Twitter fights, Cavaliers and Buckeyes basketball – WFNY Podcast – 2015-02-17
February 18, 2015Celebrate the Indians’ Pitchers and Catchers Reporting
February 18, 2015Thursday is the NBA trade deadline. And while the Cleveland Cavaliers will be thinking of small deals on the fringes of their roster, it’s also fun to consider possible upgrades during the coming summer.
As I discussed last month, a Brendan Haywood trade is much more palatable this season than during the offseason because of the tax consequences. The Cavs aren’t likely to have much cap room for a long time to come. But remember the NBA Draft?
Chad Ford’s latest 2015 NBA mock draft at ESPN has the Cavs selecting Utah point guard Delon Wright with the No. 21 pick. Here’s Ford’s write-up on the pick:
Matthew Dellavedova isn’t the answer as a backup point guard in Cleveland, so the Cavs will look to upgrade this summer. While a rookie is never ideal on a team that’s a championship contender, Wright is a senior and is one of the more NBA-ready prospects in the draft. He isn’t a great shooter, but he’s a terrific penetrator and distributor who could allow Kyrie Irving to play off the ball at times.
Wright, a 6-foot-5 senior who turns 23 in late April, has been a standout for Larry Krystkowiak’s Utes the past two seasons. In 57 games, he’s averaged 15.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 blocks, 2.4 steals and 2.2 turnovers per game. He’s a do-it-all guard who has emerged as a sleeper National Player of the Year candidate for one of the nation’s most surprising teams.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had a good article on Wright’s strengths and weaknesses back in September. Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports pointed out that Wright has struggled a bit against top-tier defenders in the Pac-12. But he’s still a fascinating talent that could fit the Cavaliers well because of his size, versatility and potential to contribute immediately.
As a reminder, the Chicago Bulls own the right to swap picks with the Cavs during this draft. So that’s why the Bulls are at No. 19 in Ford’s mock draft despite the better record. Because the Cavs traded away their 2016 first-rounder(s) in multiple other trades, they’re unable to trade away this selection until making it in June.
Other potential fits possibly available late in the first round include: Utah center Jakob Poetl, Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant, Duke guard Tyus Jones, Kentucky center Dakari Johnson. It should be fun — but not as much fun as the last few years — to keep an eye on some of these players down the stretch of the college basketball season.
6 Comments
I wonder how much weight the Cavs analytic team has on draft prospects. I would think that such an older player would get bumped down quite a bit on many boards. I mean he is 1 month younger than Kyrie.
I like the idea of a bigger penetrating PG though.
In a future related news story…..
The Cavaliers have traded first round draft selection Delon Wright to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins.
It is being reported that Wiggins became increasingly frustrated with the Timberwolves organization who failed to build around him.
If the Cavs need one thing, it’s definitely another player with the initials D.W.
we could also acquire Derrick Williams on the cheap
6’5″ !
Forget the Cavs, can the Browns draft him at WR?
Because if you don’t create a mock draft by the all-star break, someone else might. And then you’d look all tardy to the party, irrelevant, or worst of all … borrring.