2011 Draft Evaluation: Cleveland Cavaliers Draft Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson

Though the Cavaliers’ 2010-11 season will mostly be remembered for an NBA-record-setting 26 game losing streak, the Cleveland faithful will have something to look forward to next season with after the club’s selection of Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 overall and Tristan Thompson with the No. 4 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft.

Irving gives the Cavs a franchise point guard. He is a capable scorer, good shooter, and smart passer. He is very fundamentally sound in terms of his ball handling and decision making, making him an ideal prospect to run an NBA offense. Irving is also lauded for his lock-down defense and possesses ample size to matchup with any point guard in the NBA. 

He is the third point guard to be drafted first overall in the last four years. Unlike John Wall and Derrick Rose, though, he is not an off-the-charts athlete. However, he is very quick on both sides of the ball, runs the court very well, and is more than capable of creating his own shot on the perimeter and in the lane.

While the comparisons to Cavaliers’ 2003 No. 1 overall pick LeBron James are inevitable, they are invalid in every way. No one in the basketball world expects Irving to single-handedly replace Dan Gilbert’s former basketball messiah. While Irving may not possess James’ once-in-a-generation athleticism, he will certainly take his spot as the undisputed leader of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He only played 11 games in his freshman season at Duke, but in those games he showed leadership on the court that will translate well into the NBA. 

Tristan Thompson is less of a sure thing.  The 6’9” 230 lb. power forward projects well as a rebounder, interior defender, shot blocker, and energy guy in the NBA. He averaged a high shooting percentage in college, but is not particularly skilled on the offensive end. He finishes well around the rim and gets to the free throw line, but he is not a good shooter from the field or the line. His 48.7 percent free throw shooting last year stands out as truly abysmal.

While Thompson should have a long-lasting and immediate impact as a defensive player, his selection with the No. 4 pick raises more questions than answers. The first of which being: how much playing time is going to get next year?

He will join a roster which already includes J.J. Hickson, Antawn Jamison, Samardo Samuels, and now also 54th overall selection Milan Macvan if he comes to the United States. A predicament seems to be forming in the Cleveland frontcourt.  Anderson Varejao, who is also a power forward by most measures, will project as the starting center if he is healthy. A logjam is quickly forming at the 4 in Cleveland. Similarly, Dan Gilbert’s staff seems to be stockpiling point guards. Irving joins Baron Davis, Ramon Sessions, and Daniel Gibson. That’s nine players on the roster who play two positions. Save a seat next to David Kahn.  

The Cavaliers clearly took the approach of getting the best player on their board, as opposed to addressing their immediate needs, as their immediate needs are everything but a point guard and power forward. Most notably, the Cavs need to acquire perimeter talent to play shooting guard and small forward.

With Anthony Parker likely to depart as a free agent, the Cavaliers will be turning to Manny Harris, Joey Graham, and Christian Eyenga for playing time on the perimeter. Undoubtedly, this will lead to guys playing out of position. Baron Davis and Daniel Gibson will probably spend time in the platoon at shooting guard.

The roster is not cohesive. Their best four guards are all under 6’4”. Their best four forwards are all power forwards. While I understand that the Timberwolves and the Cavaliers are kind of the in the same boat, I never expected to see Dan Gilbert and Co. using front-office tactics that can be most-closely compared to those of David Kahn, who drafted point guards with consecutive lottery picks in 2009, and whose team has won 32 games in the past two years.

One thing we can take away from draft day is that the Cavaliers have the humility to admit that they will be irrelevant next year. We will have to see what the Cavs do going forward to fully evaluate the draft, but, in a preliminary sense, I don’t think the Cavaliers did a whole lot to make their team better next year.