Kyrie Irving: Will No. 1 Pick Help Cure Cavaliers' LeBron James Hangover?

Kyrie Irving Taken First Overall, But Can He Cure What Ails the Cavaliers? 

When Kyrie Irving was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers at Thursday night's NBA draft, a grand total of zero people were surprised. After all, Irving had all but been crowned as the best player in a weak class from the instant he declared himself a part of it, and that hype was confirmed on Thursday night. 

The pick marked the first time since 2003 that Cleveland had held the first overall pick, and the first time since 2005 that they had been a lottery team. 

The biggest difference between these Cavs and the powerhouse that had been built over the previous five seasons is obvious, thanks to the LeBron James-sized hole in the Cavs' roster last season. They were certainly deserving of the top overall pick, and Irving certainly deserved to be that pick. 

But is Irving the Bloody Mary the city of Cleveland needs to get over it's King James hangover? 

The after-effects of "The Decision" were on full display last season at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Cavs lacked any semblance of talent in their roster, which appeared laden with has-beens (Antwain Jamison anyone?), overrated talents (the immortal Mo Williams) and various role-players (Anderson Varejao). Only J.J. Hickson consistently looked promising, but he couldn't keep the Cavs from staggering to a mind-numbing 19-63 record, the second-worst mark in the sport. 

As a result, the Cavs wound up with two of the top four picks in this season's draft and grabbed Irving and Texas big man Tristan Thompson, giving them more size and defense on the interior of their defense. 

While Thompson is a solid player and could become a reliable post presence for the Cavs, the onus of ending the post-LeBron heartache will fall squarely on Irving. As the first overall pick, he's now the team's franchise point guard, the piece to build the team around going forward. 

As an anchor, Irving is as reliable as you could hope to find in a class like this. He's not an athletic freak of nature like John Wall, but he proved himself to be the best player on the court for Duke in his 11 games last season. He led the team, ran the offense and showed the kind of maturity and poise typically reserved for seasoned veterans of the sport. 

Irving doesn't have many holes in his game. He's a fantastic playmaker, capable of involving multiple players in the offense, and his court vision is fantastic. His decision making is a bit of a work in progress, but that's more a product of his youth than any sort of inherent flaw in his game.

He's not an explosive athlete, but he gets to the hole and sinks shots as well as anyone in the sport. He's got range well beyond the three-point line and is fully capable of taking control of a game with his scoring just as much as with his facilitating. 

Irving doesn't have the upside of a guy like John Wall. He's not going to redefine what a point guard can do. If you're looking for someone who's going to redefine his position, you're going to be disappointed. 

But, Irving is an exceptional, well-rounded player. He's a pure point guard, the kind of player you want to build a team around, and the fact is, he's just the kind of player Cleveland needs to get out of their post-James funk.

He's a smart kid, who knows what's going to be expected of him in Cleveland. But, at the same time, he can't do it by himself, and neither can he and Thompson and Hickson. The Cavs have to keep drafting well and hope that Irving is going to deliver on his promise. 

It won't happen this season (the Cavs are still a few pieces away from being truly competitive), but rest assured that Irving is the player the Cavaliers (and the city of Cleveland) need to snap them out of their LeBron hangovers.