The Cavaliers‘ last couple drafts have been fairly guard-heavy, with Collin Sexton joining the team in 2018 and Darius Garland becoming a Cav in 2019. However, general manager Koby Altman suggested today that the club isn’t ruling out the possibility of adding another backcourt piece with the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“We’re going to take the best talent,” Altman said. “We like where we are at — No. 5. We’re going to get a really good player.”
Although Altman’s comments suggest another guard is in play, Fedor believes the club is much more likely to take a wing or a big man.
Sources tell Cleveland.com that the Cavs’ top tier consists of LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Anthony Edwards, in some order. Assuming those three players are off the board at No. 5, Tyrese Haliburton or Killian Hayes would be the best guard available, and the team is unlikely to view either of those players as definitively better than the backcourt options already on the roster, says Fedor.
Here’s more on the Cavaliers:
- The Cavs are extremely high on 2019 first-rounder Kevin Porter Jr., according to Fedor, who hears that the former USC wing is at “at the top of Cleveland’s young player hierarchy.” The organization has been so averse to the idea of moving Porter that rival teams won’t even ask about him in trade talks anymore, Fedor adds.
- Cleveland also remains “all-in” on Collin Sexton, viewing him as one of their leaders and hardest-working players, says Fedor.
- Altman said on Friday that one of the Cavs’ offseason goals is to improve on defense and that the front office is considering how best to do that. “Whether that be adding personnel there, or internally, schematically, we know we need to look ourselves in the mirror and get better on that end,” Altman said, per Fedor. “… It’s not going to happen all at once. We’re not going to go from (30th) in the league to top five, but we need to see steady growth on that side of the ball. And I think the guys realize that and we need to hold them more accountable and do it that way. But ourselves as a front office, does that mean we need better personnel on that side of the ball or different pieces to help some of our guys? We’re looking at (that).”
- While Andre Drummond isn’t attending the Cavs’ in-market mini-camp due to a personal matter, the club has stayed in frequent contact with him and isn’t concerned about his absence, according to Fedor. Altman said today that he doesn’t know whether Drummond will pick up his 2020/21 player option, though I’d be shocked if he opts out. A source confirmed to Fedor that Drummond is “highly likely” to exercise that $28.75MM option.
- In case you missed it, Altman also said today that there’s mutual interest in a new deal between the Cavs and Tristan Thompson.
Drafting the “best available talent” over need is foolish. Drafting is such a subjective event anyway, you could have 150 lists and each of them be different. Reaching for a guy ranked #20 at pick #5 is not a great idea, but taking a guy ranked #8 at pick #5 that plays a position of need for you is a lot better than taking someone else that will require another move. Collecting guards is great if you like basketball cards or fantasy teams, but in real life you need 5 players that are fairly different from one another to form a cohesive basketball team.
I’d argue the opposite; drafting for need over the best player available is foolish. There’s too much that can change — injuries, decline, etc. — that can impact team needs. If your organization has determined that a certain player is definitively better than anyone else available, you take him and worry about the fit later. (Pretty much the only exception is a quarterback.) And obviously the guy that plays the position you need could become a bust too.
One of my favorite examples is when the Mariners had a top pick in 2005 and really needed a catcher, so they picked Jeff Clement. All you have to do is look at the rest of the first round that year to realize how stupid that was.
There’s a difference between trying to upgrade a certain side of the ball and limiting yourself to a need at one specific position, but in general it’s smart to keep your options as open as possible.
Baseball and basketball are two different animals. The drafts in those two sports are significantly different. MLB draftees are not expected to immediately help the big league roster and in most cases aren’t expected to help for several years, so drafting for need is useless because you don’t know what you will need in three years. But basketball draftees are usually on the main roster immediately and in the case of high draftees, they are usually immediately inserted into the prime playing rotation immediately. Therefore, drafting for need in the NBA makes far more sense. The NFL is the same way.
Depends on where you stand in terms of long-term plans and if you have a superstar already at that position
True. But I don’t think any NBA team actually drafts that way. The “best available” rhetoric comes from a different sport in a different era. It survives as the best thing to say prior to a draft not to tip your hand. Though, teams don’t really draft strictly on need either, at least no FO type would ever use that word. Since the 1990s, I think most if not all teams divide players into tiers talent wise, and generally won’t draft a player in a lower tier above one in a higher. But within a tier draft, it’s based on fit, which is a bit more flexible concept than need. Presumably, what type of team you have and draft position inform this. For a contending team (GSW), fit might be pretty close to need. For a rebuilding team like Cleveland, the guy they take #5 is probably a fit as long as he can develop alongside the development of their other young talents.
Go 2-3 Heat zone. FT line: Okoro, Love, Osman, Nance.
Corners: Porter, Garland, Sexton. Center: Drummond.
Not sure about some others… Delly, McKinney, the whole idea!
I’m not going to assume KLove can’t do it. Indeed he may be better off, in the middle of the action not hidden, and not having to switch from the bigger player.
The young guards will definitely be better off, running half the baseline, starting the break quickly by rebounding themselves.
What’s to lose?— assuming they draft Okoro.
Wiseman could fall; that would be best since I doubt Drummond will want to stay.
Cavs should offer at Crowder if they want to win.
People probably doubt Cavs can do anything at all. Whatever they’re doing is not working.
They could get Ball if they wanted to get him. Offer a 2nd rounder in 2021 draft and their #5 pick for GSW #2. Put a protection on the 2nd rounder that if its a top 5 pick in the second round they push it back until 2022.
There is ABSOLUTELY no way you are moving up from 5 to 2 for nothing but a protected 2nd round pick. You might get it to offer a top 8 protected 1st round pick in 21. It cost the Mavs an extra 1st to move from 5 to 3 for Doncic. I get that this draft is considered weak, but these picks still have value.
Yea… 2 1sts is the only way to move up.
I’d guess they trade Sexton. And I would like it to be to the Sixers for Zhaire and the Thunder 1st. But well see. Maybe someone else would offer them a better 1st. But they could use it as part of a trade, maybe move up for Ball.
Just seems like they’d go with Garland and KPJ.
Did you read the article at all? It specifically says the Cavs are all in on Sexton
That could be blowing smoke. All in until blown away by an offer… which Zhaire & a low first is not. Neither is moving up four slots, albeit crucial slots.
I don’t even think Zhaire has that much value at this point.He was drafted by Brett Brown,and then was never used by Brett Brown.Even Shayok got on the floor before he did last year,and he was a late 2nd Rd pick.