2012 Draft

[MirORich]

The thing that works in our favor as far as the need to find our "shooter" in the future is the Kyrie is above average at both 2p% and 3p% then most point guards. Waiters, based on his college percentages, is a slightly above average for a SG in shooting percentage. Of course it would be fantastic to add a sharpshooter to that mix(either a larger SG/SF hybrid or a pure SF) but its not like we have high volume, low percentage guys we need to complement.

 

[Forthewin]

The 10 Funniest Moments From The NBA Draft

 

[DraftPick]

Lol at people saying Zeller is nothing more than a backup.

 

[catfish]

Maybe we gave the promise

I think this was the first to talk about waiters to cleveland

 

[GaryBriggs]

I find the "we didn't want to have too many rookies" thing baffling.

At the stage we are in, it seems to me that it made sense to try and use 3 picks to do some prospecting and try and hit on a later pick. Zeller is definitely serviceable, but he strikes me as more of a backup on a good team than a sick starting 5, even after he develops.

This draft was just weird all around. I mean, MJ basically did the first smart thing that he has ever done running a franchise all of a sudden, and it screws us. (or i guess the smart thing was hiring rich cho really). So we take a dude that could potentially be a good 6th man. Then we trade three picks in what was by most (if not all) accounts a very deep draft, to move up and get a backup center.

I just don't see what is so wrong with bringing in more than two rookies. There is no way on earth that we contend for a championship next year, why not try and spec some dudes that have upside? We were giving minutes to D Leaguers for the second half of this season anyways.

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

I find the "we didn't want to have too many rookies" thing baffling.

At the stage we are in, it seems to me that it made sense to try and use 3 picks to do some prospecting and try and hit on a later pick. Zeller is definitely serviceable, but he strikes me as more of a backup on a good team than a sick starting 5, even after he develops.

This draft was just weird all around. I mean, MJ basically did the first smart thing that he has ever done running a franchise all of a sudden, and it screws us. (or i guess the smart thing was hiring rich cho really). So we take a dude that could potentially be a good 6th man. Then we trade three picks in what was by most (if not all) accounts a very deep draft, to move up and get a backup center.

I just don't see what is so wrong with bringing in more than two rookies. There is no way on earth that we contend for a championship next year, why not try and spec some dudes that have upside? We were giving minutes to D Leaguers for the second half of this season anyways.

I agree with the # of rookie thing. What is the difference between having rooks or D-Leaguers battle for the last roster spots? Might as well give it to rookies that have some sort of potential.

As for Waiters.... I will be the first to admit that I know very little about him, but his potential sure looks like more than a good 6th man to me. The most intriguing thing about him IMO is his ballhandling. Guys that handle the ball like that always have star potential IMO. It is what makes Kyrie so good IMO.

 

[daddywags]

One thing to keep in mind when we talk about bringing in 3 or 4 draft picks and compare to the "Price, Daugherty, Harper, Hot Rod" year is that draft picks were older then. Price and Harper were 22, Daugherty was 21 and Hot Rod was 24. All had played 4 years in college. Nowadays, we're mostly talking about 19-20 year old kids (Zeller aside, I suppose - and he's viewed as "old"). Not sure how much difference it makes, but I'll bet it makes some difference.

 

[beefstew]

Waiters will be a great building peice, i've watched so man highlights since the pick. Even though I would've preferred a SF, i believe Waiters will bring a scoring presence every night. Zeller on the other hand......

 

[Sez]

Its funny, I've seen almost every KU game the last few years, and last year, Malone was the one name I couldn't get out of my head whenever I saw Robinson. They're essentially the same size (Malone listed at 6-9, 250; T-Rob measured in at 6-8.75, 244). Now, I may not have gotten to see Malone when he was really, truly in his prime, but I do remember Malone vividly from his days playing against Jordan in the finals (and after that).

He didn't have that picture perfect post game, but he was great at using his strength to get in excellent position to score without having to make McHale-type moves. Watching Robinson this year, what stood out was his ability to do the exact same thing. And to piggy back off of what narbar said, the Cavs have Kyrie. He's a better scorer than Stockton, but him and T-Rob running the PnR could have been truly deadly.

In watching Waiters, I can't help but think the Cavs just took Marcus Thornton. A good player, but one much better suited for the 6th man role. I just find it hard to believe the Cavs truly had Waiters ahead of T-Rob on their draft board, and (as I said in the other thread) if they did, it really doesn't make me feel much better.

I hope Waiters works out, but my gut feeling is the team made a mistake. I'm willing to change my opinion though, and of course I will be rooting for this to work out.

Man, if T-Rob turns out to be the next Karl Malone or close to it ... may God have mercy on Chris Grants soul.

 

[MoFlo]

One thing to keep in mind when we talk about bringing in 3 or 4 draft picks and compare to the "Price, Daugherty, Harper, Hot Rod" year is that draft picks were older then. Price and Harper were 22, Daugherty was 21 and Hot Rod was 24. All had played 4 years in college. Nowadays, we're mostly talking about 19-20 year old kids (Zeller aside, I suppose - and he's viewed as "old"). Not sure how much difference it makes, but I'll bet it makes some difference.

Also, while Hot Rod was technically a rookie in 1986, he was actually drafted in 1985.

The 4th guy drafted in 1986 was Johnny Newman.

Plus, we can't discount the fact that the pick that was used to select Harper was compensation for a Stepien pick traded away.

 

[MirORich]

Point 1: The difference between rookie and D-League guys or FA guys who have been in the league for a few years without panning out yet, is the difference between rookie and professional. All rookies need to be shown, almost 24/7 the right habits. Professional habits. The obvious ones like practice habits, strength and condition habits, film study, etc. but also just taking care of themselves, managing their business, eating right, developing good sleep patterns. The basic transition from boy to man that is having millions invested in you. It's easier to monitor and instill these habits in 2 guys vs. 4. It can also be demoralizing for other pro's, whether good or not, to deal with too many players on a 15 man squad that are still learning how to do things the right way. Sometimes you also don't want too many rookies on such a small squad because they can sort of bond too much in a resistant way to totally buying into a winning culture and growing up. I'm not totally against having 3-4 rookies on a team, but I understand the Cavs position and explanation.

Point 2: Had the Cavs simply sold off their 2nd rd picks, I would have had a hard time with the argument to pt. 1, because I believe in fully maximizing your assets. But consolidation of multiple lesser picks to acquire a singular higher pick and player you value more, is not waste and it is not indication that they don't place value on a second rd pick. Add that to the fact that we have 4 more high second round picks coming in the next two drafts(and 3-4 first round picks) and I have no problem with their strategy.

Lastly, they also may want to give guys like Gee(obviously), Samardo, and to a lesser degree Sloan and Harongdy one more full year of reps and real playing time to fully evaluate whether they think they can have worth on the roster in the long term.

 

[MirORich]

If Waiters busts or is just average, then of course, yes.

But if Waiters turns out to be the next Dumars, Dantley, or Wade, then so be it. You can only draft one of the two guys. I like T-Rob and hope he does well, but him being great does not in of itself make Waiters a bad pick.

Man, if T-Rob turns out to be the next Karl Malone or close to it ... may God have mercy on Chris Grants soul.

 

[DickSnyder]

Grant was locked into drafting a wing as the Windy article states. Didn't even consider Trob? Trob was the BPA and the Cavs ignored him? Why? Because of TT? Well the Cavs ended up with a combo guard and a backup center good luck with that.

Please, TRob himself could be considered a tweener. He's certianly undersized for a PF and doesn't have the athleticism of one Tristan Thompson to make up for it. As for Dion, there is no doubt what position he is on this team. His PG skills are a valuable added bonus. He helps our our best player more than any other player in the draft probably even considering Davis (Offensively speaking).

TT is a valuable commodity on this team that was among the best rookies in the league last year. Time will ultimately tell on this one, but I don't think it's going to take long to show. This was the smart pick.

 

[David.]

if tt ends up being pretty serviceable, then its a smart move to get another piece rather than improving one.

 

[KCOTT]

we have a huge hole now at SF, wonder how we go about securing a franchise player there because i don't know if we're going to be bad enough next year to secure a difference maker there