The Cavaliers Conundrum

The Cleveland Cavaliers haven't been on the map since he-who-shall-not-be-named (HWSNBN) left Ohio. Now they're on stage. Maybe not front and center, but at least they're on the stage. They've just hired a new coach from oversees WITH an assistant who was one of the final two on their list. They have the number one pick in the draft coming up on Thursday. HWSNBN has opted out of his contract and Cleveland is on the list of teams who could potentially land him. Lots of excitement is happening in the forest city.

The current roster consists of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Anthony Bennett, Alonzo Gee, Tyler Zeller, Jarrett Jack, Matthew Dellavedova, Sergey Karasev, Carrick Felix, and Scotty Hopson. There are three players who will be free agents on July 1st: Spencer Hawes, Luol Deng, and C.J Miles. Having seen C.J for years in Utah, please let him go. Deng is probably not going to come back. Hawes may be coming back, depending on what else the Cavs do in the upcoming weeks. He was a good fit last year, especially with the injury woes the Cavs had.

Irving will be the untouchable asset for them. They'll want to keep Thompson, Bennett, and Varejao but nobody else is untouchable. Waiters is probably first off the table, which is sad because I think he's really underrated. However, if you can't play with the star on your team, you're most likely asking for a ticket out. Jack, Zeller, and Karasev could be additional trade pieces.

The Draft

Much to the country's dismay, the Cavs own (once again) the number one pick in this year's draft. Joel Embiid was the consensus pick until his medical results came out. A big having back and leg problems is not a great choice at #1. Since the top three picks are on a different level than the rest of the players, this means the Cavs will take either Jabaari Parker or Andrew Wiggins.

Over the course of the last couple weeks, Parker and Wiggins have come in to workout for the Cavs. Parker had a poor workout and, what's more concerning, doesn't seem to want to play in Cleveland. Wiggins had a really good workout and has voiced his enthusiasm to play for the Cavaliers. Sources coming out of Cleveland say that the decision-makers had a meeting to only discuss these two players. If they take anyone else, it will have been a failed draft.

I would take either Wiggins or Parker, but Parker will be the better player. Most have Wiggins not becoming a perennial all-star like Parker. Parker is also more NBA-ready out of the gate. He's got a better NBA frame, can score, and is more complete. He's not as athletic as Wiggins, but he's still very athletic.

I guess I'm torn on who to take. With Parker there, unless HWSNBN returns to Cleveland, it doesn't sound like he would stay past his initial contract. If that's the case, I think I'd lean towards taking Wiggins even though I prefer Parker. Again, anyone else would be a mistake.

Another option the Cavs have is to trade this pick to get another veteran. Not a bad option. Depending on the veteran, though, it may not be a great move since you don't get a potential superstar in Wiggins or Parker, unless Embiid turns out to be healthy. The Jazz have Derrick Favors and possibly Alec Burks, along with the 5th and potentially 23rd pick, to jump up and get the LDS Parker. Sixers are offering Thaddeus Young. I like Burks, but neither Favors or Young would be a good enough package for me to trade down. Kevin Love isn't really on the table, but maybe he should be.

Free Agency

After the draft comes free agency. Obviously HWSNBN and Melo own the headlines. The biggest determinant in the Heat staying together are Bosh and Wade, particularly Wade. If he ops in or opts out and demands a max contract, that will spell trouble for the Heat's roster.

There are some other interesting names out there: Lance Stephenson, Danny Granger, Pau Gasol, Thabo Sefolosha, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza, Kirk Hinrich, and Avery Bradley. None of these names jump out at you, but would provide an upgrade in most positions. The Cavs will need to upgrade their roster, preferably with another superstar, if they want to attract either of the two superstars on this list. It's at a time like this where the Cavs should hire Browns GM Ray Farmer.

Argument for Getting LeBron James

Okay, so I'm not the biggest LBJ fan. Many Clevelanders can attest to that. However, if he decided to come back to Cleveland to bring us some championships, I think that counts as repentance. It will take a lot to get him back, though. I don't think it's gonna happen but crazier things have happened.

The Cavs have a superstar in Irving, and he plays a position that fits with James. Since the NBA is all about big threes now, Cleveland would need to get another star at power forward or center. Adding Wiggins or Parker as a wing would give Cleveland a potential superstar for less money, at least for the duration of the contract. But throw James in with a Kevin Love or maybe a Pau Gasol, and that team becomes the favorite to win the east. Dan Gilbert would also have to offer a really great apology. As long as he's the owner, I don't think James comes back to Cleveland.

Whatever happens this week should be exciting. It's hard to put a lot of faith into this organization, though, until they start producing better results.