2013 NBA Draft

[Smooth]

I'm still praying the FO can somehow trade up in the draft and grab Otto Porter with the 2nd 1st rounder. The amount of progress the guy has made on his outside shot between his freshman and sophomore years is great to see out of a young kid, not to mention he already has experience playing in the type of offense Byron rolls with. We need some length on the wing with Alonzo at 6'6", Dion at 6'4", Miles at 6'6", Boobie at 6'2", so a guy at 6'8" with long arms would be a welcome sight. DraftExpress on their last update has him at 15, not out of the realm of possibility if the Lakers get their act together and sneak in the playoffs. No chance the Cavs keep all 4 of their picks in the upcoming draft so hopefully they put them to good use whether it be trading them or draft and stashing.

I agree they'd be best served to make a move similar to last year where they moved up for Zeller... Except this time it might work out for them with it being big heavy at the top, a wing or two could slide out into their range... Last year it took a late 1st and two high 2nds... The Cavs will definitely have that type of ammo, it's just a question is how high will those picks be and will the 15-20 range be good enough to snag a Porter or Poythress (I'd prefer Porter for this team, I think)....

That's a good point about them adding some length... That's why I like Livingston a lot in the backcourt and really hope he works out...

Adding some length reminded me also of wanting to add some efficiency... Aside from Kyrie and Andy (and maybe Tristan, he's getting there), this team is relatively not very efficient... Dion, CJ, Alonzo, Boobie and even Zeller hover in the low 40's FG% wise... I'd like to see some efficient scorers around Kyrie...

[howler1313]

Otto Porter could be great on this team. I can see him thriving in a Kawhi-Leonard like role: basically a 3 and D player with some added playmaking ability and a monster on the glass for his position. Added to which he's got position versatility, and he can probably play anything from the 2 to a small-ball 4 for stretches of the game- great to have with a combo guard like Dion. That said, as long as the Lakers don't make the playoffs I'm not sure if we'll have the ammo to get him without giving up too-valuable assets.

[Goldin Brown]

If we end up with Noel then I think we would really need to look into finding a lethal outside shooter to play on the wing. Our spacing would be terrible in half court sets if we still have Gee starting at the 3 with Dion/Miles starting at the 2. With that said, hopefully Miles is gone after this year.

The thing that really has me excited about the prospect of adding Noel, is that he would really allow us to get stops and then get out and run on teams. He really has a great ability on the defensive side of things to be a huge difference maker, and that athleticism of his is so very attractive. He would really give the Cavs an edge and some identity I think. Also, an under-rated aspect of Noel's game is his passing ability, the kid is a very good passer for a big man. We all saw how good the offense looked with Andy in the middle serving as a facilitator/scoring threat, I think Noel would excel in that role.

I think I'm officially on the Nerlens Noel train! Don't do so well for Noel, anybody?!

[Ben]

If the Cavs are really planning the return of LBJ? I'd guess they draft Alex Len.

If they are building by taking the best available player? Noel or Shabazz (If the latter measures out)

[Doc Shakalou]

If the Cavs are really planning the return of LBJ? I'd guess they draft Alex Len.

If they are building by taking the best available player? Noel or Shabazz (If the latter measures out)

And if they draft because they're planning on LBJ coming back I will lose all faith in them. There's no excuse to not go BPA.

[Futuredome]

With the new system, BPA may be a thing of the past. If the Cavs feel Shabozz and McLemore are not better than Dion, they will pass and go for the big they would prefer anyway.

[Doc Shakalou]

With the new system, BPA may be a thing of the past. If the Cavs feel Shabozz and McLemore are not better than Dion, they will pass and go for the big they would prefer anyway.

And I understand and accept this to an extent. But if the Cavs pass on Noel and draft Len because they think he'd fit better with LeBron that would just infuriate me. I guess if they have Len graded out higher then I'd understand, but I honestly don't see how that could be true. Ben said he guesses they'd go Len if they're planning the return of LBJ. Drafting around the possibility of signing a superstar in free agency is just stupid and I would lose all faith in this front office.

The only way that they could justify drafting around LeBron is if they have a Riley style back room deal already in place with him, which would obviously involve major collusion.

[howler1313]

Honestly, even though Noel won't fit as well as Len in halfcourt offense, I don't think he'd be much worse of an overall fit when you factor in fastbreak offense. He won't just ignite fastbreaks with his shotblocking, but he'll also get a steal or two a game just by hounding guards on the perimeter and he runs the floor just about as well as any big in the game. If we're trying to build the team up as a fastbreak/running team, Noel would be the perfect C for us. Not to mention TT and Noel would be nasty defending the pick and roll; TT already does a good job hedging and recovering, and after a year or two I expect Noel to be at least as good as TT is right now.

That said... halfcourt offense will be a trainwreck and spacing will be non-existent, but I still maintain that we can't pass up on Noel to get Len.

[shoes22]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Noel and TT similar enough players anyway? Would we want to draft someone who already has a similar skillset to someone already on the team?

[Doc Shakalou]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Noel and TT similar enough players anyway? Would we want to draft someone who already has a similar skillset to someone already on the team?

They are a bit similar in style, Noel is a better and more natural defender than Tristan. He has the size, athleticism, and elite timing that not a lot of guys possess. Offensively he's fairly inept, but he's pretty solid around the rim. The only major concern would be floor spacing as none of these guys can shoot.

However I'm against passing on the BPA just to go after guys who may fit your roster better. Get the best talent and then figure out how to make it work. For instance, if for some reason Speights decides to stay in Cleveland, they could bring Tristan off the bench and go with a lineup of Kyrie/Dion/SF/Speights/Noel. Speights would provide the spacing that would make this work well. In situations where you need good defense, roll with Tristan and Noel and dare teams to attack the hoop. Or you could bring Speights and Noel off the bench and you wouldn't see much of a drop off from your starters.

I just think you have to go with Noel. He might not be the best fit, but I honestly think he's going to win multiple DPOY awards. If either he or Tristan can develop a 10-15 footer then that would just be a dangerous pair of bigs.

[MGMT]

Liking what I see from Noel tonight. The rest of UK? Not so much (I'm looking at you Poythress).

He will have to become a bit more disciplined to stay on his feet because at times he gets absolutely toasted by pump fakes. I think that will come with time.

One thing Grant has shown is that he is not afraid to pull the trigger high on developmental players. Nerlens like a very strong possibility.

As I'm typing this he is approaching a double double with blocks and boards.

[howler1313]

Crazy thing about Noel is that he always blocks shots inbounds, and they seem to find his teammates more often than not. Give me those type of blocks over the Howard swats any day.

[Doc Shakalou]

Crazy thing about Noel is that he always blocks shots inbounds, and they seem to find his teammates more often than not. Give me those type of blocks over the Howard swats any day.

Agree with you about Noel, he's a total stud. I had a bit of a McLemore man crush, but Noel has surpassed him. If he can ever develop a little bit of a jump shot he'll be one of the best centers in basketball. I don't think I've ever seen a guy with his size and ability to make steals. His defense is fantastic, his shot blocking far more efficient than someone like Dwight's. He blocks it to his team as opposed to the third row out of bounds. He can go out on the perimeter and stick with a guard, not only that he's shown he's proficient at poking the ball away. It's incredible what he can do on defense. The idea of him anchoring our interior makes me drool.

Not really a Len fan at all. I think he'll have major troubles on D at the next level. He's very polished on offense, but I just don't see him being much more than average at the next level.

Like both Bazz and McLemore a lot. I keep flip flopping between who like I like more, it's a toss up. Bazz probably has the higher ceiling of the two though.

I really hope they find a way to come out with Noel. Of course since he's my favorite there's a 0 percent chance we get him. Which guy is Hollinger's favorite? That's the pick.

My board
Noel
McLemore
Bazz
Pissed
Len

Boom.

[beefstew]

The more I see McLemore play the more I wish we didn't take Dion this year, I just have a feeling McLemore is going to be a star.

[beefstew]

I feel if we can secure a pick in the top 5 we can't go wrong with who we get.....

My Board:
1. McLemore
2.Shabazz
3. Noel
4. Len
5. Bennet

Hope with the Laker pick we can steal Trey Burke...