In the 2012 NBA Draft the Cavaliers are going to select somewhere very close to the 8th pick most likely. It would be wonderful to move up into the first three selections but doing that two years in a row is something I'm not ready to count on.
With the roster really beginning to round itself into shape, mostly because of Kyrie Irving's arrival, this draft could very well be the last time the team gets a Top 10 pick for a couple of years. At least I sure hope so.
You see, with this current cast of players and the potential for internal improvement the Cleveland Cavaliers are definitely about to make their way into NBA no man's land.
I'm scared to enter no man's land without another star player. I sure hope the Cavaliers can pull off another great draft and get another star but there are a few teams who I wish we could switch assets with.
Check out my wishful thinking after the jump.
I am a wee bit jealous of the drafting potential of New Orleans, Portland and Utah!
New Orleans - We've all seen how poorly the Hornets have been this year as Eric Gordon hasn't really played and Chris Paul is gone. They own their own pick (very likely to be top 3) and the Minnesota pick which is currently 12th. Two lottery picks with one being a likely top 3 one sounds fantastic. Although I'm not jealous of their situation overall compared to ours, I am jealous of their drafting potential compared to ours this summer
Portland - Much as the Cavaliers basically stole Kyrie Irving from the Los Angeles Clippers last summer, the Blazers absolutely robbed the New Jersey Nets of their likely top 5 lottery pick. In one of oddest moves of the season the Nets basically gave up their lottery pick to the Blazers (top 3 protected) for Gerald Wallace. While Wallace is a solid player, he has regressed horribly this year and is going to go downhill even more in the near future. It has to be frustrating to be a Blazers fan after they have los Brandon Roy and Greg Oden under difficult circumstances but thanks to the Nets, they could get things going again as soon as this June.
Utah - Wow, the Jazz are loaded with some quality young players. None of them scream star to me yet at this point but they've got the ability to do some nice things if a couple of these guys grow. I'm skeptical at this point still of Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors but with the Warriors and their own pick this summer the Jazz can add a couple more nice players to that core. Let's also not forget how good Paul Millsap is. While the Warriors will retain the pick should it end up in the top 7 and the Jazz might not have their own pick be in the lottery if they make the playoffs it is a good bet that they'll have two picks between 9 and 14.
If only Chris Grant could have traded Ryan Hollins for one of these things!