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Can Danny Ferry Bring the Goods on June 28? – 6-16-08
A crafty pick in this year’s draft could do wonders for the Cavs
With the Boston Celtics on the cusp of an NBA championship – the first 22 years – Cavs fans should be encouraged but disappointed at the same time. Encouraged that their team gave the eventual champs their best series, going toe-to-toe, with just a few missed buckets away from knocking them out. Disappointed that had those said buckets dropped, the Cavs may be up 3-2 on L.A.
Maybe the Cavs weren’t as bad of a team as many have written them off as. Maybe the trade did work – they just simply got a bad draw when it came playoff time.
Of course the trade speculation has been in full swing though, swearing off and throwing anyone and everyone (except for The King of course) out as trade bait. The truth is they are a just a few pieces away. An above average point guard would be nice – but that doesn’t mean parting with Daniel Gibson or Delonte West. Some help in the front court would be a plus – but is this team ready to move Anderson Varejao? And somewhere in this, Danny Ferry has heard over and over he has to find LeBron’s “Pippen” or his “Robin.”
What really would be a boost at this point would be a nice pick with the 19th pick in the draft on June 28. Nothing spectacular, just a nice pick that may have slipped under the radar. Ferry does his homework and the Cavaliers get a guy that slides in nicely into the rotation.
Let’s face it – despite LeBron James, the draft has been a complete disaster this century. Some wore out their welcome. Some never had a chance to play in Cleveland and have since turned into impact players.
2000: Jamal Crawford – traded on the day of the draft for Chris Mihm. Yep, Chris Mihm. If that isn’t enough, the following year in 2001, they drafted DeSagana Diop and Brendan Haywood. Haywood was traded for Michael Doleac, because evidently Mihm wasn’t getting it done. Diop was apparently more favored than Haywood, who has become a solid post player for the Wizards.
In 2002, the Cavs got Carlos Boozer to cleanup the mistakes that were Diop, Doleac and Mihm. They did, but we all know the end of that story. From 2002-2006 guards Dajuan Wagner, Jason Kapono, Luke Jackson, and Shannon Brown were supposed to be the sharp-shooters that LeBron could dish it out to, but it didn’t pan out for any of them. Gibson has been as solid a second-round pick as they could’ve hoped for to this point, but it seems every time a trade rumor surfaces, his name is in the mix.
And with the draft less than two weeks away, many are predicting they’ll take Kosta Koufos. Many may be excited to hear this. He’s a hometown boy, who played at Ohio State.
He has a lot of upside. He’s seven-feet-tall and he can score. But he is also regarded as a project, and the Cavs may not have time for another “project.” He still has a lot to work on - his rebounding and overall defense leaves much to be desired. He is considered a young Zydrunas Ilgauskus, but do they really need another Z? More importantly, are they ready to wait a few years to see what this guy can bring to the table while LeBron’s free agency creeps up in two years?
Ideally, it would be great to get a guy who can make an immediate impact. I have no suggestions myself, but that’s Ferry’s job. Again, not a spectacular impact, but a nice boost to a lineup that was close to advancing past the mighty Boston Celtics would be better than the list of draft blunders from the last eight years.