The Cleveland Cavaliers struggled greatly in year one of their post-Lebron regime, and it resulted in the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. They were able to select Duke's Kyrie Irving, but most experts agree that an immediate turnaround is not in the cards in 2011-12. SB Nation's Eastern Conference preview rates the Cavaliers 14th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference before the season starts:
It still makes no sense that the Cavs took Kyrie Irving. They could have flipped the pick with Minnesota or Utah, or, at worst, taken Derrick Williams first, traded down from No. 4, and taken Brandon Knight at like, No. 6. Instead they've put the entire franchise on the shoulders of a point guard who enters a league with Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook and John Wall, all smack in the middle of their primes.
Irving is in a difficult situation with not much of a supporting cast around him, so he may struggle for a few years as the Cavs try to get back to respectability.