2013 draft options for Cavaliers 
The defection of
LeBron James from the
Cleveland Cavaliers two-and-half years ago was the NBA equivalent of Armageddon. The Cavs and their fan base were decimated by the loss.
It can take up to a decade for a team to recover from such things. The good news is that for the Cavs, things are already looking up in a major way.
Yes, they are currently on pace to have, for the third season in a row, one of the worst records in the NBA. Yes, they are ranked 27th in the league in offense efficiency and 28th in the league in defensive efficiency. They are 28th in the league in True Shooting Percentage.
They can't score, they can't defend and they can't shoot a lick.
But that's only half the story.
One of the reasons that LeBron bolted was because the team, as a whole, lacked young talent to build around. There were no superstars in the pipeline, just role players who put an undue burden on the Cavs superstar.
Three years later, that's all changing. Point guard
Kyrie Irving was named to the All-Star team during his sophomore season. Second-year forward
Tristan Thompson has suddenly started playing up to his lofty draft status -- averaging 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds in the month of January. Rookie
Dion Waiters has lived up to his reputation for both good and bad. He's shown he can score at a high clip in the league -- he's just doing it with too many questionable shots at the moment. Rookie center
Tyler Zeller is also getting big minutes and is proving to be a serviceable big man in the middle.
To top it off, the Cavs have an interesting trade chip in big man
Anderson Varejao. The big Brazilian was playing like an All-Star this season before he went down with an injury. He could draw interest this summer if he recovers from a blood clot and quad injury that will keep him out the remainder of the season.
In short, the Cavs have pieces -- lots of them -- to start building a contender. Nail the No. 1 pick again, and maybe, just maybe, they'll have a winning argument to lure James back home when he becomes a free agent after the 2013-14 season (assuming he exercises an ETO).
Here's a look at Cleveland's best options if it gets the No. 1 pick.
Good Fits: Nerlens Noel,
Shabazz Muhammad,
Alex Len,
Otto Porter
The Cavs have their point guard of the future. Thompson is quickly becoming their power forward of the future, and assuming Waiters continues to develop, he should be able to lock down the two guard spot. So the team's biggest needs will be at center and small forward.
Noel looks like an obvious fit. The team could use a defensive stopper who will block shots, rebound and run up and down the floor on the fast break. He's a nice compliment to their other young big, Zeller, and gives them even more flexibility to trade Varejao this summer.
Muhammad will be interesting as well. He's a high-motor player who can fill it up on the offensive end of the floor. He's not afraid to take big shots, can play multiple positions and is, by all accounts, a super-competitive hard worker. He could easily end up averaging 20 points per game during some point in his NBA career.
Len is another option in the middle. The Cavs thrived for years with
Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the middle, and Len could be his heir. He's big, mobile, skilled and seems to be only scratching the surface of what he could be. If the Cavs are prioritizing offense over defense, Len could get the nod over Noel.
Finally, there's Porter. I don't think he'll rise to the level of a No. 1 pick, but he has all the attributes of being the perfect wing man for an elite player like Irving. He's unselfish, versatile, can shoot and defend and is a high character player. If the Cavs fall somewhat short of the No. 1 pick, keep an eye on Porter as their guy.
Questionable Fits: Ben McLemore,
Anthony Bennett
McLemore now sits atop the draft boards of a number of NBA teams, though he might not be the right guy for Cleveland. With Irving and Waiters entrenched in the backcourt, the team has more pressing needs. The Cavs could try to play McLemore at the three. His game is well suited to the position; he's just undersized for a three. Given more pressing needs, I think they'd likely opt for a different player.
Bennett would also be intriguing, especially if the Cavs projected him as a three. I just see too many similarities with the already undersized Thompson to make him a likely No. 1 pick in Cleveland.
Best Fit: Noel
In 2004, the Cavs drafted Varejao -- a hyper, athletic big man who could rebound and run the floor. For the first seven years of his career, Varejao never averaged more than nine points per game, but he made a major impact on the defensive end of the floor. Noel projects as a more athletic, better shot-blocking version of Varejao.
With the Cavs ranked 28th in defensive efficiency, Noel seems like an almost perfect fit. He's an elite NBA shot-blocker, runs the floor like a guard and once he spends a few years in an NBA weight room, should be a defensive monster. His offensive game is a major work in progress, but with an elite point guard like Irving running the show, he should be able to get 10 points a night just on lobs.
