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I like Sully in Boston

Yikes, Celtics might get two guys that would of gone top 5 last year if they end up taking PJ3 to go with Sully.

Fab and Sully give Boston really nice front court depth

I wish Cleveland would buy a pick and take PJ3

Well we just picked a two-way PG prospect ... I'd say that trade with Dallas is official. Time to turn on cartoons.

Pluto likes the Zeller trade/pick.

Cleveland Cavaliers make a good move trading for Tyler Zeller: Terry Pluto | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2012/06/cleveland_cavaliers_make_a_goo.html

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- When you hear the Cavs traded three picks for Tyler Zeller, remember this is the basketball draft -- not football.

Quantity is not always quality. And 7-footers who can play even a little bit in the NBA are valuable, which is why Zeller is the kind of center who has at least a 10-year career.

So yes, the Cavs made the right move sending picks 24, 33 and 34 to Dallas for Zeller, the Atlantic Coast Confeence Player of the Year. He averaged 6.8 points and 9.6 rebounds for North Carolina, and also is an 81 percent free throw shooter.

Like most teams, the Cavs have stats showing that a big man from a major conference who averages a rebound every three minutes tends to be successful in the league. Zeller was in that category, as he grabbed those 9.6 rebounds in 28 minutes per game. Some may compare him to Tyler Hansbrough, another North Carolina big man who went No. 13 in the 2009 draft to Indiana. He averaged 9.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in his career.

But Hansbrough is 6-9. Zeller is a legitimate 7-footer.

The Cavs need big men. He joins Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Samardo Samuels as power forwards/centers. They were not about to find a 7-footer at No. 24, so they were wise to move up for Zeller.

As for picks 33 and 34, you can find NBA role players there -- but not 7-foot centers with the ability of Zeller.

Let's say the Zeller trade is a foregone conclusion. I kind of hope the Varejao for Barnes trade goes through too. Kyrie at the point, Waiters at the 2. But can penetrate and crate. Barnes at the 3. Biggest complaaint about Barnes is that he cannot create his own shot. But Barnes is deadly with the mid range jumper. That is a nice threesome right there. TT at power forward to dominate the boards and Zeller a good low post scorer at center. I like that starting 5.

While I really like Varejao. Excellent rebounding and defense he has limited offense making it hard for him and TT to be on the court together. And he can't seem to make it thru a full season healthy.

PJIII to OKC. Where was that kind of talent when we were picking at the ass end of the 1st round.

Hopefully he's the next Z with more quicks.

And for the conspiracy theorists ..... we still have an opening at SF. Gee is a nice player there, but probably better as a backup.

Now, back to reality, it looks like we are building a really quick, athletic team.

We always seemed to trade away our first rounders trying to surround James with that "one piece" that would out us over the top.

I love Perry Jones III going to Oklahoma City.

Ibaka 6-10 tall, 7-4 wingspan
Jones III 6-11 tall 7-2 wingspan
Durant 6-10 tall 7-3 wingspan
Sefolosha 6-7 tall 7-1 wingspan
Harden 6-5 tall 6-10 wingspan
Westbrook 6-3 tall 6-7 wingspan
Jackson 6-3 tall 7-0 wingspan

Those guys could hold hands across half the court.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2012/06/nba_draft_cleveland_cavaliers.html

10:24 p.m.: Chris Grant is delayed in talking to the media in Independence, which backs up reports that the Cavaliers are looking to pick up a pick early in the second round.

PER Chris Fedor:

Quote:

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So Tyler Zeller for Jared Cunningham, Bernard James and Jae Crowder? Yeah, that's a win for Cleveland ladies and gentlemen.

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When you put it that way, it's not so bad. I think that I kept thinking of these picks in terms of NFL subconsciously.

And in hindsight: Cavs tonight could've drafted 4. Waiters, 24, Perry Jones, 33. Q. Miller, 34. Doron Lamb

Note: i'm not saying we should have kept the picks, just pointing out how everything played out.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2012/06/nba_draft_cleveland_cavaliers.html

“'I think he’s sort of a Chris Andersen-type,' said an opposing general manager, comparing Zeller to the Nuggets’ big man. 'It was a good acquisition by Cleveland, especially that late in the draft. We had him pegged to go anywhere from 9-12. He’s a top-10 talent in most drafts, maybe in this one.'”

You can never go wrong with a very mobile 7 footer

Like I said earlier, we seem to be building a young, very athletic team. I like that idea.

Kelenna Azabuke?

Championship

Apparently we also acquired Kelenna Azubiuke from Dallas?

Umm ..... who?

OK ... former D Leaguer who had knee surgery last year.

He's a SF, 6'5", 215#, 28, and went to Kentucky. He has 4 years NBA experience. He averaged 13 and 14 PPG for Golden State a couple of years ago.

Might be a decent complimentary piece.

Go Hornets.

If Kevin Jones F West Virginia isn't drafted I sign him to a deal quickly. I love his game. Think he would make the team and contribute right away IMO.

One great thing about this coming year is that we won't be dragging around Parker, Walton, and Jamison.

This is going to be a very young team.

Oh yeah I would like to point something out about Thad Matta the last 2 years

Diebler - 2nd rounder
Sully - Late 1st rounder
Buford - Undrafted
Lighty - Undrafted
Lauderdale - Undrafted

The guy gets the most out of his players even if they're not NBA caliber.

Just to follow up on the Cavaliers getting Kelenna Azubiuke. Evidently we got him as part of the Tyler Zeller trade.

Hopefully we can find another big somewhere so we can dump Erden. Man, he's shown absolutely nothing thus far. I think that he's had one good game in his entire career.

Looking up info on Kelenna Azubiuke ...... evidently the Cavaliers originally signed him as an undrafted player back in 2005. He was with the team for 24 days. lol

I don't see wade in waiters. He doesn't have the athleticism/elevation. I see someone whose spectrum is James harden to dajuan Wagner.

As for zeller, eh it was probably a good pickup. We've only had one second rounder worth a damn in the last 10 seasons and he bolted at the first opportunity.

I don't understand, though, that if we were looking for athleticism why we would have gone J Lamb then PJIII. Heck, Drummond and PJIII would have added a heck of a lot of athleticism to the team. Like I said before, I'm outside my comfort zone in basketball. I feel better about the zeller acquisition than the waiters pick. Lots of ways we could have gone at 4 and I don't understand that selection.

What's going to happen to Lester Hudson? His late-season run reminds me a lot of Ricky Davis being the only guy who was trying when we were tanking for lebron.

Drummond would have been a HUGE risk. He is raw, raw, raw. He might develop ..... or he might flop.

I'm not upset that we passed on him. I probably would have been ticked off if we had taken him.

PJIII has a knee issue that will probably require surgery. I would guess that this is why we weren't worried about going after him.

J Lamb looks like a kid who could wind up being a steal. He's smooth and athletic, an dhe can shoot. The Cavaliers evidently decided that they liked the other 2 guys better. The more I read about Waiters, the more I like him. Hollinger had him as his #1 perimeter player in this draft. Zeller was thought to be a top 10 type talent, and we got him at 17 in exchange for picks 24, 33, and 34. From what I have read about him, he kind of reminds me if Big Z, only without the bad wheels.

After last year's excellent draft, I am willing to give Grant the benefit of the doubt. I wanted Williams and another PG over Irving and anyone else. Shows what I knew. lol