The 2011 NBA Draft came and went, without any major surprises.
In my (highly esteemed and well-regarded) opinion, the Cavaliers did not make the best selection to benefit the franchise moving forward.
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Sure, Kyrie Irving has potential to be a great point guard in the NBA. Many draft experts saw him as the consensus overall #1, and Derrick Williams the obvious #2 pick in this year's meager version of the draft.
While I knew the Cavs front office would fall prey to the Irving hype and speculation, I still held out hope that they would take the more talented player in Derrick Williams.
For some reason I can't explain, I thought Chris Grant might go against the grain, and surprise people by taking the Arizona stud. As I sat and pondered what had happened, I felt a mix of disappointment and frustration.
Kyrie Irving is going to be a good player, there's no question about it. But how do you take the Duke Disappearing Act #1 overall when he played in 11 games last season, and missed 26? Whether or not his toe issue lingers on moving forward is a serious concern. Irving and his team would like you to believe that it's a thing of the past, and it won't affect him throughout his NBA career. If that is the case, then why does he need a specialized shoe made to prevent future injury?
Derrick Williams is the player the Cavaliers should have drafted, and I stand by that statement. Cavs fans need somebody who can provide the excitement that left this team when the Choke Artist left for his "not 1, not 2, not 7 or 8 rings" in South Beach. How'd that work out for you LeBron?
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Williams has many things Irving does not: Size, leaping ability, dunking prowess, and a resume to back it up. D-Will was one of the best players in this year's NCAA Tournament, where was Kyrie Irving?
While I will eventually embrace Kyrie Irving and hope to be proven wrong in the next few years, I am not overly thrilled with the selection and don't feel like we took the most talented player on the board.
All I'm saying is, if I'm spending a #1 lottery pick on a player, I need to be sure about him and feel he's going to make my team better immediately. The sad truth is, that Irving might be backing Baron Davis this season.
All that being said, I feel that Kyrie will be a good player, and I hope he surpasses my expectations in the upcoming season.
That is, if there is a season.
In my (highly esteemed and well-regarded) opinion, the Cavaliers did not make the best selection to benefit the franchise moving forward.
While I knew the Cavs front office would fall prey to the Irving hype and speculation, I still held out hope that they would take the more talented player in Derrick Williams.
For some reason I can't explain, I thought Chris Grant might go against the grain, and surprise people by taking the Arizona stud. As I sat and pondered what had happened, I felt a mix of disappointment and frustration.
Kyrie Irving is going to be a good player, there's no question about it. But how do you take the Duke Disappearing Act #1 overall when he played in 11 games last season, and missed 26? Whether or not his toe issue lingers on moving forward is a serious concern. Irving and his team would like you to believe that it's a thing of the past, and it won't affect him throughout his NBA career. If that is the case, then why does he need a specialized shoe made to prevent future injury?
Derrick Williams is the player the Cavaliers should have drafted, and I stand by that statement. Cavs fans need somebody who can provide the excitement that left this team when the Choke Artist left for his "not 1, not 2, not 7 or 8 rings" in South Beach. How'd that work out for you LeBron?
While I will eventually embrace Kyrie Irving and hope to be proven wrong in the next few years, I am not overly thrilled with the selection and don't feel like we took the most talented player on the board.
All I'm saying is, if I'm spending a #1 lottery pick on a player, I need to be sure about him and feel he's going to make my team better immediately. The sad truth is, that Irving might be backing Baron Davis this season.
All that being said, I feel that Kyrie will be a good player, and I hope he surpasses my expectations in the upcoming season.
That is, if there is a season.
