Here's our analysis of the first five picks in the 2011 NBA Draft:
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke:
This was the safe pick for the Cavaliers. Irving is not an athlete at point guard like Derrick Rose or John Wall, but he's very good off the dribble, gets into the paint with ease and scores in a variety of ways close to the basket. Last season he missed 26 games at Duke because of an injured toe.
Cavaliers' fans shouldn't expect another LeBron James, but Kyrie Irving is a potential All-Star in this league and the Cavaliers can build a team around him. Baron Davis is now expendable, so he might be traded.
No. 2 Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona:
I have to congratulate the Timberwolves for drafting Derrick Williams even though he doesn't solve any of their needs. Teams should always take the best player available. Williams is a small forward, is really athletic, can dribble and can shoot. Ten years from now Williams may be looked upon as the best player in this draft.
This is a good pick, he is a bit redundant because the Timberwolves already have Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson, both small forwards, but Williams has a chance to be better than both of them. It will be interesting to see how the Timberwolves deal with this logjam.
No. 3 Utah Jazz - Enes Kanter, C/PF, Turkey:
The Jazz did the right thing by selecting Kanter over Brandon Knight. Kanter is by far the third best player in this draft; he can score in the paint and from 15-18 feet from the basket. Kanter hasn't played competitively in over a year, but he's young and strong and there's room for improvement.
This selection creates a crowded frontcourt for the Jazz. Paul Millsap may be expendable with Derrick Favors being the future at power forward. This is good pick for the Jazz; it is s safe pick because he was the best player available at the time.
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers - Tristan Thompson, PF, Texas
This was the first real surprise of the draft. Thompson was solid, but not great in his freshman season at Texas. Thompson has a lot of potential but the Cavaliers could've traded down and gotten him a bit later. Considering that Kanter was off the board, the Cavaliers clearly went for the best big man left.
Thompson is a power forward, just like J.J. Hickson, whom the Cavaliers dubbed the future when they refused to trade him for Amar'e Stoudemire a few years ago. It may take a few years for Thompson to truly be ready to contribute, but he may pay dividends down the road.
No. 5 Toronto Raptors - Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania
Valanciunas is long, athletic and he can rebound well, he is a versatile big man who likes playing facing the basket. I don't understand why the Raptors didn't take Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker when they clearly need a point guard, but Valanciunas is very talented.
There's talk that Valanciunas may not be fully committed to playing in the NBA next season. If he does play next season he will be a steal because he makes the Raptors bigger and longer in the middle, which are attributes that they need.
If you like Sports Betting, remember that the 2011-12 NBA season is scheduled to get underway on Christmas Day and that it will be a shortened, 66-game regular season.
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke:
This was the safe pick for the Cavaliers. Irving is not an athlete at point guard like Derrick Rose or John Wall, but he's very good off the dribble, gets into the paint with ease and scores in a variety of ways close to the basket. Last season he missed 26 games at Duke because of an injured toe.
Cavaliers' fans shouldn't expect another LeBron James, but Kyrie Irving is a potential All-Star in this league and the Cavaliers can build a team around him. Baron Davis is now expendable, so he might be traded.
No. 2 Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona:
I have to congratulate the Timberwolves for drafting Derrick Williams even though he doesn't solve any of their needs. Teams should always take the best player available. Williams is a small forward, is really athletic, can dribble and can shoot. Ten years from now Williams may be looked upon as the best player in this draft.
This is a good pick, he is a bit redundant because the Timberwolves already have Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson, both small forwards, but Williams has a chance to be better than both of them. It will be interesting to see how the Timberwolves deal with this logjam.
No. 3 Utah Jazz - Enes Kanter, C/PF, Turkey:
The Jazz did the right thing by selecting Kanter over Brandon Knight. Kanter is by far the third best player in this draft; he can score in the paint and from 15-18 feet from the basket. Kanter hasn't played competitively in over a year, but he's young and strong and there's room for improvement.
This selection creates a crowded frontcourt for the Jazz. Paul Millsap may be expendable with Derrick Favors being the future at power forward. This is good pick for the Jazz; it is s safe pick because he was the best player available at the time.
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers - Tristan Thompson, PF, Texas
This was the first real surprise of the draft. Thompson was solid, but not great in his freshman season at Texas. Thompson has a lot of potential but the Cavaliers could've traded down and gotten him a bit later. Considering that Kanter was off the board, the Cavaliers clearly went for the best big man left.
Thompson is a power forward, just like J.J. Hickson, whom the Cavaliers dubbed the future when they refused to trade him for Amar'e Stoudemire a few years ago. It may take a few years for Thompson to truly be ready to contribute, but he may pay dividends down the road.
No. 5 Toronto Raptors - Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania
Valanciunas is long, athletic and he can rebound well, he is a versatile big man who likes playing facing the basket. I don't understand why the Raptors didn't take Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker when they clearly need a point guard, but Valanciunas is very talented.
There's talk that Valanciunas may not be fully committed to playing in the NBA next season. If he does play next season he will be a steal because he makes the Raptors bigger and longer in the middle, which are attributes that they need.
If you like Sports Betting, remember that the 2011-12 NBA season is scheduled to get underway on Christmas Day and that it will be a shortened, 66-game regular season.
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