Open Thread: 2011 NBA Draft Lottery
May 17, 2011While We’re Waiting… “What’s Not to Like?”
May 18, 2011Validated by Ernst and Young, presented by Nicholas Gilbert, and witnessed by several select members of local sports elite, the Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the NBA world leaving the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery with the  first and  fourth overall selections in the upcoming draft.
With the two overall selections, the team had been given a 22.7 percent chance at landing the first-overall selection. Â Mathematically, the Cavaliers should have received the second and eighth selections overall – the selection received from the Los Angeles Clippers in return for Mo Williams, with a 2.8 percent chance of being the first overall leapfrogged the team’s own pick which had a 19.9 percent chance.
To be held on June 23 in Newark, New Jersey, general manager Chris Grant and the rest of the team’s front office will now be tasked with ensuring that the Wine and Gold land the pieces which they feel will best help right the ship – Grant has long said that the team is confident in their potential selections wherever they may fall.
It has been widely speculated that Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert will do what is necessary to better the team’s chances of improving between now and the exact time names are called with the Cavaliers logo on the backdrop, but for now, at least we know what cards the team has been dealt and Chris Grant can rest relatively easy.
Thank you, Los Angeles.
54 Comments
So did the Cavs trade Mo and Moon for Davis and Irving? Now who won that battle? trade just looks better. #4 will be the interesting pick. Does Williams or Kanter slip to them? Or is Williams just the ouright pick at 1. Is he the next KD?
Kinda like the kid from ‘Zona and I guess Kanter
HOLY CRAP! Kyrie Irving, welcome to Cleveland!
This is HUGE. Now if the Heat just get knocked out in 4 all will be right with the world haha
Wooohooo we are going to beat The Heat and go to the finals next year!!! Sigh….why do cleveland teams win in drafts but not on the field…?
Well, the only downside is there is no way D-Williams slips to 4.
So the Clippers pick was the one to land the top pick? Mo Williams for #1 and Baron Davis? What a deal. Feeling good to be a Cleveland sports fan at the moment.
LESSON: Always wear a bow tie.
Ladies and Gentleman this just in from the Cavaliers front office:
In a stunning Draft Lottery night turn of events immediately after securing the first and fourth pick in the draft Chris Grant and Pat Riley have come to an agreement in principle on a deal that sends the two Cavalier picks to the Miami Heat for LeBron James.
Riley in a statement released minutes ago “we just felt we needed a few more key pieces to bring it all together.”
Can’t wait to see Irving in the wine and gold. If Williams doesn’t slip to us it’ll be great to add Kanter, giving us solid building blocks at the 1 and 5. Next year we add a wing (Barnes, Rivers, etc) and the core is complete.
This just in: Don’t bet against Dan Gilbert. He’ll sell you a subprime mortgage speculation and steal your soul, your point guard, your point guard’s EPIC BEARD, and your #1 overall draft pick.
Yeah. Is it bad that my first thought was if we would have been the worst team we would have picked first and second by the way the beer pong balls fell. I guess I should just be happy with what we have….which is awesome.
Just read the lights on the Goodyear Blimp, and it said Dan Gilberts a pimp!
As a selfish fan, once I realized the Clippers’ pick won the lottery, I’m pissed the Cavs’ actual pick didn’t get 2 or 3.
who was there besides kosar? Haden?
I could live with Irving and Kanter!
does this mean the clips are officially the most cursed franchise?
Kosar, Haden, and Cribbs.
@17: …………yes.
Tribe with the best record in the league, Hillis gets the cover of Madden, the Browns look to have a nice draft, and now the Cavs land the 1st and 4th pick!!! Who would of thought that Cleveland sports would be looking up after what happened last July!!!
thanks little Wahoo
believe lander- a step up for us!
I Really Like Irving at #1 and Kanter at #4, but cant think of who the Jazz would take besides Enes Kanter.
At this time I remember the line from Airplane:
“I just want to tell you both good luck. We’re all counting on you.”
Kyrie, L.A….
Nope.
/Little Mr. Mister for your older readers.
Wow Kyrie and Blake Griffin, they would of been serious.
Not that I’m complaining. 🙂
Can the Cavs still use the trade exception to get Rip Hamilton eat his contact get a first round draft choice? Did Baron take part of exception? This trade was going to happen till Rip nixed it.
So how hard was Baron Davis and his Beard laughing tonight….Take that Sterling…
I said I’d be happy as long as one pick was top two…now that we have that, I think we obviously nab Kyrie and then go most potential possible. I think we take Kanter if he’s there since he projects as a legit NBA big, but if he’s gone I say either Valuncias or Biyombo…Biyombo especially has the tools to be a great defensive player…dude’s got a 7’7″ wingspan…
We got the 1st pick in the draft for taking Baron Davis off their hands, very nice.
Im going to take this as a sign that professional basketball is on the rebound in Cleveland.
I’m big on the Irving-Kanter combo. Long term 1 and 5, and fill out the rest with the Hicksons, Varejaos, Eyengas, and Gibsons of the world.
I especially like Kanter’s upside as a kid turning 19 in 3 days, standing 6’11” of a like with Dwight Howard, weighing in about 10 pounds heavier. Heavier? Yes, heavier. At 19. And he’s light on his feet for a monster of his size.
People say it’s a point guard league, and that may be so, but every perennial contender has a legitimate big, like Bynum, Howard, Davis, or LeBron James.
I am both excited and terrified about who we are going to take at #4. I think that pick could make or break us.
I say we should go crazy. Kyrie and Kemba
@28: I’m a huge Valanciunas fan. I think the only reason more people aren’t talking about him is simply because they don’t know who he is. If we get Kyrie and Jonas I will be ecstatic.
Remind me never to gamble in that man’s casino
I would like Kanter as well but I dont know if he gets down to 4. Currently ESPN is projecting Irving and Kanter. I would not be upset if the cavs can package Jamison and the 4th to move up a spot or 2 (rumor is Kahn would be willing to move out from the 2 spot for some vet leadership) then it would be real nice.
1 and 4???? Chris Grant, welcome to the job. Dont f- this up. I dont say that sarcastically, I mean really, this city is depending on you. PLEASE, bring us a winner.
I would like to drop the 4 spot (and maybe a second rounder/a current Cavs player) to take the 2nd overall.
And when the PA announcer screamed “Kyrieeeee for Threeeee” the Happy slipped from Baron’s Camper.
The Wolves are set at the big with Randolph, Love, Beasley and Darko, for whatever he’s worth. I think they take Williams.
The Jazz have a stable of big men (Milsap,Favors,Jefferson,Okur). The last person they draft is Kanter. They need a point guard badly. Brandon Knight is their guy.
With all this being said, I don’t think there is any reason to believe that Kanter won’t be available for the Cavs at 4.
And imagine the voicemaiils the Clip’s FO is picking up from Donald Sterling today. “I’m paying Mo Williams how much, when I could have had that point guard on a rookie pay scale for 4 years?!”
WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT JIMMER?!?! THE CAVS SHOULD TAKE HIM WITH BOTH PICKS!!!!
What a great night for Cleveland! Only one part of it really bums me out. Can Mo Williams catch a break? He will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. If he didn’t seriously consider retiring before because he was an emotional wreck, he may now. I feel bad for the guy.
What about taking Williams with the number 1 and knight at 4 or kanter at 4. Where is Kemba Walker on most drafts? any chance he’s dropping to the end of the first round?
I would love for the Cavs to grab 2 of the top 3 players (which I think everyone believes to be Irving, Williams, and Kanter). My personal opinion is that Derrick Williams will end up being the star from this draft. Chad Ford likes to talk about how he’s a “tweener”, but from what I’ve seen the guy is a prototypical NBA small forward. He handles the ball well, he’s an excellent 3-point shooter, he can post up, and he can drive and finish at the hoop… in what way is that guy a tweener? Just because he’s 6’8″? Okay, then LeBron James is a tweener too. So in other words, I’d probably be one of the few Cavs fans who doesn’t get upset if they use the first pick on Derrick Williams and maybe grab Kemba Walker with the 4th pick if both Irving and Kanter are gone.
“which I think everyone believes to be Irving, Williams, and Kanter.”
As I’ve said many times on here and on Twitter, I don’t believe Kanter to be in that group. And after many discussions I also don’t believe the Cavs are even considering Derrick Williams or Kemba Walker.
After scouting Kanter heavily on Youtube, I think he’s overrated. He seems to have done very well in lower competition because he’s big and has soft hands/good finishing, but in the NBA that is worth almost nothing without athleticism. IMHO, he’ll be a worse version of Ilgauskas.
Valanciunas seems to be a better athlete, but in his case, too, a lot of the advantage will be gone if he doesn’t develop a great handle/shot.
Biyombo seems to have the advantage because in addition to the unpolished athleticism, he has an insane motor. Even if he doesn’t develop much more polish, he can end up as a defensive stopper, hustle/intensity guy, and finish alley-oops for Kyrie.
@Scott, true, I guess everyone believes that because Chad Ford said it’s true. I can see how there’s not much video on Kanter, so he’s a bit of an unknown. I’m not sure how the Cavs aren’t even looking at Derrick Williams… that’s a mistake on their part. The guy is 6’8″, a huge competitor, rebounds, handles the ball, scores, and shot 57% from the 3-point line. I’ll say that again… 57%. It’s not like he hardly ever shot them either… shot 2 per game. And he’s just turning 20 years old later this month. What’s not to like?
They think (know?) he’s ultimately a power forward; height/weight aside, he’s not quick enough to play on the wing at the NBA level. They have a young power forward in JJ Hickson.
Don’t get me wrong, Williams put up great numbers in ARI. He’s just not going to be a Cavalier unless he falls to fourth overall and the team has no one else above him on their draft board.
Im not sure if someone already said this because im not reading all 50 comments but I don’t see a reason why we couldn’t trade up from number 4 to number 2 and get williams AND kyrie irving. Those two along with another couple good draft picks in th next couple years plus trades and free agents and we’re contenders again. Just gotta stay positive for the next couple seasons. Buunnng!!
I’m gonna be so damn happy when the Cavs finally draft Jake Locker at number 4.