Darius Kinnard Garland

[CleveRocks]

He is an upside gamble.. we could have taken Rui, or Clarke, or PJ Washington or Cam Johnson, and been pretty certain we had a very good player, that for our immediate need. But we took Garland because we thought he might be a Kyrie like player that was being under valued in the draft.. And he might be that. We won't know until he achieves NBA conditioning, which might be a year or two down the line, if we can keep him healthy.. if he hits that mark, it was a genius move to draft him at 5..

I think in the 2020 draft we will look for a more physically ready player.. A lot of the draft board right now are guards, but I would be surprised if we don't see a SF or PF show up during the season..

 

[Ozone]

He is an upside gamble.. we could have taken Rui, or Clarke, or PJ Washington or Cam Johnson, and been pretty certain we had a very good player, that for our immediate need. But we took Garland because we thought he might be a Kyrie like player that was being under valued in the draft.. And he might be that. We won't know until he achieves NBA conditioning, which might be a year or two down the line, if we can keep him healthy.. if he hits that mark, it was a genius move to draft him at 5..

I think in the 2020 draft we will look for a more physically ready player.. A lot of the draft board right now are guards, but I would be surprised if we don't see a SF or PF show up during the season..

That is not accurate really. They drafted him based on years of scouting him in Highschool and AAU and the fact that he was a 5 star recruit with elite ball handling and court vision who went to Brentwood has a long history of winning and a family pedigree etc etc. They drafted him based on a proven history of skill against many lesser players not adults. They also drafted him on the premise that his value was widely considered higher than anyone else at 5 while they were picking , which screamed trade bait , yet after the fact they were left holding the bag as no one was willing to give up future picks or players of interest to gamble on a player coming off injury. Unfortunately the biggest selling point over other 5 stars on the board with Garland was that he shot lights out in his LA workout which the Cavs attended this summer but which he has failed to replicate in any way since the season started. He was not an upside pick at all other than a gamble since he was injured and missed most of his 1 season at Vandy. The problem is he never proved himself against pros or in college against those heading to the pro ranks, and he is struggling terribly to transition to playing against longer stronger faster defenders.

 

[Derek]

@Ozone if you would stop with your "they drafted him to trade him" argument, you might not be met with as much resistance in your Garland criticism.

I'm not giving up on him or anything, but he's clearly has a rougher start than most of us would have liked.

 

[pinoycavsfan]

For a player drafted for his shooting, he doesn't shoot particularly well. Beginning to be anxious with this pick.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Err. Garland wake up baby.

 

[ajz20]

Reality is due to injury and basically sitting out last year, he is more like a HS 19 year old going straight to the NBA then a player who has college experience. It makes a huge huge deal. Imagine how raw Sexton would have looked if he did not develop his freshmen year at Bama. People are going to have to give this kid plenty of time ...

 

[Cavatt]

We have had a tough schedule so far. He really just needs to string together a couple of good games. I bet his struggles are 90% confidence.

 

[benchplayer]

We have had a tough schedule so far. He really just needs to string together a couple of good games. I bet his struggles are 90% confidence.

I'd really like to see him go into attack mode

 

[Cavatt]

I'd really like to see him go into attack mode

Yeah I mean really it isn't much like Collin last year. "Does he know what he is doing?" It is really. "This dude is weak and needs to get stronger, and he needs to hit some shots."

 

[PIP]

Unless I’m targeting Will Purdue (AND I’M NOT) I simply don’t want my basketball players coming from Vanderbilt.....This kid looks like he started playing basketball in July.....

I remain unimpressed.....

 

[Dshuks]

I was happy he had a bit more success driving inside and scoring in the second half of this game at the very least.

 

[NMCav]

Unless I’m targeting Will Purdue (AND I’M NOT) I simply don’t want my basketball players coming from Vanderbilt.....This kid looks like he started playing basketball in July.....

I remain unimpressed.....

He did. Sat out November until July when he did solo workouts for 3 teams Cavaliers, Knicks, Lakers. Hes shown flashes just hasn't put it all together yet. You can see the court vision, you can see him get to spots to take shots. Although hes leaning heavily on the floater right now. Gotta give him time hes in a unique position that teams haven't seen before. Hes essentially a HS Senior making the jump to the NBA with almost a year of no basketball. If hes still looking scared after the All-Star Break its time to worry. Collin last year had more volume early but didn't really turn the corner until after the All-Star Break, same with Trae Young. De'Aron Fox didn't turn the corner until his 2nd season. Not every kid comes in and puts on a show right away.

 

[inliner311]

We have had a tough schedule so far. He really just needs to string together a couple of good games. I bet his struggles are 90% confidence.

I would like to see Beilein ride Garland, Sexton, and the other young guys when they are playing well. For Garland it will help his confidence. For Sexton and the other young guys, it would hopefully keep us in games longer. It doesn't help anyone's development playing 20 points down.

 

[NIkeL]

I think he's too in love with that floater, just like sexton with the long 2 last year.

 

[J_J]

Garland said himself he needs to shoot when he is open. He knows he can make it - it is just the confidence and having opportunities and having a tremendous game will help him then back to back. The little hesitation is driving him back - got to be consistent with confidence. Step by step for him. Just give him time - he will deliver.