NBADraft.net Projects Irving As Top Cavs' Pick, With Kanter Being Available At The 4

NBADraft.net, in its latest mock draft, has the Cavaliers taking Duke point guard Kyle Irving as the top pick in the 2011 draft, and forward/center Enes Kanter at number four.

The mock sees the Minnesota Timberwolves going with Derrick Williams as the second pick, and the Utah Jazz taking Brandon Knight with the third pick.

The site goes on to project the Cavaliers taking forward/center Jeremy Tyler with the 32nd pick.

The 2011 NBA Draft will begin in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Whether the Cavaliers are committed to Irving with the first pick is a matter that is open for some debate, as ESPN claims the Cavs might not be dead-set on the idea.

As the night gets closer, look for more updates (and perhaps more opinions) as they happen.

2011 NBA Mock Draft Update: The Latest from SB Nation

Tom Ziller is back at it mocking the NBA draft again, and this time he has a little bit of a change with the Cavs’ second pick, though it’s a change I don’t think the Cavs would actually do.

At the top, he stays true to his initial projection, which was Duke point guard Kyrie Irving. Here is his explanation:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

Prediction: more people will complain that it’s unfair that Irving be held up to LeBron James standard than will actually assert or imply that Irving be held up to LeBron’s standard.

With their second pick, Ziller has been pretty consistent in predicting the Cavs to take Turkish center Enes Kanter, who worked out for the team last week. This edition has Kanter off the board to the Utah Jazz with the third overall pick, so he has the Cavs taking Lithuanian PF/C Jonas Valanciunas. Here is his reasoning for the pick:

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania

The buy-out issues could purportedly drop Valanciunas into a valley of despair, but indications are that this will get worked out. But will he arrive in the United States this year? If he decides to ultimately stay in Lithuania or move to Italy or Spain for 1-2 years, that could be another anchor for his stock. Too many GM’s jobs — Chris Grant’s included — are in too precarious a position to take risks on the next Ricky.

His analysis is spot on, and it doesn’t make me as a reader believe the Cavs would ever take Valanciunas. This team is in a total rebuilding mode, but they want two immediate impact players with these picks, or at least two players who can come in and start in 2011. This pick would not put Cavs fans at ease, given both the fact that he needs a buyout and a guaranteed top five contract as well as possibly a two year wait (see Rubio).

These mock drafts have proven to me that the best choice for the Cavs is to take Derrick Williams with the first pick and take whatever player is left at four between Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight, and Kyrie Irving, all of whom are deserving players. It seems to simple to actually happen, but that’s just one man’s opinion. What do you fans want the Cavs to do?

2012 NBA Mock Draft Update: SB Nation Mocks the Cavs Irving, Kanter

SB Nation’s latest mock draft compares the players in the draft pool to current NBA players, and if their predictions come true, the Cavs are getting two players comparable to Raymond Felton and Al Jefferson.

Tom Ziller has the Cavs selecting Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick, for which he gives this explanation:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, G, Duke

Kyrie has drawn Deron Williams comparisons. If that’s the case, let’s keep him away from all headbands. Until he proves he can shoot dependably, let’s err on the side of Raymond Felton and hope for the best. (Felton’s not bad! He got traded for Carmelo Anthony! Sort of.)

With the fourth pick, they have not wavered a bit either, where they still have the Cavs selecting center Enes Kanter of Kentucky/Turkey. Here is the comparison:

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Enes Kanter, C, Turkey

I feel a little Al Jefferson coming on …

If these two players turn out to be like Ray Felton and Al Jefferson, the Cavs will not be in great shape. Felton has vastly underachieved since coming to the league, and while he is solid, he would never be worthy of the top pick in the draft. Jefferson is a great post player offensively, but he is nothing special on the defensive end and has spent a ton of time injured.

Still, the upside of these players seems greater to me, but only time will tell.

Will Enes Kanter Be On The Cavaliers' Radar? A Tuesday Workout Might Answer That Question

According to this report from Mary Schmitt Boyer, Enes Kanter, the 6' 11" center from Turkey, will work out for the Cavaliers on Tuesday in Independence, although no details have been released and no interviews have been scheduled.

Kanter, 19, was originally going to be a Kentucky Wildcat but was ruled ineligible for having received money to play in Turkey

Kanter might be in the running to be the fourth pick in the first round by the Cavs in the June 23 NBA Draft, and of course, if he does work out, and impresses, that would be more than an academic "might"..

But the talk is that he may not last until the fourth pick, although Cleveland will probably go with Kyle Irving at number one, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are likely to take Derrick Williams with the second pick. That would leave the Utah Jazz having to also pass on Kanter for Kanter to be available with the four.

2011 NBA Mock Draft Update: Enes Kanter Slipping From Cavaliers' Grasp?

At 6-foot-11 and 260 pounds, Turkish center and NBA Draft prospect Enes Kanter has NBA size despite having just turned 19 years old. Though the Cleveland Cavaliers may hope he's available when they pick fourth overall in this year's Draft, it's becoming increasingly likely he'll be off the board.

"We expect him to go within the first two picks," Mike Naiditch, an NBA agent close to Kanter's agent, Max Ergul, told Adam Zagoria. "We expect him to go in the top 2, maybe 3, but we don’t think he’s going to go past that."

The Cavaliers are widely expected to use the first overall pick on Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, and the Minnesota Timberwolves will almost assuredly select Arizona forward Derrick Williams second overall. The Utah Jazz own the third pick and Kanter may not escape their grasp.

With all that said, SB Nation NBA editor Tom Ziller has the Jazz instead taking Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight in his latest 2011 NBA Mock Draft. "We've had Enes Kanter here since the lottery, on account of Utah's strict best player available policy," Ziller writes of Utah's pick. "But Knight could very well convince teams he's the third-best prospect in the draft by the time late June comes around."

Kanter could join a talented Cavs frontcourt which already features Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson. But if he's off the board, whom Cleveland will take instead is anyone's guess.

Kyrie Irving Has Already Thought About Being The First Pick In The NBA Draft

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after winning the annual NBA Lottery, and with that pick, they're expected to pick Duke point guard Kyrie Irving.

The Cavs brain trust has certainly thought about this plenty, and so has Irving according to an interview he did on Thursday with WQAM in Miami.

"I've thought about it a little bit but right now the main focus is about me getting better every single day," Irving said of being the No. 1 pick. "That's what I'm working towards. Whatever team wants me to come in and work out for them that's what I'm going to do and just give it my all. That's what I'm preparing for. Just preparing for the workouts and after I handle the workouts then I will worry about the NBA draft."

Exactly the bland answer everyone would expect, but at the same time, it's the right answer. If nothing else, Irving seems ready for Craig Sager to interview him in next year's NBA Playoffs.

2011 NBA Mock Draft Update: SB Nation's Post Lottery Mock, Part II

The last SB Nation mock draft featured the Cavaliers taking a point guard an a European big man, and they didn’t waver from that stance in their latest crack at predicting the 2011 NBA Draft.

Tom Ziller, an SB Nation writer, thinks that it’s a near lock that the Cavs will take Duke point guard Kyrie Irving:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

It’s fun to consider what excuse the Cavs could give for going with Williams over Irving. “We really like Ramon Sessions.” “We really like Manny Harris.” “We want to be back in the high lottery next season to grab Austin Rivers, so we’re going to pick some forwards this year and trade for Sebastian Telfair.” No offense to Williams, who is an excellent prospect, but to pass on Irving, there needs to be one helluva skeleton in his closet (or, again, X-rays).

The reasoning is sound. The NBA is quickly becoming a point guard driven league, and the Cavs don’t want to be left in the dust. Thus, they take Irving, the former prep-school superstar who only played in a few games last year for Duke. Irving is a guy who reminds me a lot of a young Chris Paul. He might not be the same kind of scorer at this point, but he definitely has that kind of a ceiling. The more I think about it, the more I think Irving is the smart pick for the Cavs.

With reports that Cleveland is dangling the fourth overall pick for Grizzlies small forward Rudy Gay, it’s clear that not taking Derrick Williams is a tough decision for the Cavs. In an ideal world, they would have the 1st and 2nd overall pick and get both their guys, but they almost have to take the point guard first overall.

Even though I personally believe Williams to be the best overall player in the draft right now, I don’t think the Cavs are making a mistake by taking Irving. However, I’m not a big fan of taking Euro big men early in the draft, and it seems every mock has the Cavs doing so. Ziller’s latest is no exception:

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania

The Cavaliers would send <3s to the Heavens if they could land Irving and Kanter; as a back-up plan, Valanciunas could work beautifully. The next great Lithuanian has one predominant concern: his buyout in Spain. We’ll no doubt hear more as Eurocamp approaches; never underestimate the power of Fran Vasquez to kill a player’s draft stock. Other options here could be Bismack Biyombo or even Jan Vesely; the Cavaliers are thinnest at small forward, believe it or not.

The ideal scenario for the Cavs would be to nab a guy like Rudy Gay by dealing this pick and possibly future picks. However, if they are unable to do so, taking a Euro with size and upside isn’t the worst alternative. There are question marks surrounding most prospects in any draft, but for me, there’s just something about Euro big men that scares me off, especially in the top ten.

2011 NBA Draft: Cavaliers Offer No. 4 Pick For Rudy Gay, According To Report

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the incredible fortune of owning the first and fourth overall selections in the 2011 NBA Draft, but a new report indicates they are open to moving at least one of them in order to upgrade their roster with a veteran contributor. Indeed, the Cavaliers offered the fourth pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for high-scoring small forward Rudy Gay, using the trade exception they received from the Miami Heat in the LeBron James sign-and-trade deal to absorb Gay’s salary, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Memphis said no.

Gay, a five-year veteran, has shown remarkable consistency in his career, averaging between 18.9 and 20.1 points per game, and shooting between 45.3 percent and 47.1 percent, over the last four seasons. Though an injury limited him to just 54 games in 2010-11, Gay set new career-bests in rebounding, assists, steals, blocks, three-point percentage, and free-throw percentage as he worked himself into being a more well-rounded contributor. It’s not difficult to see why the Cavaliers, or any team, would like to add him.

And though it seems Memphis might be silly to let Gay go, it’s important to remember context: even without Gay, the Grizzlies won their first-ever playoff series this season before falling in the second round. A small-market club, they owe point guard Mike Conley and Zach Randolph an estimated $111 million over the next five seasons. Starting center Marc Gasol will enter restricted free agency this summer and will require another long-term financial commitment. Perhaps the Grizzlies’ playoff success without Gay, who has $69 million over five seasons remaining on his contract, could convince them to part with their longest-tenured player.

Or maybe not. We aren’t privy to Memphis’ thought process here. But from the outside, the deal Cleveland reportedly proposed isn’t terribly one-sided.

2011 NBA Mock Draft: Cavs Will Take Kyrie Irving First Overall, Will Enes Kanter Go Fourth?

At this point, we have a pretty good idea of who the Cavs are going to take with the first overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Their pick at No. 4 overall is a little bit more up in the air Kyrie Irving has emerged as a near consensus pick at that spot, but could Enes Kanter be in play for their other first round pick?. In this video from Fox Sports, Zac Johnson claims that while the Cavs haven't started selling Irving's jersey in the team store yet, he does expect them to commit to Irving some time before the Draft officially begins.

So maybe the suspense is missing from the first overall pick. But there should be a great deal of excitement about what the Cavs will choose to do just two picks later. With point guard solved with Irving, the Cavs can turn their attention to picking up a player at another position of depth in this draft, big man. There are a few prospects that Johnson mentions, but the most interesting is probably Enes Kanter.

Kanter had the potential to be the top pick in the drat had he been able to play at Kentucky this year. But he could slip to the Cavs at four because nobody really knows what to expect from him. There are other players in play, and those would be good picks as well, but Kanter would bring the biggest buzz, and the most immediate name recognition.

2011 NBA Mock Draft: Kyrie Irving A Near Unanimous First Overall Pick For Cavs

Ever since the Cavs won the first overall pick in the NBA Draft lottery last week (are we done celebrating from that yet?) Mock Drafts have been pouring in, giving their opinion about who they think the Cavs will take with the first overall pick. Normally people on the Internet don't really get along, but in this instance, everyone seems to be in agreement; Kyrie Irving has to be the guy.

If you've never been to D.C. Pro Sports Report, you need to check it out, particularly their Mock Draft databases. They compile all of the Mocks you can find around the Internet, and update it pretty regularly to reflect the general consensus. According to them, 96% of the Mocks they round up have Irving going first overall.

There's a reason that everyone has the Cavs taking Irving, and that's because it makes too much sense not to happen. In a extremely relatively weak Draft class, Irving probably has the best potential to become an elite player. He isn't going to be "He who shall remain nameless" but he will be a solid player that the Cavs can build around, at the most important position on the floor. You can't always get a superstar with the top overall pick, but if you can take someone as solid as Irving, it has to be considered a win.

2011 NBA Mock Draft Update: David Aldridge Takes First Ever Crack at a Mock

Long time NBA analyst, insider, and expert David Aldridge is one of the most respected and well-known men in the business, and he hates mock drafts. That being said, his employers told him to do one, and he had no choice but to oblige. We as fans benefit from this, because this is valuable information and much more than just an educated guess. David Aldridge has sources all over the league, and he knows what teams and executives’ tendencies are.

So who does he predict the Cavs will take?

Not surprisingly, his first pick for the Cavs is point guard Kyrie Irving of Duke, so in case you are keeping track at home, that’s three mock drafts and three Irving projections, and there are likely many more. Aldridge’s analysis is short and sweet:

Rebuilding starts in earnest with the quicksilver point guard.

Aldridge also hints that the Cavs could be the first team in line to trade down in the first round, with Enes Kanter on the board at four overall and a multitude of other needs. The Cavs could move down and acquire more picks and/or veteran players, or they could stay put and get an impact player like Kanter, a guy who can play either power forward or center for them. Aldridge has the Cavs taking Kanter, and here is his explanation:

The line to move up to get Kanter or Jan Vesely starts here. But Cavs may not be able to pass up on a big who can come in and play right away.

2011 NBA Mock Draft Update: Chad Ford Has Cavs Taking Irving, Kanter

Chad Ford, basically the Adam Schefter of professional basketball, has all but declared Kyrie Irving a Cleveland Cavalier. He said last night on the ESPN NBA Draft Lottery special that barring a medical check (foot) Irving would be the top pick to the Cavs. He is already getting excited about the possibility in his latest mock draft on ESPN.com:

What a big win for Cleveland — it trades away Mo Williams and gets back No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving. Yes, the Cavs have Baron Davis, but he’s not a big part of their future plans. Irving can come in and immediately give them a backcourt foundation to fit with J.J. Hickson and the No. 4 pick.

Ford also has the Cavs taking Turkish center and former Kentucky basketball player Enes Kanter with the fourth overall pick. He believes Kanter, while raw, can bring some much needed toughness and an inside-out game to the Cavaliers’ offensive attack:

Few teams watched Kanter play during the past year unless they saw a Kentucky practice, so they are projecting Kanter’s potential largely on the strength of a stellar performance at the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit. But if Kanter plays the way he did at the Hoop Summit and in workouts in Chicago (where I saw him for several days last week), he’s a good fit for the Cavs and worthy of this pick.

Kanter is tough, can play inside and out, rebounds the basketball and has a higher basketball IQ than most other players his age. While a bit undersized for a center, his toughness in the paint would be very welcome in Cleveland.

Stay tuned, as SB Nation Cleveland will have all major NBA Mock Draft updates from around the web for your viewing enjoyment. If you believe what you hear, it’s all but a lock that the Cavs will take Kyrie Irving with the first pick, but the 2nd pick—at least according to Ford—is where things could get really interesting. Who the Cavs wind up with at number four overall is anyone’s guess.

Latest SB Nation 2011 NBA Mock Draft Has Cavs Taking Kyrie Irving First, Jonas Valanciunas Fourth

They call it a “no brainer” but this year I’m not so sure. Kyrie Irving appears to be the front-runner to be the number one overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and is so according to the latest SB Nation mock. However, I’m not so sure he is a no-brainer like the author says he is.

The Cavs do have a need at the point guard position, and Irving is probably undoubtedly the best point guard available, which would lend credence to his “no-brainer” theory. Here is his reasoning for the Cavs taking Irving number one overall in the 2011 NBA Draft:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Los Angeles Clippers): Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

The L.A. Clippers wanted to get rid of their point guard Baron Davis, and needed to add in their first-round pick to make him disappear. Little did they know they’d be throwing away Kyrie Irving, too. Cleveland will take Irving with glee; while the point guard won’t make anyone forget about LeBron James, he fills an immediate need at a vital position and injects a dose of excitement to a bad roster.

The Cavs also struck lottery gold with the fourth overall pick in the draft. Had they only had one selection, this would be a massive disappointment, but paired with the top overall pick, it’s a very nice asset to have, even in a shallow talent pool. With their second first round selection, SB Nation has the Cavs taking Jonas Valanciunas, a big man from Lithuania. This selection doesn’t exactly make people giddy, but the Cavs have a long way to go, and they need as much talent as they can get. Valanciunas is considered one of the top Euro prospects in the entire draft. Here is the reasoning:

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania

After landing a franchise point guard in Irving up top, the Cavaliers can further bolster the backcourt by choosing Kemba Walker here or go big. Given that Walker has been fashioned an NBA point guard — we’ll see — I’ll guess big man here. Valanciunas isn’t close to a finished product, but Cleveland is in full-on rebuild mode. (They’d probably prefer Kanter, should he drop.)

My reaction to these picks is simple—I don’t like them. If I am a Cavs fan, I’m not jumping for joy at the selection of Kyrie Irving. Even though Irving is a top of the line point guard prospect, Byron Scott is a top of the line point guard coach, and I think the Cavs could get much more bang for their buck if they were to take Derrick Williams with the first pick, then Brandon Knight (3rd ranked PG in the nation coming out of high school, Irving was 2nd) or Kemba Walker (If you didn’t see him in the tourney, you’ve been living under a rock) with their second selection.

If the Cavs do take Irving, which again appears to be the popular opinion as of right now, then I would not expect them to take a major developmental guy like Valanciunas and go for a swingman with upside like San Diego State forward Kawhi Leonard, who I’ve heard they also really like.

Obviously, this is not my selection to make. I almost entirely disagree with the author that his is a no-brainer pick for the Cavs, because my thought process all along has been to take Williams and the best PG available with their next pick. They have a rare opportunity here, and they need too look at the board and judge what TWO players will finish with the most upside, not which player will have the most upside with the top choice and then hope the next best guy falls to them at four overall.

Even if this isn’t a heavy talent draft, there are still good ball players, and the Cavs need to come away with two of the best.

Latest SB Nation NBA Mock Draft Has Cavs Taking Derrick Williams, Bismack Biyombo

As you can see from the thread below, not much has changed in the NBA mock draft world, as the SB Nation crew still has the Cleveland Cavaliers taking Arizona forward Derrick Williams (2nd) and forward Bismack Biyombo (8th) in their latest 2011 NBA mock draft.

Here is the reasoning behind the picks:

The Cavs are the opposite of the Wolves: for Minnesota, neither of the top pick options make total sense. For Cleveland, “both please.” I think very few teams would take Williams over Irving at the very top, the Cavs included. A common thread among the worst teams in the NBA is the lack of a top-flight point guard. The Cavs are thin at forward, too — Antawn Jamison is on skates out of town, and J.J. Hickson is a solid but unspectacular option. The small forward spot is destitute in C-Town.

And on Biyombo:

I’m not going to lie: when I first heard about Biyombo, I was convinced he was a hoax, like that soccer player some enterprising kids dreamt up a few years ago. Only Ben Golliver’s live reports on Bismack’s existence convinced me he’s real.

I see the reasoning behind both picks here. The Cavs need to add a dynamic athlete like Derrick Williams at the 3/4 spot who can shoot threes and make plays with the ball in his hands. Williams is probably the most complete player in the draft in that regard. He has fantastic size, athleticism, and is somewhat of a poor man’s LeBron James.

As far as Biyombo goes, he is a freakish athlete but a very raw basketball player. Is he more hype than substance? He seems to be mocked to the Cavs quite a bit from what I can see, but I’m not sure I buy that he is a real option at this point. This team does lack for talent in a lot of areas, and like I have stated before, it would probably for the best if the Cavs could get a little stroke of luck and be in position to take one of the top point guards available in this year’s class.

Would the Cavs take a guy like Jimmer Fredette at 8 overall? It’s certainly possible, and they would be getting a dynamic scorer but would probably be reaching a bit for him.

Either way, this is going to be an intriguing draft because of the overall lack of star power and depth, and the Cavs really need to make good on their two lottery picks.

2011 NBA Mock Draft: Cavaliers Take Derrick Williams, Bismack Biyombo In First SB Nation Mock

The first 2011 NBA Mock Draft at SB Nation has the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting Arizona forward Derrick Williams (second overall pick) and Congolese center Bismack Biyombo (eighth). To be clear, the league has yet to set the formal draft order--that will come during the Draft Lottery on May 17--so this mock goes by the odds of winning the Lottery. The Cavaliers have their own pick as well as the Los Angeles Clippers' as a result of the February trade involving Baron Davis, Mo Williams, and Jamario Moon.

Williams averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 boards for the Wildcats this season, shooting a remarkable 56.8 percent from the field. Tom Ziller, who authored SB Nation's mock, says Williams is "a great prospect, and he has a pulse," which is "enough" for a Cavaliers team that needs talent at every position.

Biyombo, age 18, is a tantalizing prospect. Though unpolished, he rates as a far better NBA prospect than some of the other young, foreign-born centers who failed to live up to their lofty draft position. Jonathan Givony, among the industry's best-regarded draft experts, writes that Biyombo "plays the game with incredible emotion," which is "an extremely desirable trait" in young players. Further, Biyombo has unique physical gifts:

He measured a 7-7 wingspan (which would rank fifth longest in our expansive database) at the Nike Hoop Summit, despite standing just 6-7 ¾ without shoes. No player of record has ever measured a wingspan that is nearly 12 inches longer than his actual height [....] He also sports a chiseled 243-pound frame (4.8% body fat) that he should have no problem putting additional weight onto.

Keep checking this StoryStream periodically for more NBA Mock Draft updates. Please visit Fear The Sword for more on the Cavaliers.