Browns Film Room: WR Antonio Callaway’s strengths
June 21, 2018Tribe starters are the train coming out of the pitch tunnel: Between Innings
June 21, 2018When all is said and done, we likely won’t know if whoever the Cleveland Cavaliers select with the eighth overall pick Thursday night will actually ever suit up for the wine and gold. There’s a chance that he could, but there’s also a chance that the player could be dealt prior to the 2018-19 season tipping off. There’s also even a chance that the Cavs could potentially have a trade in place prior to making the pick and are basically making the selection for another team.
No one knows, and honestly, Cleveland may not even know either.
With that said, the 2018 NBA Draft class seems to be a very good one. Not only are there some potential stars in the making, but it seems to be a deep class as well, with plenty of prospects that can make an instant impact for their respective teams. Then again, much like we don’t know the fate of whoever the Cavs select, we won’t know how good this class is or how many players can make an immediate impact until at least midway into Year 1, or even Year 2 or 3.
While we may not know if the player selected with the eighth overall pick will actually suit up for the Cavaliers, let’s take a look at the history of the No. 8 pick in the NBA Draft. Looking back at the last 20 years, there are plenty of familiar names along with some very, very solid players as well.
- 1998: Larry Hughes, Philadelphia 76ers
- 1999: Andre Miller, Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2000: Jamal Crawford, Cleveland Cavaliers (Draft rights traded to Chicago Bulls)
- 2001: DeSagana Diop, Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2002: Chris Wilcox, Los Angeles Clippers
- 2003: T.J. Ford, Milwaukee Bucks
- 2004: Rafael Araujo, Toronto Raptors
- 2005: Channing Frye, New York Knicks
- 2006: Rudy Gay, Houston Rockets (Draft rights traded to Memphis Grizzlies)
- 2007: Brandan Wright, Charlotte Bobcats (Draft rights traded to Golden State Warriors)
- 2008: Joe Alexander, Milwaukee Bucks
- 2009: Jordan Hill, New York Knicks
- 2010: Al-Farouq Aminu, Los Angeles Clippers
- 2011: Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons
- 2012: Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors
- 2013: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit Pistons
- 2014: Nik Stauskas, Sacramento Kings
- 2015: Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons
- 2016: Marquese Chriss, Sacramento Kings
- 2017: Frank Ntilikina, New York Knicks
There are plenty of well-known names on that list, along with some who you may have never heard of due to them being busts. Another interesting tidbit is that between 2000 and 2007, the player selected at No. 8 was traded on draft night in three of the eight years. Since then, the eighth-overall selection’s Draft rights haven’t been traded since 2008.
Much like all of the players who have been selected with the No. 8 pick, there are a number of well-known names that the Cavs have selected in that slot, along with a handful of busts, and even one that was traded on draft night as well.
Here’s a list of the Cavs’ selections with the No. 8 pick since they made their debut in the NBA in 1970, some of which were already in the previous list.
- 1974: Campy Russell
- 1986: Ron Harper
- 1999: Andre Miller
- 2000: Jamal Crawford
- 2001: DeSagana Diop
Judging the Cavs’ selections at No. 8, they’ve made a very solid pick in four of their five opportunities. Hopefully, that trend continues Thursday night.