I have been tracking players and this is an incredibly weak draft for what the Cavaliers needs are namely SG/swingman and C. Other than Z the Cavaliers dont have a big man on the roster over 6'10 (sorry Lorenzo Wright you really dont count). Other than James there is no rotation wing other than James over 6'3 except for Pavlovic and Szczerbiak and they will not be here in 2 years.
I know that the very preliminary draft prep of the Cavaliers is targeting big men.
The Cavaliers will very likely be picking in the bottom 3-4 in the first round and the players that fit the Cavaliers wont get a sniff of.
Also, remember that there is no more NBA Pre-draft camp. Players will get measured and tested but no games will be played.
Centers:
Cole Aldrich
Ht: 6'11
Wt: 245
Kansas - Sophomore
I think he is the best big man fit for the Cavaliers. He has good hands, good feet, rebounds, blocks shots, improving post game and despite a very funky form a good shooter from 15-18 feet. Unlike a lot of young big men he doesnt turn the ball over a lot and makes free throws. He is a good but not great athlete and needs to get stronger like most college sophomores along with finishing inside moves with more strength.
No guarantee he comes out but if he declares he will rise way out of the Cavaliers reach.
Jerome Jordan
Ht: 7'0
Wt: 225
Tulsa - Junior
I have not seen him as a junior yet but I saw him last year. He is long and very athletic. Good shotblocker whose defense is ahead of his offense. He has a nice baseline spin move and a nice jump hook that I understand is getting better. He runs well but needs to get stronger Numbers have not jumped as expected and you wonder why he isnt playing more as a cannon fodder for Memphis C-USA school. Blake Griffin destroyed him earlier this year but supposedly is starting to pick up the production.
He is the type of guy that even if he doesnt blossom this year will rise out of the Cavaliers reach during workouts.
Ive only mentioned 2 guys since BJ Mullens and Hasheem Thabeet wont fall out of the top 20 if they come out and Greg Monroe is top 5. Mullens might since he hasnt been productive at OSU yet but the dearth of big men pretty much excludes him falling too far. Ive seen Oregon's Michael Dunigan and he is more raw and immature than JJ Hickson. Wake Forest's Tony Woods cant get on the floor as much as Mullens at the moment.
That pretty much leaves Andrew Ogilvy who is a mid-to-late first round talent but I question his ability to rebound, his athleticism and whether he will be able to defend well enough to ever be more than a backup C despite his nice set of offensive skills.
Shooting Guards/Swingmen:
Evan Turner
Ht: 6'7
Wt: 205
Sophomore - Ohio State
The word is getting out about Evan Turner. He is one of the more versatile wings in college basketball. He can guard multiple positions, handle the ball and create. He is very good from the midrange in. People are already bringing up the Poor Man's Brandon Roy comparisons. Turner needs to improve his range greatly to be an NBA wing as well as value the ball better. Right now he is turnover prone. He needs to get stronger to be able to finish inside which is the strength of his game.
He would be great in the Cavaliers system but he is another guy that if he declares will wind up going lottery top 20 at worst.
Scotty Hopson
Ht: 6'7
Wt: 185
Freshman - Tennessee
I really like Hopson's skill set. He is long armed and a very good athlete with good explosion and great range. Think JR Smith without the Wanksta. He has been a role player so far as a freshman and needs to improve in a bunch of areas; ballhandling, midrange game, strength, passing and defense but the ability to improve is there.
Hopson would be a complete upside pick. He is 2 years of rapid growth at the very least from contributing to an NBA team.
James Anderson
Ht: 6'6
Wt: 195
Sophomore - Oklahoma State
Got a chance to see Anderson recently and he is a pretty good athlete with a nice wingspan. He can really shoot the ball with range and isnt a bad defender for a young player. Right now he is a cacth and shoot guy meaning that he needs to improve his ballhandling so he can contribute more than just scoring. Doesnt give you much else except for rebounding right now.
He can shoot with range, rebound and has the tools to defense. Those 3 things make attractive to the Cavaliers. Will probably stay in school but could be there with the Bulls pick if he comes out.
Paul George
Ht: 6'7
Wt: 185
Freshman - Fresno State
My sleeper. This guy is way off the reservation. He isnt even in the Draft Express database, Chad Ford has 69 wings in his rankings and George isnt listed. nbadraft.net finally had a blurb on him this past week. I saw George play at the very beginning of the season against St. Mary's who has Australian Olympian Patrick Mills. George has that classic highlight reel SG explosion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uXmDwm8UJY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFGl1_WjPMQ
Following his numbers his shooting is hard to ignore. Most athletes like him cant shoot. George is shooting 54% from the field and 46% from three taking over 4 per game. His team is a pretty mediocre mid-major team in a conference not known for defense. He has played in my mind 4 teams that are worth something. Against Oregon State, the only team from a major conference but a bad one, George really struggled going 2-9 for 6 points and no rebounds. However, he has played against 3 quality tournament quality mid-major schools; St. Mary's, Creighton and UNLV. Against St. Mary's he had 25-10 on 9-16 shooting. Against UNLV he had 24-5 on 10-16 shooting and against Creighton 21-7 on 6-11 shooting. George needs to improve his ballhandling and develop a midrange game along with getting stronger and probably learn how to defend.
James Harden will be a lottery pick. DeMar DeRozan has holes in his game big enough to drive a semi through and would still be off the board by the time the Cavaliers pick. Wayne Ellington isnt big enough to offset his questionable ballhandling, defense, athleticism and just a pretty good jumpshot. Chase Budinger has seemingly platuead but he would be a value pick where the Cavaliers would be. Manny Harris can score but cant shoot a lick. Greivis Vasquez cant shoot. Gerald Henderson is a smarter and more skilled Dahntay Jones but he cant really score either. Tyreke Evans has tunnel vision and cant shoot. Terrance Williams is a big athlete that can get to the basket but is also cant shoot and seemingly doesnt know he cant by the shots he takes
There will be probably be a group of undervalued guys that will be left on the board in the range when the Cavaliers pick in the first and second round but arent great fits or need fillers right now.
Damion James SF/PF - Texas,
Tyler Smith SF/PF - Tennessee,
Sam Young SF - Pitt,
Danny Greene SG/SF - UNC,
Josh Heytvelt PF - Gonzaga
If
Willie Warren PG/SG - Oklahoma or
Patrick Patterson PF - Kentucky are somehow there when the Cavaliers pick you take them on talent alone.
I havent seen any international players other than watching youtube clips of
Giorgi Shermadini who has just now joined a high level team in Europe Panathinaikos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-KCL9PKVIc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efc5BjL0wG4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3owa5E_a-9s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g84lzOhYF2w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRhhpBlK-8k