Cav’s Top 8 Possible Draft DuosBy:

In the wake of Tuesday night’s Draft Lottery, the clear winner has to be the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team and their fans may have lucked into only having to endure one really torturous season of hoops. While this isn’t the best year talent wise for the Cavs to have seemingly cashed in on their post-LeBron karma in the Draft Lottery, with two picks in the top 4 it’s hard to complain.

Now the attention turns to what the franchise will actually do with their newfound wealth of picks. In theory, the Cavs should be able to obtain two franchise cornerstones, laying the foundation for the team’s rebuilding efforts. But which two players should they take? What two prospects go together like peanut butter and jelly in order to satisfy the fans’ appetite for Ws?

A conversation like this has to be framed by some parameters:

This whole discussion is based on the idea that the Cavs won’t trade one of the picks. They need an influx of young talent and projecting them to trade one of the picks falls into the category of rosterbation at this point; it’s just too hard and unlikely to project.

These rankings also operating under the assumption that Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams are the two consensus top players, meaning neither one of them will fall to #4. Since it’s too tough to call who the third player taken before the #4 pick will be at this point, all other players are fair game.

I’m also assuming Dan Gilbert doesn’t go Caps Lock/Comic Sans crazy and off the wall with the picks. (Though, that would be awesome. “I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOUR NEWEST CAVS SUPERSTARS: JIMMER FERDETTE AND JOSH SELBY! 2012 TITLE HERE WE COME! I PERSONALLY GUARENTEE WE WILL HAVE MORE PLAYERS WITH FIRST NAMES STARTING WITH J THAN THE HEAT WILL NEXT SEASON!”)

So without further ado, the top 8 potential dynamic draft duos for the Cavs…

8. Irving – Tristan Thompson

If the Cavs are intent on pairing Irving with a big with college experience (which admittedly would be a weird thing to be intent about), Tristan Thompson makes the most sense. Thompson has a good combo of length and athleticism and displayed double-double and shot blocking potential against many top opponents in his one year at Texas. Having Irving getting him the ball in open spots would likely help his questionable jump shot come along. Then again, it’d be hard to sell Cavs fans on using the #4 pick on a guy who only put up 3 points, 6 rebounds, and 0 assists in his final college game (losing to Arizona in the NCAA Tourney), especially when more skilled foreigners are on the board.

7. Irving – Jonas Valanciunas

Over the past year Valanciunas has become the top European prospect in the eyes of some scouts with his combination of length, size and upside that makes an ideal center. Irving dumping it down to Jonas for the next decade could certainly be a good situation. However, the Lithuanian is not a perfect fit considering the Cavs already have Anderson Varejo entrenched at center. Valanciunas simply doesn’t have the same level of versatility to play both the 4 and the 5 that someone like Enes Kanter possesses (we’ll get to him shortly). This pairing would probably be best be viewed as a fallback option rather than the plan heading into the draft.

6. Irving – Kemba Walker

This option is also known as “The David Kahn Special.” All joking aside, this drafting of two PGs makes much more sense then the Rubio-Flynn debacle. Walker has shown a great ability to play off-ball making it possible for him to slide into a SG role. For much of UConn’s title run he spent more time coming off screens then running point and that seems to have worked out. Having Irving distributing the ball as the point guard, Walker could focus solely on scoring. There might not be a better situation to help Kemba reach his offensive potential.

As for the duo’s defensive, the two could switch roles allowing the smaller Walker to take PGs and not be incredibly overmatched trying to guard SGs. It’s not a perfect fit, and more than a little gamble, but it this scenario could lock up Cleveland’s two guard positions for years to come. Walker also measured 6’1 in shoes at the combine giving his stock a boost.

5. Irving – Jan Vesley

In an Eastern Conference that is increasingly becoming defined by defense (see: Bulls, Celtics, Heat), the Cavs might decide they need another stopper. In that case, getting Vesley to pair with Irving would make a lot of sense. The weaknesses of Vesley’s offensive game could no doubt be lessened by pairing him with a PG like Irving who can get him the ball in his spots. More importantly, opposing offenses wouldn’t be keen on having to go up against the size and toughness of Vesley at SF and Varejao (back from injury) at C. Granted, Vesely has a ways to go but shows potential as a defender with his great length. Those two could help the Cavs forge a hard-nosed identity going forward.

4. Irving – Kawhi Leonard

Leonard would give the Cavs a truly balanced player to run alongside Irving for the foreseeable future. Kawhi is one of those guys who does everything well, but doesn’t have a clear skill you can point to and say that is what makes him special. That means he could develop into a Gerald Wallace type, but he also could end more in the Tony Allen mold.

In many ways, this is the safest option available, which again says more about how the Cavs seem to have ended up with high picks in the wrong year than anything else. There’s a decent chance neither player becomes a star (let alone both of them), but they’re the most likely combo to at least be solid contributors for years to come.

3. Williams – Enes Kanter

If the Cavs aren’t desperate for a PG and think Baron Davis can handle the spot for the time being, a pairing of Williams and Kanter could really solidify their front line. Slotting these two into the lineup alongside Varejao would give the Cavs some much needed size, scoring, and rebounding. Williams’ outside game would help draw bigger defenders away from Kanter’s area in the paint, giving both space to operate their offensive games.

By not picking up a PG, the Cavs would put off the search for their next floor general until next year, when they might grab a prospect like Marquis Teague, Myck Kabongo or Maalik Wayns(because let’s be honest, we all expect the Cavs to be picking in the lottery again next year). It might also open up a world of trade opportunities if the Cavs are willing to part with J.J. Hickson.

2. Irving – Kanter

At first glance, this draft duo appears to be the best the Cavs could hope for from the 2011 Draft. Many talent evaluators consider Irving and Kanter to be the most well-rounded and polished PG and PF/C respectively. In theory, their skill sets should mesh together seamlessly with Irving dropping dimes to Kanter in the post, and the big guy returning the favor with some kick-outs for 3s.

However, there is a major hurdle with this pairing, namely that they haven’t played much competitive basketball over the past year. Irving spent most of the college hoops season injured and Kanter spent the whole season ineligible. Since their agents will likely pressure them to play as little as possible against other prospects in the pre-draft stage, these two have to be drafted in large part on what the Cavs knew about them an entire year ago.

Still, it would seem this is the best guard-forward combo available, except…

1. Williams – Brandon Knight

If the Cavs are seeking an explosive impact, the combination of Williams and Knight might be just right. Unlike the pair at #2 on this list, Williams and Knight were both beasts on the court for the entire college hoops season.

While Knight may not be the “pure” PG that Irving is, he displayed consistent scoring ability while still getting his team involved (17.3 ppg, 4.2 apg). He also showed a knack for the moment, hitting big shot after big shot to propel Kentucky to wins. Teaming him up with Williams would provide the Cavs with two terrific scoring options that both are well adept at getting to the free throw line. The tandem would also be quite the 1-2 punch in the fast break game.

There are also some risks associated with this pairing. Knight lacks the polish of Irving and Williams is somewhat of a SF/PF tweener. But the unrelenting energy they’d bring to the franchise and to the downtrodden Cavs fans would be undeniable.

It may be a bit of a gamble, but together this dynamic duo could rule the vacated throne in Cleveland.