Haha thanks man, I appreciate that and have enjoyed your discussion and all of the regulars in here too. Haven't had as much time to post lately as I'd like, but I've tried to stay up to date.
Have really enjoyed that there's a good handful of posters in here that all know what they're talking about with the draft and can back up their opinions without getting offended. It's great that this thread is getting some more action. I'm sure the uncertainty surrounding whether the Cavs would keep the BKN pick has kind of kept this from being one of the more popular threads on here. I imagine it'll continue to pick up steam lol.
I've somewhat avoided posting rankings much because I'm on the fence so damn often with these guys, but if the draft were tonight and I were the Cavs (and assuming that it's 50/50 that LeBron stays), my board would be:
1. Luka Doncic - First off, his skillset kind of straddles the fence between being able to help both now and in the future. It's super early to judge the current Cavs' roster, but I would suspect that the Cavs would find themselves in need of a little bit more shot creation next season. Luka would be able to do that when necessary, but would also be able to play off the ball if LeBron were to stay. However, if LeBron would left, you'd have no hesitation giving him free reign over your offense. Assuming LeBron were to STAY, one of the biggest benefits the Cavs would get is the shot creation that I mentioned earlier. We'll see what Hill/Hood/Clarkson can do, but again I suspect they may desire a bit more there. We all know how important shooting is with LeBron, and Doncic would be able to provide enough of that. The amount of attention that LeBron receives would put Doncic in a position that he's probably never had before, being able to attack a scrambling defense off the catch. I also think he's versatile enough defensively to not get picked on in a playoff series too badly. Would worry about teams going against Doncic-Love pick and rolls during the postseason though.
I've also brought this up in here awhile ago, but Doncic also plays with a ton of energy defensively. We've seen first hand just how much having one high-energy defender can affect a team. I've been dying for TLue to try Cedi in the starting line-up, even if it meant only playing at the start of halves - just to give the team a boost of energy at the start of the game and 3Q, where they had struggled. You're seeing that now. Guys will involuntarily match that energy level without even thinking about it. Lastly, I think Doncic probably has the highest basketball IQ in the draft. I wouldn't be worried about him shelling up during his first postseason whatsoever. He's the clear #1 to me right now.
2. Jaren Jackson Jr: I don't think I'm quite as high on JJJ as some people in here, but am still higher on him than the overall consensus. With LeBron, all he'd have to do offensively is stand in the corner and wait for catch and shoot opportunities. That's a role that Kevin Love has largely assumed during his time here - so who knows, maybe a sneaky positive of having Jackson is getting Love a little more involved on offense beyond his obligatory 1Q post touch he gets lmao. His offensive game is extremely raw, and so the Cavs would present an ideal situation for him. People shit on Tristan's offensive abilities all the time, but those same people probably don't remember just how bad he was his rookie year. Never seen someone get stuffed at the rim more often. Now he does just enough of what the team needs. There's not many other places to look for recent big man development in the recent Cavs history beside TT. Defensively this guy would be ridiculous on the Cavs. The energy talk above applies here too for JJJ in my opinion. In the postseason the Cavs would have their own "death-lineup" with Hill, JR (shrug), Osman, LeBron, and Jackson. If LeBron doesn't fall off much, that lineup would be solid enough offensively while being pretty difficult to score on. They'd be able to switch everything against a large portion of teams. I think Hill and Cedi have enough length to at least bother bigs when needed. And JJJ is as versatile as it gets defensively from a big.
The biggest downside with JJJ is the risk that LeBron leaves. Not sure how far, but I'd bump him down a few spots on just my normal draft board. The flashes are there, but his offense is extremely far from being reliable on its own. His offensive skill set is extremely dependent on others putting him in advantageous situations - which is okay, but when you look at the other guys available at the top of this draft, it's a pretty big contrast. Also, he's still only 18 and still has a ways to go with gaining a feel for the game. I know alot has been made about his foul rate, and while I think it is a solid indicator that he's always playing hard, he still has work to do on the defensive end. For example, he's not very disciplined IMO... he falls for fakes with regularity. I have no doubt that he'll become a defensive star, but I can't say with certainty that he's there yet - and that's a big deal for me if I'm trying to win right now with LeBron
3. Mo Bamba: I'm going to sound like a broken record, because it's the case with all of these top guys for the most part, but I feel like you'd be taking a pretty big risk here. First off, I don't think Bamba's role or outlook looks much different whether LeBron stays or leaves. Also, where I'd have Bamba is also contingent on whatever intel that I could get on his work ethic and whatnot. He can definitely float out there, and would need to feel confident that it's more of "boredom of NCAA basketball" than just a guy who doesn't care. With LeBron, he'd probably have 4 or 5 dunks a game. The spaced out NBA floor will help him so much, and playing alongside KLove achieves that. His catch radius is ridiculous, and he's obviously got huge hands. I wish Texas ran more P&R, but I say that about pretty much every NCAA team lol. With a quality ball handler, I expect Bamba to be an elite rim roller. I think he can develop a corner 3 as well... enough to give Love space on post-ups as well as open driving lanes. The trio of LeBron-Love-Bamba would be very difficult to stop on the glass as well (as is the case with most of the other bigs in the lottery this year). Defensively not a ton needs to be said that hasn't been already. It purely comes down to effort on that end for me.
As far as cons go, I think there's some bust potential there. He's been invisible FAR less often lately, so that gives me some hope, but I'd be worried about his mental makeup all the way until he's a few months into his first season and had a good feel for him. Mentality is just so important for a rim protector IMO, and that's why I'd have Ayton a little lower than most (which again would be different if it wasn't my Cavs board).
4. Mikal Bridges: This will throw some people for a loop unless they've seen me post about him a million times already. If there's anything we'll learn from these recent trades, it's just how important having athletic 3&D wings is alongside of LeBron. This would give the Cavs some flexibility with re-signing Hood, as well as getting JR Smith less minutes.
Positives - Where can I start. Everything that he would be asked to do offensively and defensively he can do, and do well. His strengths and weaknesses match up perfectly with this team. He can catch and shoot threes very well and can attack closeouts. I think people have it stuck in their minds from early in the season that he has no offensive game off of the dribble. I think he's at least solid in that area already. Again, the spaced out NBA floor will help him there IMO. Defensively, he's extremely versatile and can play multiple positions. He navigates screens extremely well, has the length to guard some of the bigger 3's in the league to give LBJ a rest, and also plays with the much needed energy from the wing spot.
Negatives - again, taking a huge risk on LeBron staying. During the draft process there's a decent change I'd move Bridges down some, just out of fear that he leaves, and going for a guy that can sort of straddle the fence as I mentioned earlier. Beyond that with LeBron I'm honestly having a tough time finding weaknesses lol. He is what he is. He's older, but the guy improves every single year and is constantly praised for his work ethic. I'll continue to monitor his shooting, as the 50%+ we saw earlier this year isn't legit. He could also gain just a little bit of weight to handle some small ball 4s.
5. DeAndre Ayton: This one's tough for me, because I really like Ayton. On my regular board I'd have him 2 or 3 probably. I just don't think he lines up well with the current Cavs squad. If he shows the ability to consistently make weakside rotations and be a defensive anchor during the rest of the NCAA season, then he'd be way higher for me on this Cavs board. But he's far from that. With LeBron he'd provide quality rebounding and another go-to scoring option - something they probably need. Similar to Bamba, he'll be close to impossible to stop as a rim runner.
The lack of rim protection is the dealbreaker for me. I don't think that he'll be a positive defender when he's first in the league just due to the importance of that skill at his position. Sure he can switch some in late-clock situation, but those skills aren't applied as often throughout a game. His overall play can get pretty lackadaisical - and that to me is playing with fire during the regular season next to LeBron.
Also, I've gotta talk about Michael Porter Jr. I'm dying for this guy to come back. I think his shooting is a bit overhyped, but if I'm wrong and he's a 38-40% shooter from the NCAA line, then he'd be #2 or #3 for me on this list. He's another guy that could be useful for the Cavs with or without LeBron. A skillset that can be built around, but can also play a lesser role.
Sorry for the long post. I know this question comes up alot, so now I'll have it to copy and paste until my opinion changes a week from now lmao.
