Let's start with this and no, I won't be singing any Dusty Springfield songs!
I do not watch as much college basketball as I used to, so my knowledge of the draft is far more limited than it was ten years ago.
However, I did watch a lot of the conference tournaments and NCAA games, so I have seen the players that Cleveland could be taking.
With the fourth pick, Cleveland has to get one of two players- an outside shooter or someone that can play on the wing.
Assuming the Cavaliers stay at four and they have been rumored to move up and down, one of these three players is the likely pick.
Bradley Beal fits the outside shooter part as he rates as the best shooter in the draft.
The Florida Gator is easily the best off guard in the draft and could be the fit the Cavaliers are looking for with Kyrie Irving.
The question with Beal is this -Is he more Eric Gordon or Ben Gordon?
Eric Gordon would be the ceiling for Beal-a shooter that can penetrate and play with or without the ball.
Ben Gordon would be a point scorer, but a flawed player that looks better on the scoresheet than in the game.
Harrison Barnes of North Carolina would have likely been Cleveland's pick last year at four, when they took Tristan Thompson, had Barnes entered the draft.
A super athletic forward, Barnes looks amazing when paired with a top-level point guard, which he would have in Cleveland.
My concern with Barnes is that he seems to struggle in creating his own shot and that is mandatory in the NBA.
Barnes has tremendous upside, but he might be Marvin Williams on the flip side.
Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrest has the background for meshing with Kyrie Irving as he has played on the same team as Irving in high school.
Kidd-Gilchrest has the wing ability to slash to the basket and will be an A level defender, but I worry about the jumper that needs lots of work...
Other possibilities are solid power forward Thomas Robinson of Kansas and the draft's biggest X factor in Andre Drummond of Connecticut, a center of questionable motivation.
I wager it will be one of the first three if Cleveland trades up or stays put.
If I had to choose, I lean towards Beal over Barnes by a small notch as I think he would be the best match with Irving, but this is a tough spot to sit in...
Cleveland has the Lakers first-rounder at the 24th slot and I just don't feel comfortable talking names when it could be one of about thirty players and the Cavaliers have two early second-rounders.
I will say this though-If the Cavaliers do not wind up with Bradley Beal, I think this is a spot for the best shooter available unless a big man falls deeper than expected.
In the second round, I look for the best big man available and with one of the two picks, I bet Cleveland takes a European player's rights.
I just do not see them carrying two second-year men (maybe three if Donald Sloan sticks around) and four rookies.
I generally groan at those picks, but this is a year that it makes sense to go that route...
Signal permitting, I'll be around from the road office to look at the new Cavaliers...
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