After losing ‘the King’ over the summer, the Cleveland Cavaliers were finally the beneficiaries of some good vibes at last night’s NBA Draft Lottery.

The Cavs, owners of the league’s worst regular season record, were ultimately rewarded with the first and fourth picks in the 2011 NBA Draft which will be held in June.

The unfortunate news for the franchise is that there’s no sure shot #1 selection this time around. The last time Cleveland landed the top choice, they had a no-brainer and gobbled up the local Akron, soon-to-be NBA icon, LeBron James. But for the upcoming draft, Cleveland management will have to do a little more work to get good grades.

The talent pool in this year’s draft is not very plentiful on franchise-type players. In fact, most scouts and analysts feel that there are potentially only two players at the college level with All-Star / franchise player talent – Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams. Thus, the Cavs will be forced to make a decision between those two electric talents.

Most mock draft boards have Kyrie Irving slotted as the number one selection. This is primarily based on observed game talent and assessed skill, and perhaps, a bit of the hype factor.

But although I have been the biggest fan of Irving’s game ever since his demolition of the Michigan State Spartans early in the college season, the Cavs should go in the opposite direction. And here’s why:

Size matters- Derrick Williams is listed at 6’10″. Kyrie Irving is listed at 6’2″. The NBA has a long, drawn-out history that suggests that big men rule the paint, and therefore, rule the NBA. 11 of the past 12 NBA titles have been won by teams that had an offensively and defensively talented big man or big men (Lakers – Shaq, Gasol-Bynum; Heat – Shaq; Spurs – Duncan; Celtics – Garnett). This season we may be witnessing the exception to the rule (as a lot of the league’s best pivot men have aged), but a specimen like Williams has the potential to help Cleveland control the boards and protect the rim. As for going the point guard route – - in the past three decades, there’s only one case of a 6’5″ or under player leading his team to a championship (Isaiah Thomas). Go with the big man first.

Versatility- There’s no player in the NBA with the combined versatility than Williams has shown. Williams would come from the NCAA ranks with the proven ability to block shots, shoot threes, handle the rock, rebound and get buckets from the low block. Think of the top bigs in the Association. Garnett, Howard and Griffin don’t have three-point range or ball-handling ability. Dirk has no defensive presence or interior power game. Williams packages these attributes, along with his extreme athleticism, to give Cleveland the best opportunity to rebound after losing the NBA’s best talent since MJ. He can impact a game a so many ways, plain and simple.

NBA has its share of good point guards- This is absolutely not a knock against Irving, but the list of good point guards has grown over the past few years. While Irving’s skill set is exceptional, the Cavs may want to consider the possibility that their point guard of the future doesn’t have to come from this year’s draft.  Maybe the Cavs can use the #4 pick to pry someone with promise from another team.  Even if they can’t, their efforts should be focused on acquiring a player like Williams – who has an unmatched skill set at his particular position.

Irving is the best point guard prospect in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Mysterious injury- How healthy is Kyrie? Irving was out of the Duke lineup for months with a vague toe / foot injury. Somehow, he made his way back into the lineup during the NCAA Tournament, but why? Was he hoping to further enhance his NBA draft stock? Or was he truly invested in boosting the Blue Devils’ chances to make a deep run in the tourney? Regardless, Williams clearly looked to be at his best during tournament time – particularly during a game in which his Arizona Wildcats manhandled Irving’s Blue Devils.

So, if Cleveland uses its first pick on the Arizona stud, what do they do with their next pick at #4?

This is a bit trickier. If they do pick Williams (as they should), it all depends on what Minnesota and Utah do with their #2 and #3 selections, respectively. Minnesota, who seems to pick at least one point guard in every draft, would almost be forced to choose Irving because he would be the undoubted top talent on the board. Then, the Jazz would be on the board. They have a variety of needs – the most glaring of them being at the point guard position (to fill the shoes of the traded Deron Williams). Utah is set in the paint with Al Jefferson and Derrick Favors, so, in all likelihood, they may be eyeing Kentucky’s Brandon Knight.

If either of the above mentioned floor generals slip to the four spot, the Cavs will certainly jump on them.

Otherwise, Cleveland might be better off shopping the pick around the league. There will be some level of talent available in the 2012 NBA Draft with Baylor’s Perry Jones, Kentucky’s Terrence Jones, and North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes remaining in school. An early look at the mock draft board (which will certainly fluctuate) reveals several upcoming freshmen who may surface as possible early-entry candidate including point guards Austin Rivers and Marquis Teague.

Now, the wildcard in this analysis are the international players that have entered the draft. nbadraft.net has the Cavs selecting Kentucky center Enes Kanter (which should be a ‘no-no’), followed by two international players – Jonas Valanciunas and Jan Vesely. Who knows how they will fare in the Association? However, it is a fact that only one international player has ever truly become the face of a successful franchise and he just dropped 48 in the Western Conference Finals last night.

The key for the Cavs is to make sure that they don’t settle for what this draft has to offer which, in reality, is not a whole lot as far as they are concerned.

Sure, it’ll be tempting to Cleveland to take what it can get now. But focus and insightful roster choices are what turns franchises around. And after the turnaround that they experienced this year, they’d definitely appreciate some movement in the opposite direction.

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