Another NBA Draft has come and gone and for the third time in the last 10 years, the Cleveland Cavaliers received the top overall pick.
Now, before I get to the first round picks Cleveland made in the form of Anthony Bennett and Sergey Karasev, I would like to say that this year’s draft was the weakest in recent memory, I would go as far to even say the weakest of all-time.
The Cavs had possible trade options that could have included one or both first round picks along with an Anderson Varejao, Omri Casspi, Dion Waiters or Luke Walton’s overpriced contract.
With these pieces Cleveland could have landed a Danny Granger or even strike a deal for a stronger big man like say, DeAndre Jordan from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ray Allen—who would opt-in with the back-to-back champion Miami Heat—and Richard Hamilton are also strong veteran leaders and would be a great addition to start at shooting guard or come off the bench in a sixth man role if Waiters were to be included in a free agent signing or sign and trade deal.
I feel that Bennett is a versatile player with talent, but will not evolve into a superstar like a LeBron James or Kyrie Irving. At best, I see him coming off the bench in even a 3rd option guard role.
The Cavaliers second first round pick of Karasev was an improvement because of his ability to shoot on the wing and outside the three point line. This writer thinks that the left-handing shooting Russian will be a better addition than what Cleveland hoped for when they traded away J.J. Hickson for Casspi.
Overall, if I had to grade Cleveland’s draft choices on a scale of grades A through F, I will have to give them a C. It would have been lower, but again, given the lack of “star power” with this year’s draft, you have to give the Cavaliers a little break.
I am still waiting to see what Cleveland does when it comes to trades, as where I mentioned earlier, there are some good names and talent and proven leaders that can come into the fold.
For now, let’s enjoy the summer and see what happens, but basketball season is just a few months away so Cleveland better act fast if they want to improve on the last couple seasons. If they do not act, I feel we are in for yet another losing record and more future high draft picks.