The Cleveland Cavaliers have two chances to win the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery. They have the second-best chance to win on account of having the second-worst record in the league last season at 19-63, but they also own the Los Angeles Clippers' pick due to a February trade. The Clippers finished with the eighth-worst record, giving the Cavaliers two sure high picks. The Cavaliers have a 19.9 percent chance to win the lottery with their own pick and a 2.8 percent chance to win with the Clippers' pick. The lowest their own pick can be is No. 5, and the lowest the Clippers' pick can be is No. 11, should the unlikely happen and three teams below them leap into the top three.
NBA Draft Lottery 2011: Cleveland Cavaliers Look To Get Rebuilding Effort Started
TEAM NEEDS
The better question is: what isn't a team need? After losing LeBron James in free agency, Cleveland is severely lacking in talent at every position. There are a lot of decent parts, particularly up front with the underrated Anderson Varejao, veteran Antawn Jamison and young J.J. Hickson. The Cavaliers also aren't in horrible shape at point guard, with Ramon Sessions being decent and Baron Davis being around with a mammoth contract.
I suppose that you'd point to the wings as the one area where help is desperately needed. Anthony Parker is a free agent and saw his skills erode last season, while Christian Eyenga is interesting, but very raw. But more than anything, the Cavaliers need a franchise player that can lead them into a new era, regardless of position.
IF THEY WIN
The Cavaliers will have an interesting decision between Duke’s Kyrie Irving and Arizona’s Derrick Williams. As noted above, the Cavaliers aren’t in awful shape at either point guard or power forward, so it’ll come down to which player they think is better. My guess is that they’ll take Irving because of the NBA’s emphasis on good point guard play.
PREVIOUS LUCK
The Cavaliers haven’t been in the lottery since 2005, which was after James’ second year in the league. They were just outside of the playoffs in 2004 and 2005, and didn’t get lucky to move up. Of course, in 2003, the Cavaliers won the lottery for the right to select James after finishing tied for the worst record in the league. Other than that, the Cavaliers have not moved up to the top three since the lottery changed its format in 1994.
For more on the Cavaliers in the lead-up to the draft, visit Fear the Sword and SB Nation Cleveland.
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