2011 NBA Draft: Why the Cleveland Cavaliers Should Take Derrick Williams First

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a horrible year (19-63), but there is some optimism in Cleveland.

The Cavs have the first and fourth overall picks and they can't afford to mess up. They need to pick the right players, or else they could be a lottery team for quite a while.

Kyrie Irving of Duke and Derrick Williams of Arizona are the consensus top two picks but no one knows who Cleveland will take with the first pick. There has been plenty of speculation on who fits better or who is more NBA "ready," but still there is no clear-cut answer.

The Cleveland front office has shown no signs of their potential selection and my guess is they honestly aren't sure yet.

The Cavs have holes all over the court, and it wouldn't surprise me if they went either way.

But here is why I think they should take Derrick Williams as the first overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Derrick Williams is, arguably, the best athlete in the draft and is an absolute nightmare to guard. He has the frame of a SF/PF and the outside stroke of a SG. He would give the Cavs a young, up-and-coming front court that also would consist of J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao.

But that isn't the main reason why they should take Williams. The main reason they should take Williams is the fact that they have the fourth pick also.

They need help all around the board and could still get two contributors if they take Williams first.

If they take Irving first then their options are much more limited at the fourth pick, unless there is a surprising pick at second or third. They would have to take someone other than a point guard and their options would be much worse than who I think they could get.

My prediction for the fourth pick, if they select Williams first, is Brandon Knight from Kentucky. Knight is a good shooter, a clutch player and a solid decision maker.

Knight is not projected to be as good as Irving, but he is still the second best point guard in the draft and should be a solid starter for years to come.

I feel like this scenario is better than taking Irving and then choosing between Jan Vesely, Jonas Valanciunas and Tristan Thompson.

Either way, I can't stress enough that these two picks need to be home runs or else they will fall in an even deeper hole than what they are in now.

Unless they pull off the rumored mega-deal for the second overall pick, then their best bet it to go for Derrick Williams first and Brandon Knight fourth.