# 1 Overall Pick - Cleveland Cavaliers

via Erik Drost on Flickr

What I’d Do

Joel Embiid - Kansas

7’0” (7’5” Wingspan), 240 lbs, 03/16/1994 (20 years old)

Cleveland again?!?  Forget about the Lebron aftermath.  During Kyrie’s ROY campaign just two seasons ago this team was a contender for the must watch League Pass team.  Kyrie was lighting it up; playing like a young Tony Parker who could shoot from anywhere.  The team was still bad, but it had all kinds of promise.  We all know what happened next.  The Cavs drafted Dion Waiters over guys like Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Terrence Ross, and Damian Lillard.  

That didn’t go so well, but the Cavs were rewarded with the number one pick once again.  Now we can talk about the disappointing season that Anthony Bennett had last season, but take a look at that draft.  Bennett had a rough start to his career (shoulder injury, out of shape, immediate loss of confidence, serious lack of minutes for a # 1 pick), but I’m not sold yet that Anthony Bennett can’t be a solid starter on a very good team years down the road.  Regardless though, the Cavs shocked the world by winning the lottery yet again this year and although many NBA fans might be suffering from ‘winning-the-lottery-fatigue’, Cleveland fans should be ecstatic.

Here’s where Mitchell would make the ‘bad ownership’ argument, and let’s face it, he’s right.  Bad ownership can cause all sorts of problems, especially when they don’t realize they’re a bad owner.  That sounds like the Cavs situation to a T.  However, David Griffin takes over as GM this year and with the right moves, and lack of ownership interference, Cleveland could once again be a League Pass must watch this year.

With the number one pick, though, comes the pressure to get it right.  Even more so for this team after Anthony Bennett’s rookie season.  The consensus is building: Joel Embiid has the best chance to be a franchise player in this draft (obligatory back injury caveat here).  Chad Ford did him a disservice by comparing him to a young Akeem Olajuwon.  Chad knew better.  He can make his case that he only meant ‘at that stage in their development’, but he knew the impact of  throwing that name out there.  The Tim Duncan comparisons have come too.  Again,  not fair.

For comparison, I like to start with size.  It’s the most measureable, and objective comparison we can make with these prospects.  Joel Embiid has the body of Javale McGee.  Legit 7’0” with a 7’5” wingspan and light of foot enough (240lbs, but will likely need to bulk up a bit to defend in the post) to have similar (if not better) mobility.  Embiid will likely be every bit as dangerous as McGee is in transition.  Expect the Kyrie to Embiid lob to be a staple in the Top 10 plays next season.  

Embiid is a former volleyball and soccer player that is still learning the game of basketball.  He will be a project.  His size, agility, and surprising skill will allow him to succeed early, but it will take him some time to understand the NBA game, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  With his size and agility, he could develop into a Joakim Noah-like defender.  

On offense, well, let’s just say he may be in the running to lead the league in turnovers.  He’s still learning the sport.  His post game is raw and he’s not good at recognizing what the defense is doing.  He has touch though, and his first step could be lethal against 7 footers in the league.

Whether they go Embiid, Wiggins, or Parker maybe the most important off-season decision for this team is who they hire as coach to develop these young players.  It’s rumored they made quite the offer to Calipari, but the well-respected Terry Pluto is making the case for David Blatt to bring his international style. Blatt, a former head coach of the Israeli and Russian National teams recently won the EuroLeague with Maccabi Tel Aviv.  As is always the case, the rest of the league is always trying to mimic the champs.  With this move, David Griffin would be looking to move towards the up-tempo, offensive style that values shooting and passing.  First though, you need the big man in the middle.

What I Think They Will Do

At this point, they are probably too scared not to pick Embiid. The only way I see Cleveland passing on him is if there is some bad news about the back issue. Embiid’s camp has been very quiet about it, and I don’t expect that to change.  This may all be sorted out today, when Embiid visits Cleveland and will reportedly undergo a medical evaluation as well as work out.

Centers with his potential just don’t come along that often.  It may duplicate some of the parts on this team, but all that stuff will be sorted in a couple years.

Crazy Draft Day Trade

Maybe the pressure of drafting first again is too much for Cleveland and they want to slide down out of the spotlight.  If they could convince the 76ers to swap # 3 and # 10 for # 1, they stay in the tier of the top three, and can add another lottery pick.  The 76ers would trot out the rookie frontline of Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel, spacing be damned.  Wiggins might be the most natural positional fit with the currently constituted Cavs roster and with the 10 pick they could find Dion Waiters’s eventual replacement in Nik Stauskus or Rodney Hood, either of which would fit better alongside Kyrie than Dion does.