The Cavaliers took 21-year old, 6’9″, 260 pound power forward Milan Macvan out of Serbia with the 54th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.  Macvan played in 52 games for four years in Europe last year and he averaged 19.6 minutes, 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.  He has now played in 216 games in four years overseas and he has averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  This would be a good pick if the Cavs thought he would come to the U.S., but it looks like he won’t.  This could be a wasted pick, which is something the Cavs really can’t afford at this point.

The Cavaliers took 20-year old, 6’8″, 225 pound power forward Tristan Thompson with the 4th overall pick of  the 2011 NBA Draft.  Thompson played in 36 games for Texas last year and he averaged 30.9 minutes, 13.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.4 blocked shots per game.  Thompson shot 54.6% from the floor last year but most of his shots were coming near or in the paint.  But, Thompson is a terrible free throw shooter as he only made 48.7% of his shots from the charity stripe.  The Cavs think they can coach him up as far as the free throw shooting is concerned.  It will be interesting to see how much P.T. Thompson gets initially for the Cavs as he is behind both J.J. Hickson and Antawn Jamison on the depth chart at power forward.  He appears to have a nice upside as he is a good defensive player and rebounder already, and he’s only 20 years old.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took 19-year old point guard Kyrie Irving with the #1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft last night.  Irving is 6’2″, 180 pounds but he could get bigger as he is still young.  Irving played in 11 games last year for Duke and he averaged 27.5 minutes, 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  He shot 52.9% from the floor and 46.2% from 3-point range last year at Duke.  It will be interesting to see how much P.T. Irving gets next season with Baron Davis, Ramon Sessions and Daniel Gibson all still on the Cavs’ roster.  Irving has been mostly compared to Chris Paul of the Hornets and the Cavs would be ecstatic if he’s that good of a player down the road for them.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a rough season in 2011-12.  But, they are armed with the #1, #4, #32 and #54 picks in this Thursday’s NBA Draft.  The Cavaliers are also talking deal with a lot of teams.  If the Cavaliers keep the #1 and #4 picks, most draft experts have them picking PG Kyrie Irving and C Enes Kanter.  I can also see some other scenarios for the Cavs though.  With small forward being such a need for the Cavaliers, I could see them taking Derrick Williams with the #1 overall pick and PG Brandon Knight, PG Kemba Walker or C Enes Kanter with the 4th pick.  The Cavaliers could also deal the 4th pick for an established player like Rudy Gay of the Grizzlies or to a team with multiple first round picks like the Bobcats who are sitting at #9 and #19.  Depending on who the Cavs pick with the first two picks they have, I can see them drafting for need in the second round.  They are desperate for help at SG and SF.  The Cavaliers can’t afford to miss with their first three picks as they are going to be a big part of the foundation of the future of the team.

Rumors are flying in Cleveland that the Cavaliers are going to get into the first round tomorrow night by hook or crook. A lot of teams have their first round picks for sale and I fully expect the Cavs to try to buy one to select a big man. Guards Mo Williams and Delonte West are both on the trading block and rumors out of Portland have the Blazers very interest in Williams. I wonder if Andre Miller would be coming back in that kind of trade? If so I would make it as Miller was one of the best players the Cavs ever have had and he is a class act. I expect the Cavs to be busy tomorrow night despite not having a draft pick right now.

First round pick Christian Eyenga has agreed to a 3-year extension with his old Spanish Club, DKV Jovenut. The Cavaliers need to start drafting more players from the United States, period. This was a waste of a first round pick.

The Cavs bought Emir Preldzic from the Suns on draft night. The 21-year old small forward is a typical soft European player. He played in 156 games in five seasons in Europe and he averaged 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Don’t expect him to make much of a impact for a long time….if at all.

The Cavaliers got themselves a solid player in Daniel Green. Green checks his ego at the door and brings his lunch pail which should really play well with the Cavs. 22-year old Green played in 145 games in four seasons at North Carolina and he averaged 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Green might never be a starter in Cleveland but he will contribute off the bench with defense and effort. A nice pick by the Cavs.

The Cavaliers had a major reach here in selecting 20-year old shooting guard Christian Eyenga with the 30th pick in the NBA Draft. Eyenga is from the basketball hotbed of the Congo in Africa. He played in 25 games in Spain last season and he averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Eyenga is pretty raw but he has great athletic ability so he will have a chance to develop into something for the Cavs down the road. Still, they should have taken either Sam Young or DeJuan Blair from Pitt with this pick.