2011 NBA Draft: 10 Players That Could Be Playing For The Cavaliers Next Season
The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers were counting their chances at winning the NBA Draft Lottery, the price of gasoline was $1.72 per gallon.
That was 2003, and in that lottery the Cleveland Cavaliers landed the face of their franchise for the past seven seasons.
That man was LeBron James, and as we all know, he now resides in Miami and plays for the Miami Heat.
Oh how things have changed for the franchise that was among the NBA's elite over the past two seasons.
The Cavaliers were once one of the most feared defensive teams in the league under former coach Mike Brown.
Now, they are one of the NBA's biggest laughing stocks.
Their roster is consumed with role players, and youngsters looking for a chance to prove their worth.
While it is great to have role players and youngsters, you cannot win basketball games in the NBA without some type of star.
And as much as I like Anderson Varejao's hustle, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson's heart, and Mo Williams' leadership: they just aren't enough to put this team in the playoffs.
Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers' front office thought that they could compete this season with veterans who know how to win.
I'm not going to lie, so did I.
But it is now January, and the Cavaliers are officially the worst team in the NBA.
If they continue down this path and win the NBA Lottery, the Cavaliers will once again have a chance to draft a new face of the franchise.
And while there isn't a player as hyped as LeBron James, there are plenty of players that could be stars in the NBA.
With that said, the Cavaliers organization will evaluate the roster and pinpoint what position is the biggest need for the team in the draft, and hopefully acquire even more first round draft picks for next season.
So while the organization does their part in securing draft picks, I'll do mine by showing you just who the Cavaliers could be drafting come June.
10. Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina
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Harrison Barnes came into the season as the most hyped player in college basketball.
He is a 6'8", 215 pound small forward that has drawn comparisons to Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls.
Many people thought that he was going to be the "diaper dandy" to lead the Tar Heels back to NCAA glory this season.
Needless to say, both of those predictions have not come to fruition this season.
Barnes has been very unproductive in his freshman season, and chances are that he will return for another year instead of entering the NBA Draft.
But his upside and the possibility of breaking out throughout the rest of the season still keep him on this list.
He is very athletic with a long wing span, and does an excellent job getting to basket and creating contact.
This is something that the Cavaliers have lacked this season.
Cleveland has a large void at their small forward position, and if Barnes turns up his game in the second half of the season, he could be in the mix with the Cavaliers in 2011.
9. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke
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There has been a recent trend in the NBA that the Cleveland Cavaliers cannot ignore.
That trend is freshman point guards coming into the NBA and having an immediate impact.
Irving, a 6'2" point guard from Duke has already drawn comparisons to Chris Paul in his young freshman season.
He does a solid job running the floor and pushing the tempo of the game, and could be an excellent fit in Byron Scott's offense.
The Cavaliers currently have Mo Williams, Ramon Sessions, and Daniel Gibson at the point guard position, which makes it unlikely that the team will draft Irving in the top part of the draft.
However, if the Cavaliers deal Williams and Gibson to contenders, and don't like what they see in Sessions during the remainder of the season: there is a good chance that Irving could be in the mix.
8. C.J. Leslie, SF, N.C. State
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Tell me if this following scout evaluation on Leslie sounds familiar at all:
"Entering his freshman year at North Carolina State, CJ Leslie is a long, 6'9 freshman with tremendous athleticism and versatility ... His length, athleticism and leaping ability allow him to get high above the rim and make plays on the ball at its highest point".
If you are having a mental block here, let me straighten it out for you.
That was the same scouting report on current Cavaliers J.J. Hickson coming out of N.C. State.
Leslie is listed as a small forward, but he can also play the power forward position.
He has drawn comparisons to Thaddeus Young of the Philadelphia 76ers, and is one of the quickest small forwards that could be in the draft.
There are a few downsides to Leslie though.
He has under-performed all season for N.C. State, and lacks the strength to body up forwards at the next level.
I am not too high on Leslie, but if we end up in the bottom of the lottery, Leslie may be the only viable small forward option on the board.
7. Donatas Motiejunas, PF/C, Lithuania
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Donatas Motiejunas could have been a lottery pick last season if he entered the NBA Draft.
The power forward/center out of Lithuania may have solidified himself a top five pick by waiting another season.
He has drawn comparisons to Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors with his inside/out scoring abilities.
He is best suited for an offense that runs the floor, which is why the Cavaliers may be interested in the lefty big man.
He is only 20 years old, and with the shortage of dominant seven footers in the NBA, could end up developing into a star at the NBA level.
He has an excellent outside shot, and isn't afraid to mix it up with other post players.
I would like to see him add some bulk, as he only weighs 224 pounds and stands 7'0" tall.
The last time the Cavaliers drafted a seven footer from Lithuania, it turned out pretty well.
Could Donatas be the next Z?
6. Trey Tompkins, PF, Georgia
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With J.J. Hickson on the roster, you may be wondering why I will talk a lot about potential power forwards for the lottery.
Let me explain.
Hickson has had an up and down year already, and has shown that he doesn't get a long too well with new Coach Byron Scott.
Not to mention that this year's draft has three or four power forwards that are younger, and more polished than J.J. Hickson.
Tompkins is one of those guys.
He is a junior at Georgia this season, and has drawn comparison's to Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Tompkins has a very polished offensive game, and is one of the best post players in this draft.
The only knocks on Tompkins at this stage are that he isn't a great leaper and that he may not be the greatest defensive presence down low due to this lack of a leaping ability.
I would like to watch Tompkins more to give you a better assessment of his abilities, but he seems to be the more polished player that Hickson is not.
And if the Cavaliers get a huge offer for Hickson this season, Tompkins could be in the cards next year.
5. Derrick Williams, PF, Arizona
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In his freshman season at Arizona, Williams averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
I was shocked when he did not enter the 2010 Draft due to the small number of power forwards with a lot of upside in the lottery.
But staying in college could have guaranteed Williams an even higher pick this season.
Disregard the fact that he is undersized at 6'9", he can flat out play.
If you want a guy who can get to the basket, has a high offensive awareness and is an intelligent basketball player: Williams is your guy.
He has great hands, and has shown great offensive abilities in the post.
He has drawn comparisons to David West of the New Orleans Hornets, and would be an excellent pick up for the Cavaliers if he could live up to those expectations.
Once again, this will all depend on the team's evaluation of Hickson going forward in the 2011 season.
4. Enes Kanter, PF/C, Kentucky
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It's hard to imagine a player who isn't even playing during his freshman season at Kentucky being a viable lottery candidate, but that shows you Kanter's upside in the NBA.
He is a 6'11" power forward/center from Turkey, and has tremendous potential at only 18 years of age.
He will turn 19 right before the 2011 Draft, and has shown a scorer's mentality to go along with his massive frame.
This kid will only continue to grow as he gets older, and with his rebounding abilities will be a force to be reckoned with at the NBA level.
I would hope that he can get reinstated and play some basketball at Kentucky this year so that we can see what he has to offer at the collegiate level, but if he doesn't I am still confident this kid will be a game changed in the NBA.
He likely will not be allowed to participate in the NCAA after the ruling on Monday, but Kentucky will continue to try and find a way to get him on the court.
He has drawn comparisons to Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks, but I personally think he could end up being much better than Horford.
3. Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State
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If power forward was the Cleveland Cavaliers' number one priority, Sullinger would be on the top of this list.
He is the No. 1 reason The Ohio State Buckeyes are the No. 2 team in the country and undefeated at this point in the season.
His massive 6'9", 286 pound frame is difficult to defend down low.
He can spot up and shoot the jumper, can back down defenders and can destroy defensive game plans in a matter of minutes.
Teams attempt to double him down low, which is constantly leaving Ohio State's shooters wide open.
Sullinger has drawn comparison's to Al Jefferson at this stage in his young career, but these could be incorrect.
Jefferson has struggled to stay healthy, while Sullinger seems very committed to remaining healthy and dominate in his game.
If there are any concerns, it would be that he is a 6'9" power forward, and that taller defenders seem to be able to block his shots easily.
2. Perry Jones, SF, Baylor
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You could probably flip a coin and no matter which side it lands on end up with a potential NBA superstar when looking at the No. 1 and No. 2 players on my list.
First is freshman Perry Jones from Baylor.
Jones is a 6'11" small forward out of Texas, that has drawn comparisons to Tracy McGrady and Kevin Durant.
He is currently averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds per game for Baylor and has shown the athleticism to go off at any point and time.
Jones would fill a huge void at the small forward position for the Cavaliers, and could develop into the game changer that they lost when LeBron James left for Miami.
The only negatives that I have seen thus far on Jones are that tries to do too much with the basketball and turns it over at times.
I don't know about you, but a player that attempts to do something with the basketball would be a welcome change on this Cleveland Cavaliers team.
1. Terrence Jones, SF, Kentucky
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Terrence Jones is a 6'8", 244 pound small forward for Kentucky.
That size is very similar to what LeBron James measured at coming out of high school.
Jones has a great nose for attacking the basket, isn't afraid to play defense and is great at breaking down defenders from the perimeter.
He has great vision, isn't afraid to handle the ball and can draw contact around the basket with ease.
Oh, and he has a great outside shot to go with it.
Jones has shown levels of dominance at Kentucky this season that few players of his age and position have during the course of the season.
Many people have compared him to Lamar Odom, but I feel his upside is much higher than that.
So What Do the Cleveland Cavaliers Do?
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The Cavaliers will draft based on how the season plays out.
There will be a huge fire sale coming up on the veteran players who have value to contenders around the league.
And after that happens, the young players will get their chance to prove their worth to the team.
Shooting guards Manny Harris and Christian Eyenga have already shown that they are very capable of handling the position, which makes it easy to focus on the other three positions of need for the Cavaliers.
The team has absolutely no scoring and future potential at the small forward position, and unless they can acquire someone in a trade, will target this with their first round pick.
At the power forward position, the Cavaliers have J.J. Hickson who could be traded, or could be the future potential star of the organization.
At the center position, the Cavaliers have Anderson Varejao who is out for the season and not getting any younger.
Overall, there are a lot of questions that the Cleveland Cavaliers need answered over the second half of the season, and I think those answers will come through trades.
The Cavaliers need to acquire young players or more first round draft picks for next season in order to turn this thing around, or it could continue to be ugly for a long time in Cleveland.
