I think the Cavs really want MKG and every thing else is a smoke screen. We will see.

I really hope they don't trade up to #2 if it means giving up #24 and a second rounder.

After Davis there's Beal, Robinson, MKG, Barnes and Drummond. We would be bound to get one of these if we stay at #4, and quite frankly any or all of them would be a huge upgrade in an area where we have a hole.

I hope we can then package #24 with one or both second rounders and move back up as far as we can get to take a second player at a difrferent area of need, depending on who we take with the #4 pick.

That's how I want to see it go down.

There's been talk that we could package AV with some picks to get back into the top 10. I'd think about that as long as we picked his replacement with one of the top 2 picks. It might be a draft day decision once we see who's available.

Unfortunately I think all the issues are a product of not taking Jonas last year. If we had our center we could simply wait to see if its Beal, MKG or TR that fell to us....but since we don't want TR, which I think is a mistake, we are worried about losing out in total.

Me, I would tell Bobcats to pick Beal for us and we will trade either TR and #33 or MKG and #24 to them, dependent on who the Wiz take. I would take back some contract but would only take Thomas if we were trading Andy

I would dump Andy now too. We are much better with him, but we should be in full blown rebuild mode. Figuring a way to Drummond would be a nice add on or getting Beal and Barnes would eb good too. If we had no center that might be enticing to Oden, who I would definitely take a flyer on. 4 year contract with a minimum $1 mill a year, incentives with play time.

I know nothing about college basketball or the draft eligible players so I've been relying on you guys as my experts. I have learned the names, sort of, of the players who the Cavs might draft. There was a guy named Beal and a guy with 3 initials, MKG, or something, or maybe Barnes. And a tall fellow Drummond who could be good. So where did this fellow they draft come from? Did I ever hear any of you talk about Walters?

Here's what some nonexperts posted on a blog :

Dion Walters vs Bradley Beal

Yes, Dion is a little shorter but I watched this guy and he looks better than Beal. So why is Beal being held higher in regard? Dion looks like an actual NBA star.

as for waiters, he has a bunch of holes in his game (namely his shooting) and his size isnt great, but i think he can be the best slasher, finisher and playmaker with the best combo guard ability out of this group of 2's.

At 6-2.5 he is shorter than Sam Cassell. Just think about Cassell having to guard other shooting guards. Cleveland will not draft this guy, he simply does not fit.

as far as waiters' height goes i dont think it'll be a huge disadvantage. he's a slasher and he'll still have the strength, athleticism and creativity to finish. where his height would come into play is in shot contests on both ends of the floor. will he be able to contest shots effectively and will his shots from the outside be effected more by bigger guards?

civ ollilavad wrote:I know nothing about college basketball or the draft eligible players so I've been relying on you guys as my experts. I have learned the names, sort of, of the players who the Cavs might draft. There was a guy named Beal and a guy with 3 initials, MKG, or something, or maybe Barnes. And a tall fellow Drummond who could be good. So where did this fellow they draft come from? Did I ever hear any of you talk about Walters?

I saw the first Waiters-to-Cavs rumors about 24 hours ago. They must have seen something they really, really liked--and I'm pretty sure they didn't see it in his last college game.

He's an OK player--good defense and athleticism--but not the sort of production you expect to see out of a shooting guard picked this high, besides which he's kinda short. This is like when the Bulls drafted Ben Gordon real high (another short shooting guard out of the Big East), and while Gordon has been a good pro, he's never been a championship cornerstone.

This is the first thing the Cavs have done since The Decision where I suspect most of the fans are going to be grumbly. If neither Thompson nor Waiters develop into stars, it's going to be update-the-resume time for the GM.

I have now learned two things about this guy: The name is WaIters, not WaLters (as in Granville Waiters for oldtimers like me and most of us here in the Forum will recall from OSU and I think briefly the Cavs) and he's really really short, not even 3 inches taller than me. We;ve had luck with some shooting guards in first rounds in ages past like Chuckie Williams, or Chuckie Something Else. Maybe WaIters will be better than that. But I know that he neither went to high school with Irving nor did he play on some other team with Irving unlike the guys we were going to pick.

So we could have taken Barnes and see lots of mock drafts had him our choice. Why not? Experts please explain.

Leave it to Grant to go the road less travelled.

The closest NBA comparison for Waiters is Dwayne Wade with a shorter wing span. He's 6'4 and a very strong 215-220 lbs. He may be the best pure scorer in the draft according to some draft analysts. Very good ball handler and a vary quick first step, he can get to the rim, he can create his own shot, and he can knock down the jumper.

Then the Cavs trade the rest of their draft for the surest thing at center (outside A. Davis) in Zeller. A true 7 footer who can run the floor, score in the paint and around the key, and play defense.

Would I have run the draft this way? No.

But I can only trust that Grant knows what he's doing and hope these guys all pan out.

Evidently the Cavs think Barnes sucks.

Beal cleaned his cage in their shared workout for the Cavs.

They tried to get Beal and when they couldn't they took the next best SG in Waiters.

That's a lot to give up to move up 7 spots, but I figured the Cavs would deal at least one of those picks. And if Zeller winds up as a starter, the trade is a bargain. I like him OK; I figured 17 was about where he deserved to go.

Charlie T. wrote:That's a lot to give up to move up 7 spots, but I figured the Cavs would deal at least one of those picks. And if Zeller winds up as a starter, the trade is a bargain. I like him OK; I figured 17 was about where he deserved to go.

What's a lot? 2 second round picks plus the 24?

The 2 second rounders would be D-leaguers at best.

Basically moving up for next to nothing. The Cavs weren't going to bring 4 rookies to training camp.

Here's some predraft dialgue between FORD and SIMMONS about WAITERS

I think Dion Waiters is the one guy who can do that [drive to the hole] in this draft, so that's my pick for them. If all of the guards played one-on-one in a tournament, I think Waiters would come out on top. I know Waiters is difficult to deal with sometimes, and I know he needs a better jumper, but there aren't many players in the NBA that can get to the rim against anybody. He could be one of those guys. Only one thing worries me: You're basically spending a top-eight on someone whose ceiling on a contending team might be "a totally devastating scorer off the bench who can carry your offense for seven-minute spurts." He's kind of like Tyreke Evans in this respect — someone who's overqualified to be a sixth man … but really, that's how you'd ultimately win if he was playing for your team. Which is fine, I guess. Everyone needs pieces, and he's a piece. He's just not one of THE pieces. FORD: Maybe. I think a lot see him as more of a sixth-man scorer off the bench. But there's a little Dwyane Wade in his game, Bill. Right team, right coach that lets him go crazy … he can be a better Monta Ellis.

As far as I am concerned Grant can be fired right now, not wait a single second more.

Here is what we could have had over the last 2 years: Kyrie, Jonas, Robinson, JonesIII, Crowder and BJames. A PG, a C, and PF plus 3 good ig not potentially great bench players.

What we got was Kyrie, Zeller, TT and Waiters. Not even close. Four picks this year and all we got was 2 serviceable players.

How does Grant do that. We draft Waiters at 4 when he doesn't try out, won't be able to guard the #2 slot becaus of his size, and get forced into a trade because Grant failed to pick a center last year when he had all the chance in the world.

Plus, last year we knew there would be a ton of PF in the 2012 draft. There was no need to pick TT. And this year we force a pick of Waiters, at SG, when there are a number of quality SGs in FA.
No foresight at all.

Fire Grant is the only solution....he by the way is the same guy who pushed for Eyeanga over Young and Blair, and the same guy who pushed for Marvin Williams over Chris Paul. He's a guy who thinks too much of his own opinion. Time to go, and now its time for Gilbert to go on the hotseat, because of letting this lunacy go on.

Take away the Mo Williams trade, which resulted in a lucky lottery ball, he would grade out as a flat F.