Because of that gap in the draft, the Cavaliers appear to be in either trade down (they have been rumored to have been talking to the Celtics and Knicks) mode, take the best player available or shove a player in the needed area earlier that he should be picked and hope for the best.
The players most mentioned for the Cavaliers that make the most sense position-wise are Israeli swingman Deni Avdija, Auburn's Issac Okoro, Florida State Devin Vassell, and Vassell's Seminole teammate Patrick Williams, who is the name that is rising quickly on draft day.
All of these players have positives, but none are sure to succeed.
Avdija brings praises for his passing skills and his play in the open court and Okoro is loved for his defensive intensity, but both come with big questions with their outside shot.
Vassell has a better outside shot and ranks with Okoro on the defensive end, but as noted by The Athletic's Sam Vecenie is less than strong as a ballhandler and isn't the most creative in the passing game.
Plus, when I hear the best comparison is Danny Green, I'm wondering about that player at the fifth pick in the draft.
Patrick Williams is the player rising right now and in every draft, there is a player that suddenly starts moving up the rankings.
Williams is 6'8, but isn't a pure "four", he looks to be a player that can block shots and defend very well, but at 19 years old and after playing only 22 minutes a night for Florida State, Williams offensive game isn't questioned as much as it is having no information.
Williams could be very teachable on the offensive end, but it's hard to tell what the end result will be in the long-term.
Williams is thought by some teams to be the eventual best player in the draft and by others to be a back end of the lottery selection.
Should the Cavaliers go the best player available route, I really like Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton, who at 6'5 can play either the point or the two-guard and has a great feel for the game.
However, does Koby Altman have the stomach for taking another guard in the lottery after taking Collin Sexton and Darius Garland in the last two lotteries?
And if so, what does that mean for either of those two?
I don't see the Cavaliers going for Haliburton on that reason alone.
The Cavaliers also have a glut of players at the four and the five with expensive contracts that could keep them from taking a player that would be a good pick.
In the NBA, a surplus can become a need very quickly and if they really like either of these players, I wouldn't worry about the Kevin Love, Andre Drummond, Larry Nance Jr, Tristan Thompson (if they decide to try to re-sign him) problem.
Good front offices are able to deal with those and improve the roster, oh never mind.
Dayton forward Obi Toppin is a player that would give the Cavaliers a semi-local player that is well-known after winning the player of the year last season in college basketball and would bring an offensive game that would be exciting to watch.
Toppin is the one player in this draft that I feel very comfortable with projecting a certain degree of success.
He's going to score his 20 plus a game and he can play power forward or even center in small lineups, but he is a massive defensive deficiency and might wind up being one of those players that is always the best or second-best player on bad teams that fantasy owners love.
USC's Onyeka Okongwu has all the things that I like in a player- Always plays hard, hits the boards, great leaping ability, and isn't afraid to play defense.
Okongwu can be a rim protector to a degree and reminds many of Bam Adebayo for his cleaning the trash on the inside offensively.
Okongwu's not an outside threat and struggles in the passing game, so he's raw offensively at best and might be career limited as a scorer at worst.
I wonder if the best aspects of Okongwu's game may be suited for a style of play that has passed by and that's too bad because, without those questions, he might be my guy in this draft.
The Cavaliers do not have a second-round pick in the draft, so unless they make a move with this pick or buy a second-rounder, the fifth selection will be the only new addition to a roster that isn't exactly cohesive at the moment.
I don't presume to have any idea what they are thinking or even a firm grasp myself.
My favorite players are at the positions that they have the most invested in (salary and draft) and although I usually say go the best player available, with a team this awful a case can be made for going for need.
I'm not sure that I'll howl with anger no matter the selection and from what I am reading at this writing, the Cavaliers could be making a deal, which is rumored to be with the Knicks.
Should that deal be completed, Cleveland would drop three spots to the 8th selection and add the 23rd selection and perhaps another asset or two.
I'd be OK with that.
Usually, I'm not a trade down proponent, but many of the players that I like at five will be there at eight, and adding a second player later in the round would be a nice addition as well.
I'll be around as the night progresses with thoughts on the Cleveland draft.
No comments:
Post a Comment