2011 NBA Draft Lottery: Who Will Cleveland Cavaliers Take with 2 Picks in Top 4
The 2011 NBA draft order is set, and if you're a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, it hardly could have gone any better.
With Dan Gilbert's son Nick taking the seat behind the Cavs podium, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the Cavaliers won the NBA draft lottery with the Los Angeles Clippers draft pick, which had a 2.8 percent chance of becoming the No. 1 pick.
This proves that at the very least, God doesn't hate the city of Cleveland—he just likes to torture them from time to time. It also proves that God may hate the little brother team in Los Angeles, as their pick, which they were so ready to part ways with, was the one that netted the top slot.
This kicks off what will be a little over a month of rumors, mock drafts and just a lot of hearsay and speculation overall.
Who will the Cavs take with their top pick, will they entertain offers from other teams who may want to trade for it and will these two picks start their turnaround, or will it just be another failure on the long list of sports-related things that Cleveland has been tortured by?
So, let's start off by going down the list of candidates for the two picks and finish it all off with my take on who they should take.
Kyrie Irving
1 of 7
Everyone in NBA circles is very high on the idea that a good point guard is the way to go if you want to turn your team around, take them to the top and keep them there. Kyrie Irving is the guy to go with if you are looking for a potential top-tier point guard.
Kyrie Irving has a bit of a way to go to become one of the top point guards in the league, but he definitely has the tools to get there.
Irving only played 11 games at the college level, and when he was faced with good competition, he struggled at times. He also suffered an injury that took out most of his year that has some people concerned about his durability.
Irving is a guy with a pretty good jump shot who is as quick and agile as most players in the NBA, and could eventually be that point guard that keeps a team afloat for ages.
Derrick Williams
2 of 7
Derrick Williams is actually my favorite player in this draft, but for some reason the Cavs don't consult me when it comes to who they pick.
Williams is the typical athletic forward who can jump out of the gymnasium, but he is a bit of an in-between forward who is a bit too big for the small forward position and a bit too small for the power forward position.
The good thing about Williams is how ready he is for the NBA, and how soon he could come in and help a team in a positive way. The only problem is that the Cavs need someone that can help them a lot in about two or three years, not just some next year.
I think they will go for potential over NBA readiness, so I see them passing on Derrick Williams.
Enes Kanter
3 of 7
Enes Kanter is the super-hyped European big man that was supposed to help Kentucky to the NCAA championship this past season, and he may well have done that if he weren't deemed ineligible by the NCAA.
Kanter is a big, wide body who has a killer post-up game and a decent jump shot—just like many of the other European big men to come to the states—plus he has a lot of room to grow.
If Kanter is anything near what people say he could be then he could end up being an elite big man in the NBA.
He shows some qualities in his game that usually don't crop up until a player has been in the league for a handful of years, as he is incredibly patient and seems to know how to exploit the weaknesses of other players on the court, bodying up smaller players and ducking around the taller guys.
Jonas Valanciunas and Donatas Motiejunas
4 of 7
Two Lithuanian big men that could be the new Zydrunas Ilgauskas for the Cleveland Cavaliers will be readily available when they pick at No. 4.
Valanciunas is a big, but skinny guy who is pretty quick for a seven-footer and has a good jump shot.
Montiejunas has a better jumper than Valanciunas, but he isn't as good in the post and has had questions crop up about his work ethic and maturity, something that doesn't fit in well with what the Cavs are trying to build.
Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight
5 of 7
Two sizzling-hot point guards who were on display in this year's Final Four are two guys the Cavs could easily go after if they pass on Irving with their first pick.
Kemba Walker came out as a clutch shooter and a natural-born leader in the tournament, repeatedly hitting big shot after big shot in the tourney and willing his team past bigger, better teams.
Walker is a small guy, and with teams looking for super athletes at the point guard position at this time, he may not be what the Cavs are trying to go after at this point.
Brandon Knight has an innate ability to score the ball and was one of the keys to an explosive Kentucky offense that made it to the Final Four.
The Rest of the Field
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After the top three, the rest of the field is pretty tight, and with plenty of time to account for some players coming on strong in the next month, so I'd like to include everyone here that could climb up and impress the Cavs.
Alec Burks
A hard-working guard from Colorado who has been working with Chauncey Billups to develop his jump shot to go along with his defense.
Tristan Thompson
A lefty power forward with a terrific wingspan who has been adding bulk to his frame all season long that could help him make up for his height (6'9").
Jan Vesely
A forward from the Czech Republic who has gotten a lot of love for his athletic ability, and he is continuing to improve as he works his way to the States.
Bismack Biyombo
He has come on strong in the past few weeks, and with Cleveland already having one guy from the Congo that they are impressed with (Christian "Sky"enga), he could end up on the Cavs watch list, but he is a long shot at best, I just really like his name.
So Who Do They Take?
7 of 7
It seemed to me that the team that won the 2011 NBA draft lottery would end up taking Kyrie Irving in June, and the Cavs are no different. They will end up with a good point guard with all kinds of potential to lead the Cavs back to happy times.
I would like to see them take a shot with Derrick Williams and then grab either Walker or Knight with their fourth pick, but it seems that a point guard is the way to go with the No. 1 pick.
If Enes Kanter is still available with the No. 4 pick, then they will be hard-pressed to pass on a big man with that much potential, but I think he should end up being picked third.
Also, there is the potential that they could wriggle the No. 2 pick away from Minnesota (but this is probably just my own little pipe dream), and get both Irving and Williams with the top two picks.
Ultimately, if they hang on to this pick, I think they'll take a swing at Jonas Valanciunas, the Lithuanian seven-footer who could turn into a new Zydrunas Ilgauskas for this team—something the people of Cleveland would love.
With the NBA Draft approaching, NBA Mock Draft season is here. Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updated mock drafts, along with the latest NBA Draft news, analysis, rumors and predictions.
