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2011 NBA Draft: Cleveland Cavs Take Kyrie Irving With the First Overall Pick

The Cleveland Cavaliers began their immense rebuilding project after the LeBron James era by selecting Duke point guard Kyrie Irving. A 6’3" 191 pound 19-year old, Irving committed to the Blue Devils as probably the best point guard in high school basketball.

Battling injuries, Irving only played in 11 games last year, but Jay Bilas on ESPN said that in those 11 games, he was the best point guard in the nation.

Irving is a very skilled player who is considered a “true” point guard, but he’s a fantastic shooter. He was a 46 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and he was 90 percent from the free throw line as well.

The newest member of the Cavs says he is looking forward to getting to Cleveland, and he will have a great fan base to turn to, and won’t skip a beat coming from a Duke program whose players have had success, but only two have won NBA titles. Irving hopes to buck that trend.

Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.