EDIT: Ugh, sorry, i screwed up the last poll option. Just remove it if you like, mods, or change it to "Overall, draft by fit rather than best player available?" Or just remove the whole poll if it's too messy in general. Gourimoko suggested it and it seemed like a good idea at the time 
This is a thread that will serve a variety of important needs, such as determining what the actual board consensus choice is, and pointing and laughing at people a year from now when their pick is at the end of the bench in Sacramento.
Basically, just name off your first, second, and third choice of players for the Cavs to draft with their pick, the Lakers pick (should it materialize) and a ~30 pick (the Heat pick, should we end up with it, our 2nd round pick, Magic 2nd round pick).
I will update these as it becomes clear whether or not the Lakers will make the playoffs, and if the Cavs look to trade up close to the draft.
I'll lead off:
Cavs' Pick:
#1: Nerlens Noel. The stats love him, and he's the closest thing to a sure-fire all-star in this draft. He blocked more shots per game last year (4.4) than our entire team (3.9), and finished second in the SEC in steals per game as a center. He averaged a double double on 59% shooting. He did those things at 18 years of age. You could say he brings something we need. Barring a setback in his recovery from ACL surgery, he is absolutely my choice if available. I'm not going to waste any more breath here.
#2: Otto Porter. I love his ability to move the ball (we've all seen what a little ball movement can do for our offense) and hit 3's, and he seems to have a Tristan-like attitude and work ethic that would fit well on our team. He's got ideal size for his position, and had solid block (0.9) and steal (1.8) rates. As everyone says, he's got no holes in his game, and you can't say that about many 19 year olds. Advanced stats like him (you're gonna start noticing a theme here). I see him becoming a Paul George kind of player who could compliment our backcourt very nicely down the road. His late-season slump dropped him firmly below Noel on my ladder, but i'm still very high on him.
#3: Victor Oladipo. It's rare for a 6-5 guy to shoot 50% from th- what? oh, he shot 60% from the field this season? and 44% from 3? Oh yeah, that's why he's my number 3. That kind of offensive efficiency, combined with the potential to guard everyone from Chris Paul to James Harden, is really hard to pass up. He's another guy who could be great playing off Kyrie on offense, and he's just the shot in the arm the Cavs' perimeter needs on defense. He'll be 21 at the start of the season, which combined with his poor assist/turnover ratio dropped him just below Porter for me. I don't think the fit is a problem though...we have 96 minutes to spread between him, Kyrie, and Dion, which certainly seems doable. As long as Dion learns to be a distributor (get on that Coach Scott), we could certainly run a smooth backcourt rotation with the 3 of them.
Lakers' Pick:
*knocks on wood*
#1: Alex Poythress. He's 19, and he's got some good tools to work with. His jump shot has potential, he has a good handle, and he has great size and athleticism for his position. You worry when a guy averages 0.7 assists and 0.3 steals, but he could be a "steal of the draft" candidate if he figures it out.
#2: Kelly Olynyk. He basically seems like a slightly longer, slightly younger, slightly more efficient Tyler Zeller. He led college hoops in PER. If he turns out better than Zeller on D, I can see him becoming a long-term fixture off the bench. I'm less high on him because of the likely defensive issues. I have a bad feeling about adding another poor defender to the rotation, in spite of his obvious offensive gifts. Who knows, though, if he bulks up, he could also leave teams scratching their heads wondering how they missed out on a legit 7 footer with such a polished offensive game.
#3: Gorgui Dieng. He's super old for a rookie at 23, but he could be a helpful piece right away, and is an interesting option if we don't get Noel. Most of his production is going to come on the defensive end, where he leveraged his size and athleticism into 2.9 blocks and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes, and he wasn't particularly foul prone either. He's shown some promise on the offensive end too, though, demonstrating above-average passing ability, making free throws at an acceptable 65% clip, and stepping up his game in the tournament where he's a stellar 20/24 from the field.
The 30-35 range picks:
#1: Reggie Bullock. I'm surprised he's projected to be available this late, to be honest. Sure, he's old at 22, but he has decent size on the wing (6'6"), and a tantalizing combination of athleticism and shooting ability (44% from deep on 6 attempts per game) that give him definite rotation-guy potential. Add his 3 assists per game, and he seems like a smart grab here.
#2: Giannis Adetokunbo. He's barely 18 years old, and oozes upside. He's an athletic 6'9" with a 7'3" wingspan and spooky-large hands, and is apparently still growing. He has a good handle and some passing ability, and is shooting 70% from the line and 34% from 3 in the Greek 2nd division league. He is still extremely skinny and raw in many ways, but perhaps less raw than you would expect for an 18 year old. He may just have "it." If we have multiple picks to use in this range on draft night, He seems like a worthy investment to stash overseas for a few years.
#3: Shane Larkin. He's a mature decision maker at age 20, and a solid 3-point shooter (41% on 5 attempts per game). The catch, of course, is that he's 5'11". His 3.8 rebounds and 2 steals per game suggest that he may be juuuust athletic enough to make up for his less-than-ideal height, though, and Isaiah Thomas's recent success at 5'8" makes me believe that with the right skillset, a player can overcome a lack of size at PG. Unless we're going with Livingston for the long haul we're going to have to pick up a backup point guard eventually. Why not throw a dart at the board if he's still around in the early 30's?
This is a thread that will serve a variety of important needs, such as determining what the actual board consensus choice is, and pointing and laughing at people a year from now when their pick is at the end of the bench in Sacramento.
Basically, just name off your first, second, and third choice of players for the Cavs to draft with their pick, the Lakers pick (should it materialize) and a ~30 pick (the Heat pick, should we end up with it, our 2nd round pick, Magic 2nd round pick).
I will update these as it becomes clear whether or not the Lakers will make the playoffs, and if the Cavs look to trade up close to the draft.
I'll lead off:
Cavs' Pick:
#1: Nerlens Noel. The stats love him, and he's the closest thing to a sure-fire all-star in this draft. He blocked more shots per game last year (4.4) than our entire team (3.9), and finished second in the SEC in steals per game as a center. He averaged a double double on 59% shooting. He did those things at 18 years of age. You could say he brings something we need. Barring a setback in his recovery from ACL surgery, he is absolutely my choice if available. I'm not going to waste any more breath here.
#2: Otto Porter. I love his ability to move the ball (we've all seen what a little ball movement can do for our offense) and hit 3's, and he seems to have a Tristan-like attitude and work ethic that would fit well on our team. He's got ideal size for his position, and had solid block (0.9) and steal (1.8) rates. As everyone says, he's got no holes in his game, and you can't say that about many 19 year olds. Advanced stats like him (you're gonna start noticing a theme here). I see him becoming a Paul George kind of player who could compliment our backcourt very nicely down the road. His late-season slump dropped him firmly below Noel on my ladder, but i'm still very high on him.
#3: Victor Oladipo. It's rare for a 6-5 guy to shoot 50% from th- what? oh, he shot 60% from the field this season? and 44% from 3? Oh yeah, that's why he's my number 3. That kind of offensive efficiency, combined with the potential to guard everyone from Chris Paul to James Harden, is really hard to pass up. He's another guy who could be great playing off Kyrie on offense, and he's just the shot in the arm the Cavs' perimeter needs on defense. He'll be 21 at the start of the season, which combined with his poor assist/turnover ratio dropped him just below Porter for me. I don't think the fit is a problem though...we have 96 minutes to spread between him, Kyrie, and Dion, which certainly seems doable. As long as Dion learns to be a distributor (get on that Coach Scott), we could certainly run a smooth backcourt rotation with the 3 of them.
Lakers' Pick:
*knocks on wood*
#1: Alex Poythress. He's 19, and he's got some good tools to work with. His jump shot has potential, he has a good handle, and he has great size and athleticism for his position. You worry when a guy averages 0.7 assists and 0.3 steals, but he could be a "steal of the draft" candidate if he figures it out.
#2: Kelly Olynyk. He basically seems like a slightly longer, slightly younger, slightly more efficient Tyler Zeller. He led college hoops in PER. If he turns out better than Zeller on D, I can see him becoming a long-term fixture off the bench. I'm less high on him because of the likely defensive issues. I have a bad feeling about adding another poor defender to the rotation, in spite of his obvious offensive gifts. Who knows, though, if he bulks up, he could also leave teams scratching their heads wondering how they missed out on a legit 7 footer with such a polished offensive game.
#3: Gorgui Dieng. He's super old for a rookie at 23, but he could be a helpful piece right away, and is an interesting option if we don't get Noel. Most of his production is going to come on the defensive end, where he leveraged his size and athleticism into 2.9 blocks and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes, and he wasn't particularly foul prone either. He's shown some promise on the offensive end too, though, demonstrating above-average passing ability, making free throws at an acceptable 65% clip, and stepping up his game in the tournament where he's a stellar 20/24 from the field.
The 30-35 range picks:
#1: Reggie Bullock. I'm surprised he's projected to be available this late, to be honest. Sure, he's old at 22, but he has decent size on the wing (6'6"), and a tantalizing combination of athleticism and shooting ability (44% from deep on 6 attempts per game) that give him definite rotation-guy potential. Add his 3 assists per game, and he seems like a smart grab here.
#2: Giannis Adetokunbo. He's barely 18 years old, and oozes upside. He's an athletic 6'9" with a 7'3" wingspan and spooky-large hands, and is apparently still growing. He has a good handle and some passing ability, and is shooting 70% from the line and 34% from 3 in the Greek 2nd division league. He is still extremely skinny and raw in many ways, but perhaps less raw than you would expect for an 18 year old. He may just have "it." If we have multiple picks to use in this range on draft night, He seems like a worthy investment to stash overseas for a few years.
#3: Shane Larkin. He's a mature decision maker at age 20, and a solid 3-point shooter (41% on 5 attempts per game). The catch, of course, is that he's 5'11". His 3.8 rebounds and 2 steals per game suggest that he may be juuuust athletic enough to make up for his less-than-ideal height, though, and Isaiah Thomas's recent success at 5'8" makes me believe that with the right skillset, a player can overcome a lack of size at PG. Unless we're going with Livingston for the long haul we're going to have to pick up a backup point guard eventually. Why not throw a dart at the board if he's still around in the early 30's?
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