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2012 NBA Offseason: Cleveland Cavaliers

Draft Grades, Offseason Needs, Free Agents

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Year: 21-45)

Live 2012 NBA Draft Grades:

4. Dion Waiters, G, Syracuse: A Grade
I LOVE Dion Waiters. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE him. It is shocking he goes this high, but I have been on his bandwagon for months and it looks like I was right - sorry, bragging. It is crazy Waiters goes this high, but he definitely fills a need at shooting guard and it will be exciting to watch him and Kyrie Irving play together for the next few years.

17. Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina: D Grade
Cleveland gives up No. 24, No. 33 and No. 34 for Zeller, which seems like a lot for a big man who will be a solid, but not spectacular, big man in the NBA. The Cavaliers need depth all across the board and could have selected three quality players instead of simply taking Zeller. Don't like it.

*** 2012 NBA Offseason Needs and Free Agents listed below this comment box. ***

Tank Machine 05-25-2013 08:16 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.172 (total posts: 1)

The Cavs are the kings of tanking.

RealCavsFan 04-20-2013 07:55 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.189 (total posts: 1)

its DONALD MOTHAFAULKING SOAN. and Alanzo Gee is a forward And the jumping jew sucks.

Jeff 02-05-2013 11:59 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.149 (total posts: 1)

You have to be kidding me with Zeller's grade.He fills the big man role with Andy always injured.ot to mention he contributes no matter what so I would give him a solid B or not so solid A

Nick 08-11-2012 10:17 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.104 (total posts: 1)

Kyrie Irving=Chris Paul
Tristan Thompson=Serge Ibaka

Obviously this is more than 1 year later but i beleive that the Cavs walked away with the most from the 2011 Draft. Thompson put up nearly the same numbers Derrick Williams did and Irving was a straight up stud. I thought the same thing after we drafted Thompson but in the end, as a Cavs fan I'm happy with the choice. Plus with Waiters and Zeller, as well as 7 first round picks in the next 3 years the future looks GREAT in Cleveland!

Lhady 07-25-2012 12:55 am xxx.xxx.xxx2.12 (total posts: 1)

i think it's the fairest way there is. it doesn't maettr how bad you suck. you don't throw games. period. it gives the highest chances to the worst teams, without making it a definite so teams are less likely to race for the bottom. the only better (haha in theory NOT practice) way would be to get a committee together and have them sit around and rank all the teams.. heh.. and for a kicks you could throw some computer rankings in there

Mark Hicks 07-01-2012 11:45 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.107 (total posts: 1)

163

147

While I agree with you with your love for Dion Waiters, I do not totally agree with your assessment of Tyler Zeller. Personally, I would have kept one of those 2nd round picks to take Quincy Miller but otherwise to get a solid athletic center who can run the floor with Irving, Waiters, and Thompson makes the Cavs exciting to watch. I think for them to trade 3 players (who could be D-League players) for a starting center who could possibly be in the league for 10 years was well worth it.

Josh N 06-30-2012 01:44 am xxx.xxx.xxx23.7 (total posts: 1)

Everyone keeps ripping the Cavs picks, the fact is that I like both and I will decide if they were good when the season rolls back around

Some Guy 06-29-2012 05:31 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.207 (total posts: 1)

Guys Walt doesn't write this... Just look at the top of the page.

Also if given the choice between Thompson, Varejao, and Zeller or Thompson, Varejao, and Erden it is very clear which one everyone would take. I feel more confident with Zeller getting minutes that belonged to Erden, Hollins, Samuels etc. I would go at least a c+ on that pick.

Austin 06-29-2012 03:09 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.206 (total posts: 1)

Do you hate all white guys drafted in the 1st round? You gonna kill the team that takes Cody Zeller next yr?

Sports 06-29-2012 12:49 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.187 (total posts: 1)

I love Waiters at 4. He won't have the ball in his hands to much because of Irving. Waiters has a terrific upside to him and the chance he is a stud is way greater than a bust and that's what the NBA draft is. Zellar trade deserves a C in my mind and it's not because we took Zellar, I like the pick. Zellar a 7'0 footer that is smart, rebounds, not awful defense and can score at times(perfect for this Cavs team). But the problem here is what we gave up, we need something on the small forward position that can defend. Taylor from Vandy would of been wonderful. Love the pics but still need to beef up our wings.

Chaz 06-29-2012 10:47 am xxx.xxx.xxx.246 (total posts: 1)

You may not like the Zeller pick, but we got a big man that can run the floor, rebound, score and is a solid basketball player. The Cavs did not want to pick 4 players in the draft because they didn't want that many rookies. They did what many experts said they would do and that is trade picks to move up: done.

Put these two players with Irving and we have a nice young solid base. I give it an A all around.

Not a Cavs fan 06-29-2012 08:40 am xxx.xxx.xxx3.10 (total posts: 1)

You are way off on the Zeller grade. That is a solid B. He contributes immediately and fills a void in the middle for the Cavs.

Not a bad trade at all.

Oh Boy 06-29-2012 02:57 am xxx.xxx.xxx.227 (total posts: 1)

waiters is a good player, but i don't see how he's worth a #4 pick. he's going to end up being a 6th man (rather thana starter) because he turns the ball over too much and he's not enough wade and too much like monta ellis.

Walt, you fell in love with kemba walker last year and he is not going to be a star in the league. he wasn't worth the high pick and neither is waiters.

MarkieB89 06-29-2012 12:26 am xxx.xxx.xxx.152 (total posts: 1)

I dont get it... I just dont. Nothing on Waiters, and the way he plays. I have watched him play and think he will be a tremendous player, and we do need a slasher, but as many decent to above average jump shooting 2-guards there is in FA this year, I have NO idea why the Cavs didn't trade up for Kidd Gilchrist and sign a guard this year...

Bill Smith 06-29-2012 12:18 am xxx.xxx.xxx24.0 (total posts: 1)

Thanks so much. Great stuff as always.

Pages: 12 3

2011-12 Season Summary:
I make a weekly appearance on a radio show based out of Cleveland, and it's actually rather amazing that a month and a half into the season we were having a legitimate conversation as to whether or not the Cavaliers were going to be a playoff team. However, that talk was quickly put to rest as they finished with the third-worst record in the league.

Still, there were some bright spots, particularly the play from first-round picks Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. Irving performed better than most expected during his rookie season, and every indication appears that he will be Cleveland's franchise player moving forward. Thompson had a solid rookie campaign even though he spent a decent amount of time late in the season playing out of position at center.

Even with the bright play of their rookies, it was clear that the Cavaliers simply lacked the talent to truly be competitive especially after losing Anderson Varejao to a fractured wrist midway through the season. The team also made a move for the future by dealing Ramon Sessions to the Lakers for a first-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

That left players like Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, and Alonzo Gee to shoulder the load as Irving also missed a chunk of time late in the season due to injury. With Jamison's outrageously overpriced contract finally coming off the books, and the likelihood that the team will not pick up the almost $4.8 million team-option on Daniel Gibson's contract, Cleveland will have a ton of cap space this offseason. That provides the Cavaliers with the opportunity to be aggressive in free agency if they so choose.

2012-13 Projected Depth Chart:

C: Anderson Varejao/*Semih Erden

PF: Tristan Thompson/*Luke Harangody

SF: Omri Casspi/Luke Walton

SG: *Alonzo Gee/#Daniel Gibson

PG: Kyrie Irving/David Sloan

NBA Free Agents:

#G-Daniel Gibson (TO)

*SG-Alonzo Gee (RFA)

*C-Semih Erden (RFA)

*PF-Luke Harangody (RFA)

PF-Antawn Jamison (UFA)

SG-Anthony Parker (UFA)

PF-Samardo Samuels (UFA)

G/F-Jason Kapono (UFA)

SG-Manny Harris (UFA)

2012-13 Team Salary: Approximately $29 million

NBA Offseason Needs:

1. Wing Help: From the likes of Luke Walton and Anthony Parker to Mychal Thompson, Manny Harris, D.J. Kennedy, Ben Uzoh, and Christian Eyenga; the Cavaliers had quite the revolving door of crap trying to plug the holes at shooting guard and small forward last season. Cleveland sorely needs a wing player who can help take some of the pressure off Kyrie Irving. Expect the team to target either Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, or Harrison Barnes with its lottery pick. The Cavaliers should still look to add another proven perimeter scorer or use one of their other picks on a wing player in hopes of finding an upgrade.

2. True Center: When Anderson Varejao went down with a season-ending injury, Cleveland lacked any sort of inside presence. Guys like Semih Erden and Ryan Hollins don't even deserve to be in the league, and the teams was forced to play undersized power forwards Tristan Thompson and Samardo Samuels in the middle. Even though Varejao will be back next season, he is not a true banging, physical presence down low. The Cavaliers need to find a serviceable big body to clog up space in the paint, and preferably not one named Erden or Hollins.

3. Veteran Point Guard: Since dealing Ramon Sessions, Cleveland has had a void behind Kyrie Irving at point guard. Ideally, finding a veteran who can play 12-15 minutes a night if needed while also providing some guidance to help further Irving's development would be a smart addition.

4. Patience: The worst thing management can do this offseason is blow the team's cap space by overspending on mediocre talent or acquiring expensive, long-term contracts. General Manager Chris Grant needs to stick to the script and follow the Oklahoma City Thunder blueprint of building through the draft and wisely using the Cavaliers' cap space on short-term deals for veterans who can temporarily fill-in where needed.

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2012 NBA Offseason: Cleveland Cavaliers Draft Grades, Offseason Needs, Free Agents