 |
| Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images |
This is the second straight year that the Cavaliers have won the top overall pick after selecting Anthony Bennett out of UNLV last year. I'm still scratching my head with that decision.
The Anthony Bennett pick may be one of the biggest NBA Draft busts of the modern era. Bennett was a surprise when the Cavs decided to grab him over the likes of rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo. Bennett went on to average 4.2 ppg and 3.0 rbg while playing just over 12 mpg in his first season in the NBA.
Hopefully the Cavaliers make better decisions this time around. They say experience is everything and when you're picking the #1 overall pick for the third time in four years you better know what your doing by now.
The last time a team won back-to-back #1 picks was the Orlando Magic in 1992-1993. The Magic picked up a guy buy the name of Shaquille O'Neill in '93. They snagged Chris Webber the following year, but immediately traded him to Golden State for Anfernee Hardaway and three future first round picks.
This is now the fourth #1 pick for the Cavs since 2003 (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett) and maybe the deepest draft to choose from. The last team to win four top overall picks in as many years was the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals, now the Sacramento Kings, who had the top pick in four out of five years from 1956-1960.
The Cavaliers are back in the driver seat after winning the NBA Draft lottery and are receiving calls from around the league for teams looking to make a trade.
Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin has been listening to all the offers coming his way, but he still has some time to make a decision before the June 26th NBA Draft.
The top prospect according to ESPN's Jeff Goodman is Kansas Jayhawks big man Joel Embiid, as long as his back is OK. Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker are both looked at as top prospects that will also be given heavy consideration before the Cavaliers turn in their draft card, should they keep the top pick.
Some are even speculating that the with Cavs garnering another top pick they will be able to make a heavy push to get their hometown kid, LeBron James, to recommit to his hometown team.
Now don't go buying your "King Returns" shirts just yet, because the likely hood of James returning is slimmer than you would think. James would be returning to a team without any playoff experience, a new head coach, an owner who attempted to rub his face in the mud when he left, and a group of players who haven't spent more than a week above .500 in their professional career.
The hype will continue to gain steam and lead us right into draft night as we all think of different scenarios for what the Cleveland Cavaliers should do with their top pick (I believe their is a player in Minnesota who is looking to make a change in scenery).
The Cavaliers may not have the richest history but they are certainly working on that with the plethora of #1 picks that are coming their way, and with the talent available in this years draft they could be in for a lot more luck to follow behind.
No comments:
Post a Comment