Cleveland with the weird picks

[Nash]

Tristan Thompson last year and now Waiters. Either they see something people don't or they just suck.

[lilgodfather1]

I think they just suck.

[Godzuki]

i'm not sold on tristan thompson either. he reminded me of a tyrus thomas, and very raw/inconsistent. tyrus isn't too bad but i'd expect better at that pick. this pick is odd since i don't remember reading anyone having him there...

[CelticBaller]

Yolo

[IGOTGAME]

Example of why bad teams stay bad.

[G-Funk]

No matter what Stern does, no matter how many veto's Stern makes, teams are gonna stay sucking

[Dolphin]

Tristan Thompson last year and now Waiters. Either they see something people don't or they just suck.

But a lot of people see something in Waiters so I don't know what to make of this thread. lol

[PJR]

And people wonder why LeBron left.

[G-train]

Tristan Thompson last year and now Waiters. Either they see something people don't or they just suck.

Pretty sure they use alot of 'money ball' stuff.

TT was pretty solid last season though, and Waiters could be great.

[Wally450]

Yolo

:lol , but its only 1 year, Tristan has plenty of time to become better and I guess they see something in Waiters

[IGOTGAME]

Wish kendal went to another team.

[SevereUpInHere]

Yolo

http://libertarianleadership.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/9/3159194/1493035_orig.jpg

[KyrieTheFuture]

Dion can get to the rack at will unlike I've ever seen. I understand the Wade comparisons in the regard. It'll be interesting to see how he pairs with Kyrie in terms of penetration. You're gonna have to have a stellar back court D to stop them both.

[Meticode]

I don't f*cking know anymore man. I guess we'll see though. I like that we traded the rest of our picks for Zeller though. I think Zeller is going to be a very solid center in the league. Borderline all-star at times maybe.

[jbryan1984]

Did you guys even watch the games? Tristan ended up being a pretty good player. Varejao coaching him all year and he held his own as an undersized center (we had no choice but to play him there). Freaky athletic too. No way he ends up being Tyrus 2.0

[pegasus]

I think Thompson is gonna pan out. He is definitely better than Tyrus. It'll be interesting to see what Val does in Toronto, though.

[UtahJazzFan88]

Did you guys even watch the games? Tristan ended up being a pretty good player. Varejao coaching him all year and he held his own as an undersized center (we had no choice but to play him there). Freaky athletic too. No way he ends up being Tyrus 2.0

You guys passed up Valanciunas, maybe I'll eat my crow after we see him play this year but Valanciunas >>> Thompson by far. I don't think anyone is saying Thompson is some scrub who should be in the D-League and is a huge bust, but it was a mistake by passing up Valanciunas to get Thompson.

[LBJMVP]

tyler f*cking zeller?

when the hell was the last time a white american center was any good in this league?

david lee? cool, that get me super excited :facepalm

what the f*ck.

dion waiter? we passed on barnes, drummond, ross, for dion waiters?

this dude will never be dwayne wade....


god damnit... tyler f*cking zelller?

[chips93]

tyler f*cking zeller?

when the hell was the last time a white american center was any good in this league?

david lee? cool, that get me super excited :facepalm

what the f*ck.

dion waiter? we passed on barnes, drummond, ross, for dion waiters?

this dude will never be dwayne wade....


god damnit... tyler f*cking zelller?

i feel the same about waiters, but zeller is great for us

we need a center who can shoot, since tristan cant make a thing outside the paint, and ontop of that can get you som buckets down low

[AMISTILLILL]

http://libertarianleadership.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/9/3159194/1493035_orig.jpg

I currently work and attend grad school about 85 miles north of Yolo County. :lol

[LBJMVP]

i feel the same about waiters, but zeller is great for us

we need a center who can shoot, since tristan cant make a thing outside the paint, and ontop of that can get you som buckets down low

i feel better about the waiter pick then i do about zeller...

cleveland must be very confident about him... jim boheim had some great comments on him as well.. said no one in the nba can guard him one on one unless their name is russell westbrook.

[FatComputerNerd]

Stoked about getting a true Center.

Zeller/TT starting with AV off the bench as a swing PF/C 6th Man.

Not too thrilled that we went with an undersized shooting guard as our main pick, but we will have to wait and see how he does.

Overall I am not at all disappointed with this draft.

Zeller will be Z 2.0

[senelcoolidge]

Cunningham will probably end up being better than Waiters in the long term.

[InspiredLebowski]

Zeller was ****ing stellar value, I was screaming for Bird to move up for him. Not sure I buy him as long term starter at the 5 but he's a perfect major minute 3rd big at either frontcourt spot.

Waiters was just ****ing dumb though.

[brandonislegend]

Waiters is super nice, you guys will see & I hate the Cavs.

[Kews1]

Could have selected Robinson, Barnes or Drummond but no.... :lol


If i were Kyrie i would be ****ing pissed

http://i50.tinypic.com/23k6ph3.jpg

[Nash]

Did you guys even watch the games? Tristan ended up being a pretty good player. Varejao coaching him all year and he held his own as an undersized center (we had no choice but to play him there). Freaky athletic too. No way he ends up being Tyrus 2.0
I wasn't really dissing ya'll. Just that you guys do it differently, now either you guys or geniuses or not. Still, both Tristan and Waiters got picked by Cavs way too early with some high quality drafts available.

[blacknapalm]

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/22688792.jpg

[Fiasco]

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/22688792.jpg

DINO WAITERS

http://www.signspecialist.com/decals/beevault/images/Animals%20Insects%20Fish%20004-0818.gif

also this pick ****ing sucked, lmao @ the Cavs ****ing up twice with the 4th overall

[sixer6ad]

Thompson was 2nd Team All NBA Rookie Last Year. Now, it's not a badge of honor to carry around 2nd Team awards, but it's far from a flop. They drafted three things with Thompson: Energy, Defense, and Rebounding - and he was very good in all 3 areas.

Dion Waiters: Does anyone listen to Fran Frischella? He seems to have this inside niche on Foreign players and other "sleepers". When asked about Dion Waiters vs. Harrison Barnes, he said: "I'd draft Waiters and it's not even close." And he coached Barnes in some under 18 national competition. Jim Boeheim said hands down Waiters is the most talented player he has ever coached at Syracuse :eek: . He was rated as the best one on one talent in this draft and the player most likely to get to the basket in the entire draft. STRANGE SELECTION, no doubt - but this isn't a Darko pick.

[sixer6ad]

Thompson was 2nd Team All NBA Rookie Last Year. Now, it's not a badge of honor to carry around 2nd Team awards, but it's far from a flop. They drafted three things with Thompson: Energy, Defense, and Rebounding - and he was very good in all 3 areas.

Dion Waiters: Does anyone listen to Fran Frischella? He seems to have this inside niche on Foreign players and other "sleepers". When asked about Dion Waiters vs. Harrison Barnes, he said: "I'd draft Waiters and it's not even close." And he coached Barnes in some under 18 national competition. Jim Boeheim said hands down Waiters is the most talented player he has ever coached at Syracuse :eek: . He was rated as the best one on one talent in this draft and the player most likely to get to the basket in the entire draft. STRANGE SELECTION, no doubt - but this isn't a Darko pick.

In addition, Zeller was the ACC Player of the Year and 2nd Team All American. He was rated the 2nd best center in the draft, and we got him.

So...Chris Grant acquires the NBA Rookie of the Year, and a solid PF last year, and the ACC Player of the Year scoring post and a highly-ranked slasher this year. Everyone is right - the jury is still out. I don't see the reach that everyone is talking about.

[jbryan1984]

I wasn't really dissing ya'll. Just that you guys do it differently, now either you guys or geniuses or not. Still, both Tristan and Waiters got picked by Cavs way too early with some high quality drafts available.


Still though man, nobody has an idea yet how Jonas V will turn out in the NBA. When it happened last year, I was quite surprised myself, only because I had not heard much about Tristan. But after I saw him play, I was more than impressed. The situation is very similar this year. I have heard of Dion Waiters but did not expect him to go this early, I had every reason to believe we were drafting Barnes. Until they all play, we know nothing. Last year, it looked like a bad draft and it actually saw a lot of good players come out of it.

[blacknapalm]

funny thing is i like waiters, even called him underrated before he started to shoot up draft boards faster than a coke fiend does lines. in regards to pure offense, i think he's the best player of the draft. he has an explosive first step, takes long strides and is a strong finisher. he has a stepback jumper, can split doubles and uses the glass inside. in transition, he's as explosive as you can get for his size.

but #4 overall? he might be way too iso heavy in the league for that. i'm not sold on his defense either. syracuse plays strictly zone so it's hard to gauge that, never mind it being horrible for player development. syracuse doesn't exactly have a good track record as of late.

at #4, i just like taking a safer pick and waiters has too high a bust potential for me at that point. iso heavy, defensive impaired guards in this league generally come off the bench. do you use a #4 pick for a guy that will play 25 mins, maybe more on nights where he has the hot hand? this isn't a harden situation; harden was much more versatile than waiters and he comes with more prototypical size.

waiters shoots way too many 3's for my liking and takes way too many heat checks.

his offensive game is not the part i'd be overly concerned about. it would be his efficiency (goes back to shot selection), defense and ability to handle more minutes.

now, waiters might become a good defender but there isn't a whole lot there to suggest that he'll transition from a zone oriented defense to a more traditional defense swiftly. his steal numbers look good per 40 or whatever but those are inflated and involve gambling. we all know how that can be misleading. he does have quick hands though and was more committed to defense his second year. on the flip side, some of the strips and steals he goes for in college are going to be called fouls in the nba.

let's be real about boeheim btw. he said those words in the last week i believe and he's just backing his guy. are we truly to believe that waiters is more talented than carmelo anthony at the college level? not even a big melo fan but melo was ready from the jump and was instrumental in syracuse winning it all.

i might change my mind later, but early on, waiters and plumelee were the biggest reaches imo.

for those saying we don't know how 'x' player is going to do, apply that to waiters as well. just understand the criticism for now and we can't truly revisit this with a full picture for about three years...could he be the next westbrook? i won't say it's impossible. wb is more explosive but they share similarities in shot selection (shooting early in the shot clock) and not being a natural PG. both don't always hit their teammate in stride or get the offense going. this will be more of a moot point as he'll play SG in cleveland, but still. high risk, high reward. draftexpress has him at worst as smush parker, lol. i won't be that mean but a semi jerryd bayles make sense to me

[noob cake]

Thompson and Waiters were both reachy, but so what if they were taken 2-4 spots ahead of the consensus. Both of them will turn out to be solid. You don't need superstars around Irving. All you want are solid NBA starters.

Drafting Zeller was major fail. Paid way too much for one of the worst prospect in the first round. Zeller looked good because he was a Senior and solidly half a foot taller than 90% of the college players.

[hawkfan]

Dion can get to the rack at will unlike I've ever seen. I understand the Wade comparisons in the regard. It'll be interesting to see how he pairs with Kyrie in terms of penetration. You're gonna have to have a stellar back court D to stop them both.

Hope so.

One bad draft pick can set a team back for a decade.

Hawks picked Marvin Williams over Chris Paul or Deron Williams. The Pistons picked Darko Milicic over Dwyane Wade.

[Fiasco]

lol @ D-Wade potential

my god

[Godzuki]

CLE can look really bad this year IF Tristan doesn't develop much, Valciunas balls in the NBA, and this pick looks like crap. i mean REALLY bad considering they made picks a lot of people didn't expect and a lot of their future rebuilding plans and what they could've had will be displayed this year. Its more tolerable if it was a expected known player pick at that slot and he busted.

[wally_world]

Waiters will be pretty solid, he'll be an alright #4 pick in any other draft.

[Joshumitsu]

2020: Kyrie Irving hosts the Decision part II.


I do like the Zeller pick though. Gets them a Sideshow Bob/Big Z replacement.

[niko]

The Thompson pick last year was stupid and they compounded it by picking for need instead of best available because they had Thompson.

[Godzuki]

2020: Kyrie Irving hosts the Decision part II.


I do like the Zeller pick though. Gets them a Sideshow Bob/Big Z replacement.


they're crazy if they let Varaejo go. he's one of the most underrated bigs in the league, and doesn't need the ball to impact games unlike most players. he's got to be the best hustle-heart rebounding big in the league.

[sixer6ad]

Byron Scott just interviewed locally and said that Dion Waiters is his pick. He told General Manager Chris Grant "if you get me this kid I will turn him into a player". You never really know the truth, and the popular coach may have taken one to release some heat. Scott also talked about the Thompson, Zeller, Varajo front court and was excited. He thinks with Kyrie and Waiters and these three athletic big men that the squad will be able to run much more than they have to date.

[Meticode]

Byron Scott just interviewed locally and said that Dion Waiters is his pick. He told General Manager Chris Grant "if you get me this kid I will turn him into a player". You never really know the truth, and the popular coach may have taken one to release some heat. Scott also talked about the Thompson, Zeller, Varajo front court and was excited. He thinks with Kyrie and Waiters and these three athletic big men that the squad will be able to run much more than they have to date.
I don't think any of those players are extremely atheletic, but all of them hustle and have very good motors. All of those big-men run teh floor like crazy. I watched some Zeller video and was impressed how he would run the floor ahead of the guards and get easy buckets.

I would be satisfied if he developed into like a 55%/13/10/1 a game center.

[mrhoopfan]

Tristan T. is already more skilled offensively than tyrus Thomas. To be effectiive, Tyrus Thomas needed to play with a dominant low block scorer where it would allow him to get weak side boards and some 15 footers

[WesWelkerACL]

I currently work and attend grad school about 85 miles north of Yolo County. :lol

Chico State FTW

[BoutPractice]

He was definitely underrated until Hollinger mentioned him as the fourth best player in the draft. Now he might be overrated.

Still, he could be a Westbrook kind of pick, where everyone thinks it's a reach at first, then he makes it look like he was an obvious choice in the top 5 from the beginning. Playing alongside Kyrie and being coached by Byron Scott can only help his development.

[Fiasco]

He was definitely underrated until Hollinger mentioned him as the fourth best player in the draft. Now he might be overrated.

Still, he could be a Westbrook kind of pick, where everyone thinks it's a reach at first, then he makes it look like he was an obvious choice in the top 5 from the beginning. Playing alongside Kyrie and being coached by Byron Scott can only help his development.

Hollinger is a dumb****, who listens to that guy?

[GOBB]

Thompson was 2nd Team All NBA Rookie Last Year. Now, it's not a badge of honor to carry around 2nd Team awards, but it's far from a flop. They drafted three things with Thompson: Energy, Defense, and Rebounding - and he was very good in all 3 areas..

In a weak draft class. Atleast mention that.

[FatComputerNerd]

they're crazy if they let Varaejo go. he's one of the most underrated bigs in the league, and doesn't need the ball to impact games unlike most players. he's got to be the best hustle-heart rebounding big in the league.


+1

We need to start Zeller/TT and return AV to his original role as a 6th man swing pf/c.

I'll be more pissed about losing AV if we trade him than I was about losing Lebron!

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

http://libertarianleadership.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/9/3159194/1493035_orig.jpg
This is what I always think of when I hear/see "Yolo". Then I force myself to remember it's a stupid meme.

re: OP, I too thought TT and Waiters were not the best choices. However, I still like the way the team is shaping up. If (always "if) their youth can live up to their potential, they'll be real good. Hell, they were in playoff contention last year before Kyrie got hurt.

[Burgz V2]

if you consider the TT pick, it really wasn't that bad of a pick. They needed the best big available in a draft short of much big man talent. Valanciunas' buyout situation probably scared them away and Kanter was off the board by their turn at number 4

Waiters im not too sure about. I just don't know enough about him or seen enough of him to say if it was a good pick or not. From the draft workout video I've seen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVm57uNFwfw) and the summer league games one thing that is for damn sure is this guy is not shy and definitely has the ability to get to the rim. His conditioning scared me a little bit though, maybe it was the injuries that held him back in his offseason programme but still, I hope he can pull it all together.

Oh, and I think Zeller is ready start, throw him into the fire right away, he has size and mobility, TT can protect the rim, let those guys grow together I say. Never been a big fan of Varejao anyways.

[FatComputerNerd]

if you consider the TT pick, it really wasn't that bad of a pick. They needed the best big available in a draft short of much big man talent. Valanciunas' buyout situation probably scared them away and Kanter was off the board by their turn at number 4

Waiters im not too sure about. I just don't know enough about him or seen enough of him to say if it was a good pick or not. From the draft workout video I've seen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVm57uNFwfw) and the summer league games one thing that is for damn sure is this guy is not shy and definitely has the ability to get to the rim. His conditioning scared me a little bit though, maybe it was the injuries that held him back in his offseason programme but still, I hope he can pull it all together.

Oh, and I think Zeller is ready start, throw him into the fire right away, he has size and mobility, TT can protect the rim, let those guys grow together I say. Never been a big fan of Varejao anyways.


I don't like that Waiters is ball dominant. I wanted Beal, for his length, and to be our Rip Hamilton type of player.

Then again, Kyrie is an awesome shooter. So, while Waiters being on the floor w/ him at the same time, taking the ball out of Kyrie's hands could be seen as negative, if Kyrie can run occasional curls and Waiters knows how to pass the ball it might work out okay.

I do agree that Zeller should start, assuming he proves he's ready to. I like AV off the bench as a swing 4/5 6th man, and that was always his best role.

If Waiters is really as ball-dominant as he seems to be, perhaps he should also come off the bench like a bulls-era ben gordon...but then we'd need to start boobie who is even more undersized, or contract a vet 2-guard to start. Or start CJ....I dunno

[Burgz V2]

I don't like that Waiters is ball dominant. I wanted Beal, for his length, and to be our Rip Hamilton type of player.

Then again, Kyrie is an awesome shooter. So, while Waiters being on the floor w/ him at the same time, taking the ball out of Kyrie's hands could be seen as negative, if Kyrie can run occasional curls and Waiters knows how to pass the ball it might work out okay.

I do agree that Zeller should start, assuming he proves he's ready to. I like AV off the bench as a swing 4/5 6th man, and that was always his best role.

If Waiters is really as ball-dominant as he seems to be, perhaps he should also come off the bench like a bulls-era ben gordon...but then we'd need to start boobie who is even more undersized, or contract a vet 2-guard to start. Or start CJ....I dunno

Well Scott like his players to run, and he likes them to attack. I think they lacked the personnel the past two years to truly adopt that style. In a more uptempo style I think Waiters would fit well with Kyrie, otherwise, you're right, the sixth man role would probably fit him much better. Maybe start Alonzo Gee for his defense in that case :confusedshrug:

[chips93]

ive only seen a handful of waiters' college games, and he didnt seem too ball dominant

i think to suceed in the nba you need guys who can get to the basket, and play the pick and roll. waiters can do this. i agree i would have preffered beal, or maybe barnes, maybe. but im still pretty happy. irving is very good off the ball too like computernerd points out, so they fit great together in theory, both able to play on or off the ball.

[FatComputerNerd]

ive only seen a handful of waiters' college games, and he didnt seem too ball dominant

i think to suceed in the nba you need guys who can get to the basket, and play the pick and roll. waiters can do this. i agree i would have preffered beal, or maybe barnes, maybe. but im still pretty happy. irving is very good off the ball too like computernerd points out, so they fit great together in theory, both able to play on or off the ball.

If waiters can work w/o the ball on a regular occasion, running curls and pick & pops, I'll be happy.

I want the Ball in Irving's hands the bulk of the time, unless he's sitting.

[Burgz V2]

If waiters can work w/o the ball on a regular occasion, running curls and pick & pops, I'll be happy.

I want the Ball in Irving's hands the bulk of the time, unless he's sitting.

I think Kyrie is a such a gifted floor general that he'll find out how to best utilize Waiters.

They really do have a lot of potential as a backcourt

[chips93]

I think Kyrie is a such a gifted floor general that he'll find out how to best utilize Waiters.

They really do have a lot of potential as a backcourt


im nit sure id call irving a 'gifted floor general'

weve never seen him actually manage a talented team, so im excited to see how he does with a few extra weapons on the floor alongside him

[Burgz V2]

im nit sure id call irving a 'gifted floor general'

weve never seen him actually manage a talented team, so im excited to see how he does with a few extra weapons on the floor alongside him

one and done pgs rarely have the success he has had.

considering he's only 20, this guy is a stud! at 19 he knew how to run a team (most of the time). Imagine what he does THIS year :confusedshrug:

[chips93]

one and done pgs rarely have the success he has had.

considering he's only 20, this guy is a stud! at 19 he knew how to run a team (most of the time). Imagine what he does THIS year :confusedshrug:

oh, dont get me wrong, im really excited about kyrie, i cant wait for the season to start, im just saying his playmaking wasnt outstanding. it wasnt bad, but it was more his scoring that impressed me

[Burgz V2]

oh, dont get me wrong, im really excited about kyrie, i cant wait for the season to start, im just saying his playmaking wasnt outstanding. it wasnt bad, but it was more his scoring that impressed me

I just hope he shows up to camp in shape. I hope they didn't put screws in his hand, you can't run until they take them out. That'll set him back until well into the season in terms of conditioning I'd think.

[chips93]

I just hope he shows up to camp in shape. I hope they didn't put screws in his hand, you can't run until they take them out. That'll set him back until well into the season in terms of conditioning I'd think.

im not too worried, sounds like he'll be back soon

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274399

[Burgz V2]

im not too worried, sounds like he'll be back soon

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274399

damn dude seems kinda brittle :lol

it's good to hear. Saw him on a radio show on youtube and his cast didn't look too bad, mustve broke a small bone

[DukeDelonte13]

I don't think TT was a stretch at 4. He's better than Kanter IMO and already is a decent post defender/rebounder.

He averaged 10/7.5 when he started as a 6'9'' center, not too shabby.

Waiters is more of the reach. I think Waiter's floor is an above average SG but he has really high potential if he can develop a consistent jumper.

Byron Scott LOVES waiters and was extremely involved in draft process. But if beal or MKG were still on the board they would have taken them in a heart beat.

[chips93]

ill be very interested to see how waiters handles training camp

coach scott is notorious for holding grueling training camps, so i really hope waiters turns up in good shape

its worth noting, that he shed a decent bit of weight and got in great shape before his sophomore year at syracuse,so he has the ability to work very hard

[Burgz V2]

ill be very interested to see how waiters handles training camp

coach scott is notorious for holding grueling training camps, so i really hope waiters turns up in good shape

its worth noting, that he shed a decent bit of weight and got in great shape before his sophomore year at syracuse,so he has the ability to work very hard

windsprints. lots of windsprints. i remember jason kidd mentioning the trick to it is showing up in shape or else its near impossible

if i were waiters id be running as we speak