likely than Hibbert to be picked before the Cavs can get a shot at him.

3. Robin Lopez—As Stanford continues to have success in the NCAA tournament, Robin Lopez, twin brother to Brook, has logged more minutes and shown his potential as a talented big man. Robin is also a seven-footer and, compared to his brother, shows more athleticism but is not as much of a scoring threat.

If he declares, he has the potential to be picked late in the first round, meaning the Cavs could easily have a shot at him. The fact that he plays a lot like Anderson Varejao could work for, but more likely against him as far as the Cavs are concerned.

4. Darrell Arthur—Arthur is a power forward, not a center. But Arthur is lauded for his quickness and vertical leap. He plays well on both sides of the ball and offers good shot-blocking skills, something the Cavs have been lacking.

If the Cavs decided to go with the non-traditional center then Darrell Arthur seems like a great place to start. Besides, it wasn't long ago that the Cavs were having success with another power forward from Kansas.

5. Tyler Hansbrough—Surprisingly, a lot of online mock drafts have Hansbrough going very late in the first round. He's not a center, but he is a gritty power forward whose sheer will has contributed greatly to a strong North Carolina team.

He may not have the same kind of physical attributes or athleticism as others in the draft, but he plays as hard and as smart as anybody. He wouldn't develop into a replacement for Big Z, but don't be too surprised if the Cavs decide to take a chance on him, especially if Anderson Varejao is not in their long-term plans

6. JaVale McGee—A seven-footer with a 7'6" wingspan who shows a lot of promise. If for some odd reason he falls to the Cavs, they are not likely to pass on him. Their chances are about as slim as Manute Bol, though. Nobody's totally sure he's even going to declare.

7. Serge Ibaka—Here's another natural power forward who could develop into a non-traditional center. He's an athlete with great length and amazing leaping ability. He's only 19 and has the potential to develop into a great shot blocker.

He's already showing good offensive ability and, given time to develop, could prove to be a steal in the draft. Imagine LeBron tossing alley-oops to this guy! He's what you could consider raw talent, coming straight from Congo.

8. Kosta Koufos—The Ohio State freshman is still looking pretty raw, so he might be wise not to declare this year.

If he does, though, and better options are unavailable, don't be too surprised if the Cavs decide to grab him. He's over 7 feet tall with plenty of bulk already on his frame. Given a couple of years, he could grow to have the same kind of impact that Ilgaukas currently has with the Cavs.

Alternatives

The Cavs currently don't have a second-round draft pick in 2008. It's another example of how they are still recovering from the incompetency of Jim Paxon.

If the Cavs find a better use for their first round pick than drafting a center, then they should look to get a decent one with a second-round pick, if only as an insurance policy. Guys like Andre Ogilvy (if he declares), Nathan Jawai, Nikola Pekovic, or maybe even DJ White will be available. These players don't have the same potential to become a replacement for Ilgauskas, but could eventually step in and offset the loss of his presence in the post.

If they don't draft a center, they will eventually have to acquire a player via trade or free agency. They could make a deal for a player drafted by another team, just like they did with Martynas Andriuskevicius. Soon-to-be free agents Nick Fazekas, Patrick O'Bryant and Robert Swift might be worth a look.

Such players could potentially be signed with some or all of the MLE, but it'd be a big risk for the Cavs to take. Since they are already NBA tested and haven't shown much success, they are more likely to fail than to succeed. In this writer's opinion, Cleveland would be much better off drafting the best prospect for their future center in the first round.

Can the Cavs pull off another steal in the draft like they did with Daniel Gibson? It will be interesting to see who comes to work out for Cleveland in June, but you can be assured that Cleveland will be looking for someone who can offer both scoring and defense in the paint.

Getting a player that makes an immediate impact is not a priority as long as they can get a player with potential. GM Danny Ferry impressed a lot of people with the recent deadline trade, so expectations are high as the Cavaliers seek to remain competitive in the NBA at large.