As you probably know, the Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery and with that comes the right to draft Kyrie Irving. Letting the ping-pong balls fall in our favor was the easy part, now comes the hard part. The Cavaliers' front office is now faced with a number of decisions to make regarding vital personnel of this team. It is obviously difficult make these decisions as mere bystanders, but I'll toss some ideas out there and feel free to post your suggestions in the comment sections.
The first, most apparent decision on hand is what to do with the number one overall pick in the NBA draft. The choice seems to have come down to either Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams. Most people, myself included, think it is practically a no-brainer. Kyrie Irving is a true point guard who brings versatility and dynamic playmaking ability. The NBA has clearly shifted to a league dominated by point guards and the fastest way to return to relevance is to draft a guard that makes the players around him better. Although Irving may be the most obvious choice for the number one pick, Williams has plenty to offer to this franchise as well. Williams was clearly the most dominating big man in college basketball this year and has shown ridiculous explosiveness and even solid three-point range. My main issue with drafting Williams is the uncertainty regarding his position in the NBA. Williams played the 4 at Arizona, but lacks true PF size for the NBA. His game is more like of a small forward, but he may have trouble guarding faster small forwards at the next level. Williams may possess a higher ceiling, but with the first overall pick, you should take the player that is closest to a sure thing. In a draft that lacks real superstar potential, Kyrie Irving is the best pick for Cleveland.
Obviously, the Cavaliers also have to decide who to take with the 4th pick in the draft. Unlike the first overall pick, this selection becomes a bit more complicated. Who the Cavs pick really depends on who is drafted ahead of them. If by some act of God (or Kahn), Derrick Williams falls to the four spot, there is no doubt that the Cavs will take him. Otherwise, the Cavaliers will likely have to choose one of the various European big men. Jan Vesely and Jonas Valanciunas are two of the Cavaliers' potential selections with the 4th pick. Both are categorized as "aggressive Europeans", which is a refreshing break from international players automatically being labeled as "soft". I have not found a quality workout video of these two players, but continue to search the internet in the next month and you can see some highlights of the Cavs potential picks at the 4 spot. It is difficult to project who the Cavs will pick here because it is impossible to know who the Timberwolves and Jazz will choose before them, however, in a perfect world, I would have the Cavs selecting Enes Kanter, a center from Turkey. Kanter shows a relatively polished post game, while maintaining impressive upside at the center position. Scouts are concerned about his lack of experience against elite competition, but I think it is worth the risk. You can check out one of Kanter's workouts here.
Although I am firmly against choosing Derrick Williams with the Cavs' first pick, I suppose it is necessary to address the situation if it were to play out like that. If Williams is selected with the number one pick, it would seem necessary to grab the next best point guard after Irving. That label belongs to Brandon Knight, a point guard out of Kentucky. Knight is a solid guard prospect and is still only 18 years old. He certainly possess the ability to become an impact point guard in the NBA, but Irving's game is far more polished and NBA-ready.
Following the draft, the Cavaliers will have some decisions to make regarding their current roster. Cleveland will likely select a point guard with one of their first two picks and whether it be Knight or Irving, the Cavs need to figure out what to do with the other PGs on the team. Ramon Sessions garnered interest at the trade deadline this past season and teams will certainly come calling when the Cavs put him on the market after they draft their new point guard. Ideally, some GM would be foolish enough to take on Baron Davis' horrible contract, but that seems unlikely. Similarly, Antawn Jamison's expiring contract and the Traded Player Exception (~$14.5M) would be appealing to several teams seeking salary relief. Dan Gilbert has voiced his willingness to spend money and his belief that the Cavs are not done making moves prior to the 2011-12 NBA season. Furthermore, it is important not to forget about Anderson Varejao. While he was injured for much of last season, Varejao remains an elite post defender and can be extremely valuable. He may be more valuable to a team that is closer to contention, but that is just another decision that this front office needs to make.
Ultimately, these are good problems to have. For the first time in several years, the Cavaliers have options and flexibility moving forward. Despite a weak draft class, there is no doubt that the Cavs can find two quality players with their top 4 picks. Cavaliers management seems intent on rebuilding a contender in Cleveland and that sets fans up for an exciting offseason. We all know about the nightmare that was last season and hopefully this draft and offseason will prevent the Cavs from experiencing anything like that in the future.