There isn't one word I could use to adequately describe the vibe I felt floating around inside Cleveland Clinic Courts on Tuesday. If I was forced to choose one however, while ensconced in a headlock, I'd pick from a list that included the following: refreshing, surreal, proud, exciting, youthful, celebratory, hopeful and cool. Any thoughts or feelings along the lines of defiance, revenge, or redemption, in the event you were wondering, wouldn't be applicable. It was a positive day of forward progress to be sure, for an organization with no reason now to look back. 


In accepting his award, Kyrie's comments were gracious, introspective, and funny. He talked about that game in Indiana, his third ever as an NBA player, when he missed his first game winning shot attempt as a professional basketball player. The decision that Byron Scott made that night, to put the ball in his nineteen year-old rookie's hands, was pivotal for his development this season he said. On that last possession against the Pacers, Byron called a high pick and roll for Irving, and Kyrie said he was surprised by the call initially. The confidence Scott showed in him at that moment though, would go on to give Irving confidence moving forward. He said it was that night, in fact, even as his lay-up rimmed out, when he first knew for certain he could compete on this level with anybody. As the season wore on, he'd do specifically that.

After missing that game winning shot, Byron Scott would go back to him again, and again, and again from there. He'd hit monster shots against the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, as well as others. His legend quickly grew in the process, and The Kyrie Irving Era would soon become synonymous with clutch performances. Kyrie spoke directly to that personal trend of thriving in the fourth quarter on Tuesday too. The now twenty year-old Rookie of the Year said, "the fourth quarter is no different than the first quarter for me. I love that moment at the end of the game, I cherish that moment". For that, Cavs fans have grown to cherish him. The same fans he thanked in his opening remarks by saying, "I'd like to thank the city of Cleveland, this award is for you guys." An award his new city will gladly celebrate with him.


Byron and his Point Guard: Byron Scott's relationship with Kyrie Irving was on display yesterday too. Irving spoke glowingly, playfully, and respectfully about Byron all at the same time. I'm sometimes critical of Scott too. I think he's the guy for this job to be sure, but I've pointed out things he's done that I haven't agreed with in the past as well. His over-reliance on Anthony Parker was frustrating at times this season, playing Ryan Hollins when he did was too, and I also think he skated accountability for a record-setting losing streak he helped set two seasons ago also. At the same time though, there is no denying the importance of his relationship with Kyrie Irving now. He worked to develop a similar one with Chris Paul before Irving too. Both Point Guards love Scott, both guys flourished under him, and now both guys went on to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year under his tutelage. Kyrie called Byron old during his presser, he called him bald too, but he also said he wouldn't have won this award with Scott as his Coach. Whether that's true or not, Byron certainly had a major hand in making this happen, and that's encouraging moving forward. 

Kyrie's giving the Kia to his old AAU Coach: Kyrie won a Kia SUV along with the trophy he received for winning Rookie of the Year. He said he's giving the Kia to his AAU coach from New Jersey, and recalled driving around to games back in the day in his coach's jam-packed mini-van with five of his friends and teammates. It's a nice gesture for Kyrie to make too, even if there's no way he actually would drive around in a Kia at this point in his financial life. Somebody on Twitter tweeted at me to say that "somehow the NCAA will use this to vacate Duke's wins from his year there" as a result. They won't do that, at least I don't think they would, but the thought is funny.

The way the ROY Voting shook out: The final tallies in the Rookie of the Year voting were relatively humours. I think the votes that sportswriters cast for this award should be made public, and each writer should have to offer his reasons for taking the position he or she did in making their vote, but instead it remains anonymous. So we don't know who voted Kenneth Faried, Kwahi Leonard, or Iman Shumpet number one overall, but somebody did. If any other player deserved a 1st place vote, in my opinon, it was Ricky Rubio. I don't think he should've gotten one, but I'd hear the argument that if Rubio doesn't get hurt, keeps playing like he was playing, blah, blah, blah from there, that's why I voted him first. But while Rubio finished second, he didn't get any first place votes at all. Faried, Leonard, and Shumpert did though, over Irving. Josh Selby got a third place vote also, and he spent time in the D-League this season. Isaiah Thomas finished 7th and he should've finished 5th at worst, probably even 4th, or maybe even higher I think. That's a topic for another day however. 

In anticipation of the NBA Draft Lottery on May 30th, we will be profiling each of the top-10 players available in the NBA Draft from 10 to 1, discussing their strengths, weakness, and how each player could theoretically fit or not fit with the Cavaliers. For Tyler Zeller click here, Perry Jones III click here, John Henson click here, and Harrison Barnes click here.  Below is our profile on Ohio State's Jared Sullinger.

To follow StepienRules.com contributor Nick Mancini on Twitter go here: @nickmance

No. 6 - Jared Sullinger, Sophomore, Ohio State 2011-12; Stats: 17.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 51% shooting


I have been one of Jared Sullinger’s biggest detractors with respect to his NBA potential. I am not here to bash him though. Sullinger was an excellent player for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and put up solid number in his two seasons. And if it wasn’t for an epic second-half collapse in the Elite Eight, OSU would have had a crack a Kentucky. 

Sullinger is a very physical player. At 6-9, 280 pounds he is extremely strong and was able to establish position often very easily. He is phenomenal around the rim. He has soft hands and is able to finish in traffic with ease. There is a good chance he is the best post player in the draft. He has also extended his range this season past the 3-point line, shooting 40 percent during the year. If Sullinger is able to develop a consistent 3-pointer, he may be able to develop into that stretch 4 many teams crave.

Athletically, Sullinger leaves a lot to be desired. He tends to play under the rim and doesn't possess explosiveness seen in many NBA power forwards these days. Defensively, Sullinger more than held his own in college, but this is where his lack of athleticism may hurt him at the next level. He is not particularly quick and isn't the greatest leaper. He is a strong rebounder however, which will be able to help him on the defensive end.

Now is where Buckeye fans may not like me. I think he is the worst fit in the top 10 for the Cavs. He is essentially a better version of Samardo Samuels, albeit a much better version. Yes, he is talented, no doubt. But I am not sure his game translates the best in the NBA. A best case scenario for Sullinger is he turns into a Paul Milsap-type player. And I hope for whatever team drafts him, he does do that. Just not here in Cleveland.

I was in studio at 92.3 FM The Fan talking Cavaliers basketball with Joe Lull last night, and a good portion of our conversation shifted to the upcoming NBA Draft. Assuming the Cavaliers don't win the Lottery again and pick first, which maybe they might, being able to end up with Kyrie Irving's high school teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be a pretty huge deal. Kidd-Gilchrist is already in Northeast Ohio this week too. He's been working out at Beachwood High School in preparation for the NBA Draft, as Anthony Lima from The Fan reported Wednesday, and I can't help but hope that's a sign of what's to come for MKG and Cleveland. 


I'm not sure if Kidd-Gilchrist is still here today, but I did talk to a couple people yesterday who confirmed he was working out at Beachwood High School as recently as Thursday too. The connection to Cleveland, as Lima first reported, is Cleveland native and CAA Agent Richard Paul, who helped sign Kidd-Gilchrist to Creative Arts Agency. Rich also represents the CAA interests of our boy Tristan Thompson too, while working with Leon Rose at CAA. I don't know for sure, but I believe the connection between Kidd-Gilchrist and Cleveland, a New Jersey native who played his college basketball in Kentucky, starts and ends with Paul. That being the reason MKG is working out here, over at Coach Jason Pecjak's gym in Beachwood. Leon Rose from CAA might have family here too or something I guess, but I don't think he does. Besides that, maybe getting away from family and friends is a good thing to do while focusing on preparing for the Draft, and maybe Northeast Ohio also provides that opportunity for MKG. Totally speculating on that however, and I suppose why he's here is not really important.


If he was able to end up staying, however, that would be pretty important for Cavs fans though. Joe asked me last night off the air who I think MKG compares to in the NBA, and I told him I didn't know. I still can't really think of a specific player that jumps out in my mind either to be honest. But what I do know, after talking through the potential and upside of a number of players on air last night, is that MKG is the most NBA-ready wing there is in the Draft right now. Other people know that too, I suppose, since he'll probably not fall any lower than 2nd overall, but I think that's the most encouraging thing about him to me as a player. Well that, and the fact that he's solid at both ends of the floor, in all phases of the game, and has demonstrated his ability to be a quality teammate too. He sacrificed shots and points to help a team that ended up winning the National Title, and that's a pretty mature thing for an 18-year old superstar capable of scoring 25 on anybody to do these days in the world of big-time basketball.

Bradley Beal's a real good player too, Harrison Barnes is a solid option in the top six, Andre Drummond is intriguing, and even Perry Jones III gives you reason to think for a minute as well. But MKG is just nasty, he's one step above everybody in this Draft class not named Anthony Davis, and I can't help but hope that him being here now is some type of omen from the Cavaliers basketball gods of what's to come moving forward. We'll find out for sure towards the end of this month I guess, and in the meantime I just hope he's enjoying his stay. If by chance you see him at Beachwood mall or something, be sure to make him feel welcome too.

In anticipation of the NBA Draft Lottery on May 30th, we will be profiling each of the top-10 players available in the NBA Draft from 10 to 1, discussing their strengths, weakness, and how each player could theoretically fit or not fit with the Cavaliers. For Tyler Zeller click here, Perry Jones III click here, and John Henson click here. Below is our profile on North Carolina's Harrison Barnes. 

To follow StepienRules.com contributor Nick Mancini on Twitter go here: @NickMance

No. 7 - Harrison Barnes, Sophomore, North Carolina; 2011-12 stats: 17.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 44% shooting.

The Cavs need a scorer. Harrison Barnes might be the best pure scorer in the entire draft. Seems like a match made in heaven, right?  After Barnes' freshman year, he was probably a top-5 pick in last year’s draft, a possibility for the Cavaliers at #4 even. But, Barnes decided to return the Chapel Hill for another go round.

Barnes showed in his two seasons that he could put the ball in the hole. At 6-8, he is as smooth as can be on the floor and makes scoring look effortless at times. He has a great midrange game and can definitely extend that range beyond the arc. Defensively, he has the tools to be a great defender at the next level. He is long and has the ability to stay with other wing players. But, for some reason this past season, many people wanted to look at Barnes’ shortcomings.

He has the knock of only being a good athlete. Scouts say he isn’t the greatest ball handler and is slightly one-dimensional. When UNC got to the NCAA Tournament, many people, including myself, had them winning it. Then injury struck and they lost starting point guard Kendall Marshall to a broken wrist. This only intensified the talk of Barnes being one-dimensional. The loss of an elite point guard showed that Barnes had trouble creating his own shot and needed someone to get him the ball.

In the two games he played without Marshall, Barnes was a combined 8-30 shooting, 2-14 from 3-point range. Does Barnes need a solid point guard to set him up? Maybe, but so do a lot of other player as well. And last time I checked, the Cavs have this kid named Kyrie Irving who might be able to help Barnes with that.

Despite what is said or written about Barnes, I think he fits very well with the Cavs and that they have to look at him. Unless they end up picking in the top 3. If they are sitting in the 4-6 range though, they would be hard pressed to find a guy to come in and be able to provide what he does.

Barnes would slide right into the 3, next to Irving and whoever is playing the 2 (O.J. Mayo anybody?) and be able to take some pressure off the offense. Teams would have to respect his shooting ability, which opens up the paint for Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao.

Simply put, I think the Cavs could do much worse than adding Barnes to a core of Irving, Thompson and Varejao.

Dan Gilbert had media availability earlier today at Cleveland Clinic Courts and I was there. Some interesting talking points or takeaways from his Q+A session included the fact that he felt that the Cavaliers "did make progress this season", the "two biggest examples of that progress" according to Dan were "Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson", and that he has "not studied or explored the idea of buying the Indians".  



Besides all that, he also talked about the NBA Draft Lottery later this month, along with revealing a philosophical shift within the Cavs organization since LeBron James left for Miami.



The Draft Lottery and Grounding Nick: Dan Gilbert said he's a real superstitious person when it comes to the Draft Lottery later this month. He said he is "trying to do everything the same as they did last year - same clothes, same people, same routine".  He said that other people have asked if they can come this season and he told them no. The same group that went last year, including Josh Cribbs, Joe Haden, Bernie Kosar and Nick Gilbert himself, will be the same people going again. The only new addition to that group will be Kyrie Irving, who was kinda already there too last season anyways I guess. Dan also said that if Nick Gilbert "doesn't win the first overall pick again this year, he will be grounded for the entire summer."




Building "With Superstars" as opposed to "Around Them": This was the major takeaway from Dan Gilbert's press conference for me. After replying to a question about what the organization has learned over the last couple seasons since "you know who left", Dan first joked: "You mean since Zendon Hamilton left?"  I laughed, because that was funny. What he went on to say from there was both interesting and revealing though, I thought. Dan Gilbert said that since that time, the organization has shifted their philosophy from generally "trying to build around superstars" to now trying "to build with them".  The "with", he noted, as opposed to the "around", was the important change in philosophy. I personally also think it's indicative of a franchise that is learning from the past, growing, and maturing as well. But I don't think most of my fellow bloggosists will ever give Dan Gilbert credit for something like that. Even though they maybe should.

In anticipation of the NBA Draft Lottery on May 30th, we will be profiling each of the top-10 players available in the NBA Draft from 10 to 1, discussing their strengths, weakness, and how each player could theoretically fit or not fit with the Cavaliers. For Tyler Zeller click here, and Perry Jones III click here. Below is our profile on North Carolina big man John Henson. 

To follow StepienRules.com contributor Nick Mancini on Twitter go here: @NickMance

No. 8 - John Henson, junior, North Carolina 2011-12: 13.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.9 bpg, 50% shooting 


John Henson intrigues me. Yet, he also screams Brandon Wright, a disappointing big man, also out of UNC, who has the same build and skill-set as Henson. But, I will take the intriguing side of Henson. Henson was an important cog in the UNC machine, as evidenced by their struggles when he was injured for three games this season. He was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and that is where he likely sticks out the most headed into the draft. 

Henson dominated the paint for the Tar Heels. He ranked 12th in the country in blocks per game and routinely had games of four and five blocks (he opened the season with a nine block performance). Henson is also a very strong rebounder. He posted 18 double-doubles and is able to use his 6-10 frame, which is extremely long, to grab boards. He is a superb athlete; something this draft is loaded with, and has a high motor. 

Offensively, he remains a slight work in progress. He has a great post game, but does not have much of a perimeter game. His athleticism allows him to finish strong around the rim and he is very much a finesse player. Another glaring weakness for Henson is his free throw shooting. He has improved his free throw shooting in each of his three seasons at UNC; raising it to 51 percent. Much like Tristan Thompson, he may not be able to on the court during crucial times, teams are smart enough to exploit those kinds of flaws. 

There is one thing Henson will need to do at the next level, much like his teammate Tyler Zeller needs to do, and that is to bulk up. Henson is a slight 220 pounds and at 6-10, he may have trouble guarding some of the thicker power forwards in the NBA. He is also an intriguing option for the Cavs though. Pairing him with Thompson gives Cleveland an uber-athletic frontline. But, that leaves a lot to be desired offensively, while neither of them will provide much outside the paint. 

Without much of a perimeter game, he may not make a solid choice for the Cavs. He definitely has the potential to become a threat if he can develop an outside game, but for the Cavs, I am not too sure they will be willing to wait for the payoff.

Joey Crawford is that old, bald, NBA referee who signals technical fouls with only his two index fingers. You already knew who I was talking about because you probably find him annoying, but I added his picture anyways just to make sure we're on the same page. 


Crawford's been blowing whistles and passing out tech's all over the League for the last 35 years, and he even tried to fight Tim Duncan once. In addition to all that, he also threw Cavalier Legends Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance out of a game in Cleveland way back in the day for laughing while they were sitting on the Cavs bench.



Crawford opened up about his career in the NBA in a New York Times article that ran over the weekend, and below is where Joey Crawford talks about launching Nance and Daugherty for the crime of laughing:

I can honestly say, I have no idea who I gave my first technical to. I have no idea. I gave so many of them. I hate to say it, but when I first started, it was like giving candy.

Once, I threw out Don Nelson for staring at me. He just folded his arms and looked at me. He called a timeout to do it. Looking back on it, I was not happy with that.

I have people in Cleveland who stop me at the airport and they say that they were there when I threw out Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance for laughing. They were sitting at the end of the bench. There was something that I did that they didn’t like and they wouldn’t stop, and I just went: “You want to go? Go. Go.” Boom. It wasn’t good.

One night, I hit Bill Fitch with a technical so hard, I broke my finger. My finger was all swollen. I slammed my whole hand down on it when I gave the signal. That’s why I changed my signal to a little one-finger tap — because I broke it once the old way.

Honestly, I think after that whole mess was the first time I called the sports psychologist.

What was particularly interesting for me when I read this story yesterday was that I just talked to a 20+ year Cavaliers season ticket holder two Saturday's ago named Barry who was seated courtside when Crawford launching these two guys for laughing went down. Barry told me this same story verbatim, and that was the first time I had heard it, or at least that I can remember hearing it, before reading it in the Times. 

Barry even mentioned that a heckel he shouted Crawford's way was why Nance and Daugherty started laughing. Frankly, I believed him too. Hopefully I can catch back up with Barry one of these days to talk more about all that.

In anticipation of the NBA Draft Lottery on May 30th, we will be profiling each of the top-10 players available, discussing strengths, weakness, and how each player could theoretically fit or not fit with the Cavaliers. We'll also be doing the same with the prospects ranked in the 20-30 range too, as an introductory preview to the options available to the Cavs for each of their two First Round Draft picks.

No. 9 - Perry Jones III, Sophomore, Baylor 2011-12 Season stats: 13.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 50% shooting


Oh, Perry Jones, you should be so much higher on this list. The fact you are only #9 baffles me for days. After Jones’s freshman season, he was a top-5 pick. But he chose to return to Baylor for his sophomore season, possibly holding out hope for an even higher slot in the following draft. Didn’t quite work out to plan though.

Nobody questions his ability, just the opposite. He might be the most talented player in this whole draft, and should be challenging Anthony Davis for the top pick. But, for some reason, he has stretches during games where he becomes more passive then LeBron during Game 5 against Boston. At 6-11, Jones plays much more like a wing than someone who should bang in the post. And maybe that is part of the problem; he might have been playing out of position at Baylor.

Jones can score from anywhere he wants to. He reminds me a lot of Lamar Odom, he has those point-forward qualities to him. He has a nice jumper that he can stretch out beyond the arc. Athletically, he is tough to top. He can jump out of the gym and runs the break effortlessly. He also has all the tools to become a solid defender; he is already an above average rebounder and shot blocker too.

Now, about that passiveness. I had no rooting interest in Baylor this past season and Jones frustrated me more than any player on my beloved Zags. Jones should have dominated competition, yet he didn’t. Jones entered the NCCA Tournament averaging 18 points and shooting 56% from the floor. So, he promptly scored 9 points and shoots 4-14 in his first two games. He just doesn’t have that killer instinct. He almost plays some games like he doesn’t care.

It is possible a coach can get that out of him in the NBA and I certainly hope for whoever picks him can do that. He is far too talented to not make it. I love Jones for the Cavs, but only in the right spot. I think he would make the perfect 3 on this team. He clearly has no interest in playing on the block and we have a glaring hole for another scorer on the perimeter.

Worst-case scenario and the Cavs end up picking six, I hope Chris Grant takes a long and hard look at Jones. Any higher and I think the Cavs would be hurting themselves (there are a few guys from Big Blue nation who make the Cavs a very dangerous team). But, Byron Scott is the coach I think could break through to Jones and get him to play like every basketball talking head knows he can.

For Part One with Tyler Zeller, click here. Follow Nick Mancini on Twitter @NickMance 

Over the weekend I was told by a reliable source that the Phoenix Suns are looking to offer Cleveland Cavaliers restricted free agent Alonzo Gee a multi-year contract in the $4 million per season range. I was also told that the Suns were in the lead for Gee's services right now too, and I posted my tweet from Saturday morning below. On Thursday, two days earlier, John Telich tweeted that he "heard at least three teams interested in Alonzo Gee of #Cavs, Phoenix, Minnesota, Detroit". My source didn't tell me who the Suns were in the lead over, but I assumed it meant Minnesota and Detroit with respect to what Telich had said previously. Regardless of what offers do eventually end up coming in for Gee though, the Cavaliers will have the opportunity to match since he is a Restricted Free Agent.

What my source also did not indicate was how many years the Phoenix Suns were looking to pay Alonzo somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 million guarunteed however. If I were to generally speculate, I'd imagine the life of this possible contract offer would end up somewhere around three to five years, but probably more like four. The how many years part will be tricky though, when it comes to deciding whether or not the Cavs would want to match a competing offer for him, whenever one does hypothetically come in. The right around $4 million annually doesn't really surprise me at all. Reserve rotation players, 7th, 8th, or 9th men in today's NBA with some promise moving forward, typically sign deals that pay somewhere around $4 million. Daniel Gibson, for example, made $4.4 million this season and will make $4.8 next year. Luke Walton made $5.7 this year, and will make just over $6 million next year too for some additional perspective. Gee is going to be a rotation player in the NBA somewhere next season, and he has demonstrated some promise to be sure moving forward. He's going to command those types of dollars.  


I think the Cavaliers would re-sign him for sure if the contract came in around $4 million over a guaranteed period of three years too. This is me speculating here, because again, my source did not tell me anything about the life of the hypothetical contract offer. To further speculate though, there's no way the Cavaliers would go as far as committing to Gee for as many as five seasons I wouldn't think, nor would I really think they should make that long-term of a committment either. I kinda doubt anyone else would go five years too for whatever that's worth, but four years guaranteed is probably what Gee will be looking for. I'd imagine teams will counter with three years guaranteed, and a club option for the fourth. I'm not sure the Cavaliers should go any further than matching a deal like that too. Four years guaranteed might be too many, and probably unnecessary. 

I'd be glad to run with Gee for the next three years however to be sure though. Alonzo averaged 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 29 minutes per game this season and he always played hard. He's a high flier at the rim, he's down to dig in defensively on anybody too, and maybe even more important than all of his athleticism is his work ethic. The position that Alonzo Gee has put himself in right now, coming up through the D-League, is called working your a*s off to achieve the American Dream. He's offered plenty of reason to believe he'll keep working hard from here too. That's important, and it's also important that Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson get along off the floor with Gee, and play well with him on it too. They do that, in both cases, and that's going to give plenty of reason for the Cavaliers to think long and hard about re-signing Gee. The money and cap space will be there for the Cavaliers to sign him if they want too, so we'll see what happens. If I find out anything else I'll be sure to let you know.

In anticipation of the NBA Draft Lottery on May 30th, we will be profiling each of the top-10 players in the NBA Draft, discussing strengths, weakness, and how each player could theoretically fit or not fit with the Cavaliers. We'll also be doing the same with the prospects ranked in the 20-30 range too, as an introductory preview to the options available to the Cavs for each of their two First Round Draft picks.

No. 10 - Tyler Zeller, senior, North Carolina 2011-12 Stats: 16.3 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.5 blocks, 55% shooting:



With the Cavs sitting with the third best odds entering the draft lottery, they will be picking no later than sixth. That almost ensures them of getting another scorer to go alongside Kyrie Irving. In looking at a few top 10 lists for draft prospects, they were all pretty similar, with a couple differences. Sitting at #10 is Tyler Zeller. The 7-footer out of North Carolina won the ACC Player of the Year and put together some solid numbers in his final season in Chapel Hill. And he still isn’t the most highly touted prospect in his family (younger brother Cody returned to Indiana for his sophomore season).

The elder Zeller elevated his draft stock his senior season. Offensively, he does most of his damage in half court sets in the post. He has a great motor; he runs the floor extremely well for his size and is able to finish at the rim at a high rate. Zeller also has a nice mid-range jump shot, though he didn’t get to use it much. A 7-footer with a mid range game and soft touch around the basket are always in demand. Zeller showed he is a very strong rebounder, as evidenced by 16 double-figure rebounding games too. He posted a 20-point, 22-rebound game in the Tar Heels’ Sweet 16 game against Ohio.

Defensively is where Zeller will need work. It is not that he is a bad defender, but for a 7-footer, he didn’t dominate the paint like he probably should have. He only averaged 1.5 blocks a game, which ranked 102nd in the nation. Athletically, he is above average in regards to running the floor on the break. But he won’t make jaws drop with an explosive vertical. He will also need to hit the weights, as he is not the strongest guy in the world right now. His frame has room to add some much needed muscle though.

For being generally ranked in the top 10, Zeller doesn’t project to be a star in the League. But, he is skilled enough offensively and has the tools to become a solid player for many teams. If somehow he ends up on the Cavs, he instantly gives them a low post presence offensively they haven’t had in a few seasons. He would allow Tristan Thompson to slide back over to his natural position. He would be a solid backup and probably the first big man off the bench, but let's be honest, after watching them this season, that wouldn’t be very hard to do.

I have tried to think a scenario where the Cavs grab Tyler Zeller, but I haven’t been able to. Zeller is a nice player, but for the Cavs, he isn’t a top five talent and he doesn’t play the position of greatest need; which everyone knows is a wing player. 

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Follow Nick Mancini on Twitter @NickMance