12 Days of a Cleveland Christmas: Day 6
December 15, 2011While We’re Waiting… Dunctana, Mo No Go and Irving’s Team
December 16, 2011Heading in to the 2011-12 season, we figured we would get the ball rolling on some admittedly early NBA Draft talk. Unless the Cavaliers shock the world (150/1 odds as NBA Champion, bettering only Toronto), it is widely assumed that the team will be selecting fairly early in the lottery once again. That said, we’re going to provide WFNY readers with some thoughts on who should be a target of Chris Grant come this spring.
We will update this not-so-big board on a bi-weekly basis – feel free to comment, critique or debate in the comments below. Do enjoy.
Some additional thoughts on…
Perry Jones, PF (Baylor) – Is it too much to ask to have Baylor, a top-10 team, have a nationally televised game this weekend? I did think long and hard about placing Jones III among the top five due to his numbers thus far, but the wing player will continue to get the nod until proven otherwise. That said, if he can continue tallying the numbers he has against stiffer competition, it’s going to be very tough to not move him up the ranks.
Bradley Beal, SG (Florida) – Since we last spoke, Beal dropped 18 on Rider, but combined to go 6-for-18 (2-for-8 from three-point range) against Syracuse and Arizona. I’m a big fan of this kid’s make-up – as he was a top-five name two weeks ago – but he will have to prove to be better against the higher-end competition. The Gators play 22nd-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday (untelevised), so a rebound would greatly help Beal’s cause.
Terrence Jones, F (Kentucky) – If you just watched the first half of the UK/UNC game a few weekends ago, you likely came away enamored with Jones. Fourteen points, seven rebounds and three blocks are nothing to ignore when you consider that it was compiled via the paint as well as a mid-range game. Unfortunately, he disappeared in the second half and started settling for low-percentage shots. Also not helping Jones move into top-five consideration is the “poor attitude” tag that has been lobbed his way.
Patric Young, C (Florida) – Several sources have mentioned Young’s name as a possibility in the event the Cavaliers can nab another first round selection. Where Beal struggled against Arizona, Young provided the Gators with 25 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots; Ohio State fans may remember him as the guy who put up 14 and 10 with a blocked shot against Jared Sullinger. A plus-passer (great for the Princeton offense) and a motor that could rival Anderson Varejao, Young is unfortunately undersized for the center spot at the next level coming in at 6-foot-9, 245 lbs.
Quincy Miller, SF (Baylor) – Though Jones III gets all the love, Miller could very well be a player who the Cavaliers could use in the not-so-distant future. At 6-feet-9-inches, Miller can play both forward spots; a dynamic athlete who can rebound and block shots in the paint but also hit the mid-range jumper. He’s been hit-or-miss at times this season, but his skill set can’t be denied. Certainly a wing player to keep an eye on as the Big 12 games get underway.
Required Viewing
12/17 (2) Ohio State at South Carolina – 12p EST, ESPN
12/17 Chattanooga at (3) Kentucky- 8pm EST, ESPN3
12/17 Appalachian St at (6) North Carolina – 6pm, ESPNU
12/18 Holy Cross at (10) Connecticut – 1pm EST, ESPN3
12/19 UNC Greensboro at (5) Duke – 7pm EST, ESPN3
12/19 Mississippi Valley State at (13) Florida – 7pm EST, ESPN3
Previous Not-so-Big Board: 1.0
20 Comments
“League scouts tout this kidd’s mental make-up”
I see what you did there you Sneaky Pete.
Well, that didn’t take long… Well done.
Why are you assuming that we have the 4th overall pick again this year?
Nevermind, you meant Tristan Thompson, I misunderstood. Carry on.
Where the hell is my main man SULLY on this list scott or did you leave him out because of bias since hes a BUCKEYE
@5
“we’re going to provide WFNY readers with some thoughts on who should be a target of Chris Grant come this spring”
Unless we’re going to put Sully at SF, it ain’t happenin
Very intrigued by Kidd-Gilchrist. I would love to have him. My top 3 would probably have to be, in no order, Kidd-Gilchrist, Barnes, and Lamb. I think you need to find an athletic player who can score at the next level. We’ll have the PG to distribute the ball, now let’s get someone to fill it up.
From Version 1.0 (linked above for easy access): “Jared Sullinger, PF (Ohio State) – I like Ohio State as much as the next WFNY reader or writer. Yes, it’d be a great story to keep an Ohio kid in his home state. Yes, he can rebound and has a solid back-to-the-basket game. But if I have Anthony Davis fourth on my list, Sullinger isn’t going to crack the top-five any time soon.”
“Yes, the kid has crazy potential, but is it enough to get the Cavaliers to move this year’s fourth-overall pick to a reserve role right out of the gate? ”
Yes. And Thabeet never shot at 72% on 2Pt, nor did he start playing until he was 15. Davis has been playing for much longer, but is still adapting to the ten inches he has grown over the last two and a half years. You are being disingenuous comparing the two.
“The willingness to go into the paint can be coached”
He has no inclination to do so. He is a catch and shoot player who can’t score off the dribble (just look at his efficiency after one and two dribbles, its horrible). Not what you should want out of a top-3 pick.
First off Scott. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Draft time is often the best time of year for a Cleveland fan, and I love the opportunity for us to all discuss prospects while we can still go and watch them play.
If this is as successful for bball as I think it will be, then can we also have such a feature for football next season?
Isn’t Barnes a SF?
(I like the required viewing section)
these are in order…for the Cavs:
Barnes – well, this is the 2nd year in a row that he is starting slow. not sure if he is just a rhythm player, if he has bad offseason practice habits, or if it’s just random. I am not worried though as I suspect he will continue to have one of the most effortless shots I have ever seen (along with Curry and Ray Allen).
Kidd-Gilchrist – I love how he plays and everything I have heard about how hard he works. He could be a 2-way monster if he continues to improve.
Lamb – notice a trend? a scoring wing player is absolutely needed for any competent team in the NBA. we currently have none of those players on our roster (other than catch-n-shoot Casspi).
Drummond/Davis – ho hum starts. they are young and it is early. hopefully, they show us more as the year goes on to get us excited about them.
————–
T. and P. Jones – don’t like either player. they are both WAY too passive and despite the talent look to be guys who get lost in the NBA.
Beal/Young – haven’t seen enough of him yet.
Quincy Miller – he’ll likely be a late-lottery guy, but if we do end up grabbing someone from Baylor, then he is the guy to get. I think he ends up more as a defensive specialist in the NBA though and needs to develop his 3pt shot if he wants that job as a starter.
anytime you question a Big’s work ethic, stay away. We don’t need anymore big men who are only pulling in checks b/c they are 7 ft
What about Austin Rivers, Doc Rivers son. Watched him play in the Ohio State / Duke game. He has freaky potential as a scorer and good size. Would be a lottery pick if he comes out.
does anybody else feel weird that this time last year the Cavaliers were in the middle of the NBA record setting losing streak and we were all chatting draft….
it’s this time of year again, the season hasn’t started yet and here we are talking draft
isn’t that weird?
#garththatwasNOTahaiku
Please not another guard (Rivers) I’m still a Barnes proponent even with his so-called slow start for UNC. Need to see more games from the other guys though. I like Lamb but again not a big fan of more guards when, to me, the weakness is in the frontcourt.
barnes is a wing player, not a frontcourt player though.
I can’t wait for all the foreign players with names we can’t say and butcher the spelling to start creeping up the boards.So we can spend so much time watch their youtube showcases against lesser talent.Then we can compare them to all the american kids,then argue about their supposed skillsets and then have the Cavs not draft them anyway.LOVE draft time for football and basketball,its a great time of year
Kidd Gilchrist names sounds bad-a$$
doubt Barnes is #1