NBA Draft Open Thread
2012-06-28
So, this is it. I’d rally you all with a Braveheart speech or some such, but I’m kind of a fatalist. It’d be a downer, probably. (“I know we are all deeply flawed human beings, alienated from one another, incapable of true empathy, but arbitrarily bound together by this basketball team. I’m not even from Cleveland, by the way…“) But tonight’s the night where the future of our Cleveland Cavaliers is determined to either a large or small extent. Probably large. Big night, in all likelihood. Might not be, though. We could totally look back on this night, and go, “Remember when we were all convinced of how momentous an occasion the 2012 draft was going to be, and then nothing particularly consequential happened?” That would be weird, though. Seems like we’d be saying that sort of thing in a nuclear wasteland wrought from war with a brutally violent alien race. Y’know, after some perspective was gained. It’s hard to care about sports when your entire family has immolated, and you’re drinking irradiated water out of a cup you carved from your dear pet dog Hobbes’s pelvis.
I’m geting off track. This is an important night, probably. So let’s get out there, and KILL SOME ALIENS! draft boldly and intelligently. Not us, of course. Chris Grant is the actor here. We will not participate in the decision-making process at all. We’ll be sitting at home, because none of us are qualified to work in an NBA front office, with our hope and sweaty palms. Maybe a beer. Definitely a beer. (If you’re wondering, had the linked article been mine and not Mallory’s, all the players would have been PBR, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would have been the cheapest bottle of champagne imaginable.)
Anyway, updates: we’ll have them for you here as picks and/or trades are made. Feel free to cheer, argue, yell, pontificate, etc. in the comment section. Enjoy the spectacle, everyone.
UPDATE I: Chris Broussard is reporting the Cavs are offering the Bobcats the fourth, 24th, and 33rd pick in exchange for the second and 31st picks. Most everyone assumes they’re going after Beal.
UPDATE II: The Cavs take Dion Waiters. The world disintegrates like a cookie beneath the rump of a corpulent eight year-old.
UPDATE III: The Cavs traded the 24th and the two second-rounders to Dallas for Tyler Zeller.
This article helped to reassure e a little bit on the cavs picking waiters. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1241000-nba-draft-2012-cleveland-cavaliers-make-bold-moves I forgot that Hollinger rated Waiters so highly in his Draft Rater. Waiters’ PER was 14.26 and 5 of 8 wings that have been rated that high in the past have been all-stars (the other 3 were Rudy Gay, Josh Childress and Kawhi Leonard). I’m beginning to be suspicious in thinking that Chris Grant actually uses Hollinger’s method or something like it to gauge who they should pick. Remember that TT was the highest rated player for hollinger in last year’s draft. Anyways, I think… Read more »
No question we got two good draft picks, but I just cannot help but come away dissapointed. I believe in the long run there is more value with the picks we gave up (PJ3, Q Miller, T Taylor maybe?) than in Zeller, a solid, however unspectacular big. Also I am dissapointed walking away with Dion Waiters, I cannot help but be dissapointed. However this is because we did not get one of the top three, not because we got Waiters. He can definitely be a good, if not great, player and I trust the front office, its not like we… Read more »
At first I felt the same way about the Dion Waiters pick, but after hearing about the Zeller trade, I couldn’t help but feel that Chris Grant and company did the BEST possible job in this draft. Following some further research I conducted on Waiters, I also found that Beal might not be all that better in the first place. According to John Hollinger, whom in my opinion is the best basketball analyst there is, Waiters projects to be the best pro of ALL the perimeter players in this year’s class. Hollinger projects that Waiters will lead all perimeter players… Read more »
Zeller was a lottery pick and top 10-12 prospect on a lot of boards. The way I see it, we started with 4, 24, 32, 33 and ended up with two top 15 prospects. I don’t see how that is so terrible. Obviously Waiters is the x-factor. But overall, we weren’t going to keep 4 rookies on the roster, so the fact that we were able to package our 2nd rounders to move up and get a second top 15 prospect is very smart. My view on Waiters: the Cavs must have really wanted a prolific scorer. With Beal gone,… Read more »
I’ve kind of talked myself into the Waiters selections but I can’t force myself to do the same with the Zeller selection. If the Cavs would’ve held on to 24, 33, and 34, they could’ve landed Perry Jones, Quincy Miller, and a solid international players that they could’ve stashed overseas for a little while.
be positive guys, this draft seems pretty solid. we have our second scorer in Waiters, and a decent offensive legitamate 7ft center in Zeller. Need another SF but right now a good starting 5
PG: Irving
SG: Waiters
SF: Teletovic(if we get him)
PF: Varejao
C: Zeller
Key bench
Thompson
Gibson
Gee
Weems(if we get him)
@Trill I think you nailed the description.
Azubuike? Not sure what to think of this yet.
This draft reminds me of a party where I get terribly wasted and wake up unsure if I had an incredible time or made irrevocable mistakes.
I’m not a professional talent scout, but Waiters’ jumper is hideous. Chucks it from behind his head. Not going to work in the NBA. Good luck getting to the rim at will in any tough playoff series.
Barnes’ and Lamb’s mid-range game will translate much better in my opinion.
I think I would be a little more receptive to the Dion Waiters pick if we actually had combine athletic testing numbers. Without them, I don’t know if he’s more DWade/Westbrook or Ben Gordon/Rodney Stuckey. It probably makes me more scared than mad.
And I still like the Zeller pick. He’s a 7 footer who can actually play basketball. Plus he has the outside range to complement TT even though he isn’t much of a rim protector. Great FIT. We just need one more PF/C to have a really good big man rotation.
@ cranky it was definetly discussed. I don’t know who refused at this point. My source is a non CG top level exec
Maybe we can pick up Tu Holloway as an undrafted free agent? please?
Thankfully, the fact that William Moseley, Jesse Sanders, Will Barton, and Ken Horton are also in the top 10 implies that it is a completely worthless analysis.
Wages of Wins has Crowder as the #2 pick in the entire draft. http://wagesofwins.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2012-Draft-Model3.png
What happened to that dude who said they were trying to trade Andy for Barnes? Did he even say where he claimed to hear that information? I don’t feel like scrolling through 150+ comments to find it.
Starting 5:
Irving
Waiters
Gee
Thompson
Varejao
2nd unit:
Sloan?
Parker?
Casspi
Samuels?
Zeller
Here’s hoping to hell they’re active on the free agent market or trade-wise, because that does not look like a very good line-up to my eyes. Unless Harangody makes The Leap and becomes All-NBA next season, of course.
Can we find a way to keep Crowde? I REALLY wanted him
huh. Well that isn’t very exciting. Damn Hollinger! The only one giving me any glimmer of hope about Waiters, and then dashing my hopes for Zeller!
Well, after the way this draft has panned out, i definitely don’t think we can afford to let Gee go.
@Cranky M: Not an insider, but it looks like Hollinger had him #23 on his board according to a forum where some of his draft rater was copy/pasted.
I want one more. Let’s buy a pick to grab Quincy Miller or Draymond Green.
Wonder if they made the Zeller trade with the idea of trading Andy down the road…?
Anybody know what exactly our boy Hollinger says about Zeller? Aside from the fact that it was generally a poor projection? I demand specifics!
@Chris: It’s not even what ESPN is saying! If you look at their consensus draft board Waiters was at #6. It’s not even as big of a reach as TT was last year going off of these rankings.
@Donald I would have much preferred taking Barnes or Robinson over Waiters, but that’s it. I think Drummond will only do well because of his landing spot in Detroit next to Greg Monroe, and everyone else I would put below Waiters as far as potential goes. My ideal? Taking Barnes or Robinson or trading down with the Warriors to pick up Waiters later. Just because it’s not my ideal doesn’t mean it’s not a good pick. Is anyone on this board a professional talent scout? Ultimately everyone in the lottery but Davis is relatively the same. IF they improve and… Read more »
I love how everyone thinks Waiters was picked too early or is Stuckey 2.0. Where are you basing these “facts” off of. What ESPN and other people are shoving down your throat. It’s not like anyone here is working in war room. If Waiters becomes ever 75% of D-Wade, we got an enormous pick (Which I think he very much can be, plays the same). Not too mention, who here complaining has actually watched any of these guys in any games? I think this is a great couple of picks, we got some solid players in places of need. Relax… Read more »
Getting Zeller was nice. Giving up both 2nd rounders was a little steep. We still need a SF. I wonder if the Cavs will go after Batum in FA.
Actually the Zeller pick was pretty good. We gave up the opportunity to take a couple fliers on some guys in get the best player in the trade.
But taking Rodney Stuckey redux at #4 confounds me. Much more so than TT, Waiters will be the one who makes or breaks Chris Grant and very possibly the future of Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. That terrifies me.
@weatherman, Zeller was projected to go anywhere from 9 to 13, so getting him at 17 was certainly not a reach. He also is a legit seven footer and weighs more than 250 lbs. with the body to get bigger. I see no reason why he cannot handle bigs in the NBA. He also has great athleticism for his size. Great pick for Cleveland, especially since they only gave up two second round picks.
Do we really think Zeller’s game will translate to the NBA as a true Center? Can him and Thompson handle a legitmate low-post threat when the inevitable happens and the Cavs trade Varejo?
My personal opinion is the Cavs reached too far wih both picks, especially with no more picks in the draft.