In the latest issue of SLAM Magazine, a whole bunch of NBA players reflect on their experience of being on the magazine's cover for the first time. 

I reached out to Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tyler Zeller, who was featured on the cover of SLAM 153 in 2011 along with his North Carolina teammates Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, Dexter Strickland and John Henson, for his perspective. 

Below is the quote from Zeller included in SLAM 170: 

"It was a great honor to be on the cover because I was on it with my teammates. It represented how our success was so closely tied to our chemistry and playing as a group together. The photo shoot was a lot of fun and we had a great time doing it.”

The cover he was referencing is after the jump.

From the Cleveland Cavaliers Wine & Gold United Event, to joining Joe Lull in studio on CBS Cleveland's 92.3 FM The Fan, I had a great time talking Cavs and NBA Draft on Wednesday.

The Wine & Gold United's "Drafts Before the Draft" event was attended by over 200 passionate Cavs season ticket holders who were invited by the team to Oak Barrel Restaurant.

It was a great event to be a part of that really did have a genuine, community feel to it.       

Seated on a panel alongside Sam Amico, Joe Gabriele and Scott Sargent, the NBA talk was fun and engaging. 

When I noticed Mike Polk Jr. in the front row, though, I admittedly became nervous about the possibility of him making fun of us. He was nice enough not to, however, which I appreciated. 

The most interesting part of the discussion, in my opinion at least, was that each of us on the panel all had a different answer for the Cavaliers at No. 1 overall. 

Danny Green is starting for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

He connected on 10-of-15 shots in his first two games while averaging 14.5 points on the series.

Each time he touches the basketball, though, my mind inevitably drifts into a one-sided conversation about the importance of fit and confidence in determining individual NBA success.

Green, for example, did not fit in the Cleveland Cavaliers' rotation when he first arrived in 2009.

LeBron James was at one wing, Delonte West and Anthony Parker were at the other, and Green played in only 20 games as a rookie.

His confidence suffered as a result and he was later cut by the Cavaliers. 

What Green told me about his process of eventually breaking back into the league when we spoke last summer, though, is something important to consider when evaluating the prospects in this year's NBA Draft. 

Below is an excerpt of our conversation from July.

Leading up to the 2013 NBA Draft on June 27, Nick Mancini will be profiling the top 20 players available. The Cleveland Cavaliers currently own pick Nos. 1, 19, 31 and 33. Follow Nick on Twitter @nickmance.  

No. 18. Sergey Karasev – Europe 6’-7”, SF

2013 stats (Triumph Moscow) – 16 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.4 apg

For the first time in a few drafts, there could be as many as six international players selected in the first round. The first to enter our top-20 list is Sergey Karasev, the 19-year-old wing out of Russia.

In a couple mock drafts released over the past few days, Karasev has been linked to Cleveland with the Cavs' second first round pick. At No. 19 overall, he is certainly a very intriguing prospect.

Karasev is a smooth wing with a high basketball IQ. He led Russia’s top league in scoring this past season, showing great maturity in his game for only being 19. He has a knack for getting to the rim and an ability to finish with either hand. He never seems to be playing too fast and is always under control.

Below is some footage of Karasev at the 2013 Nike Hoops Summit, courtesy of City League Hoops:

For his size, Karasev has excellent floor vision and can really pass. In a pinch, he might even be able to slide over and play NBA minutes at the point guard spot. He's been compared to Toni Kukoc (I know, totally random), with the ability to stretch defenses and still be able to get to the rack.

A friend who is not from Cleveland sent me a text message this week.

He wrote: Dion Waiters thinks Cavs are a 6-seed next year. 

I responded: Yeah I saw that. 

He then added two of those cartoon emoticons to suggest he was laughing so hard he was crying. 

I then concluded the conversation with: I think it's awesome DW said that. 

The quotes we were discussing--in case you missed it while consumed in NBA Draft, NBA Finals and Larry Nance Jr. talk--were published on Thursday.

Dion Waiters was celebrity judging a dunk contest in Philadelphia. A reporter asked him how good he thought the Cavaliers would be next season.

His response was as follows according to Jake Fisher at SLAMonline.com.

“We don’t want to settle for no 7- or 8-seed,” Waiters said. “We could probably be a 6-seed or something like that. We just got to work hard and believe in each other and have each other’s backs and just play.”

When asked what he thinks the Cavs will do with the No. 1 pick, Waiters said, “I don’t know; I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to anybody on the team about it. But we definitely want somebody who’s a winner and is going to come in and help us win.”

People who don't live in Cleveland, like my friend, might not fully understand why Cavs fans could appreciate this type of commentary.

Is the No. 6 seed realistic in 2013-14? Who knows and who cares at this point. What's important, at least to me, is that Waiters believes in himself and his teammates enough to go on the record and suggest as much. 

I'm not trying to come off all Rhonda Byrne-ish here either, but this type of attitude is where actual winning begins.

Larry Nance Jr. is a 6'8" forward who started 33 games as a sophomore for Wyoming in 2012-13.

He averaged 10.7 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting a team-high 53 percent from the field.

Nance also posted 17 games in double-figure points, finishing the season ranked in the top 10 of six Mountain West Conference statistical categories.

So yes, the Northeast Ohio native from Revere High School is a flat-out baller whose dunks have already been featured on college basketball's dunk of the year lists.

In addition to all that, though, he is also a Cleveland Cavaliers fan.

Like a true, die-hard Cavs fan.

After spending this past season competing against future first round draft picks like Anthony Bennett of UNLV, Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State and others from the Mountain West Conference--while also leading his team to a second-straight 20-win season--we thought it would be good to catch up with Larry and talk all things basketball.

The son of Cavaliers legend Larry Nance broke down his past season, along with talking NBA Draft, life as a Cavs fan and dunking.
 

Stepien Rules: How did last season go for you and how are you feeling heading into next year?

Larry Nance Jr: I feel really good. I think last year was a success for us for the most part. We started off 13-0 as one of the hottest teams in the nation, but then we lost our best player to an off-the-court issue. Other than that, though, we had a very good season. Another 20-win season, so we're pretty proud of that. 

SR: Now that your season is over, and you're watching the NBA playoffs, what type of motivation does it give you and your teammates to see guys like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard from your conference advancing as far as they have?

LN: It gives us a lot of motivation. It just goes to show that you don't have to be a powerhouse school like Carolina or Duke to produce the players who have a chance to play in the NBA Finals. Paul George from Fresno, Kawhi from San Diego, Danny Granger from New Mexico, they're all definitely guys that we look up to and say it's possible we can be there one day.

SR: Speaking of some future NBA guys from the Mountain West, Cavs fans are hearing the names Anthony Bennett and Jamaal Franklin a lot lately. What can you tell fans about those two guys from playing against them this year?

LN: Anthony Bennett is one of the best offensive players I've ever played against or had the opportunity to see. He can score from the three or off-the-dribble, whether it be a pull-up or catch-and-shoot. He's just the real deal. Jamaal Franklin is a little bit of an undersized guy, but for him, it's just about how hard he plays. He's playing harder than everybody else, just working 100 percent all of the time. 

SR: You were a Cavs fan growing up, right? Still representing out there in Wyoming?

LN: Absolutely. I'm a huge supporter. 

SR: From that perspective, as a fan, are there any guys in particular you'd like to see Cleveland draft? Is Bennett possibly an option at the top of the board?

Leading up to the 2013 NBA Draft on June 27, Nick Mancini will be profiling the top 20 players available. The Cleveland Cavaliers currently own pick Nos. 1, 19, 31 and 33. Follow Nick on Twitter @nickmance.

No. 19. Jamaal Franklin – San Diego State, Junior 6’-5”, SG

2013 stats – 17 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.3 apg

Stop me if you've heard this before; a super athletic wing prospect who is a great slasher and can get to the rim but lacks a consistent jumper. It seems like every year there are these types of players in the draft.

This year we have Jamaal Franklin out of San Diego St. Franklin is a 6'5" shooting guard who was probably playing out of position for the Aztecs; he primarily played the 3 in college. He was Mr. Everything for SDSU, too, maybe even a poor man's version of Indiana star Victor Oladipo.

Alex Raffalli is a writer for BasketAmericain.com and is the creator of PodCAVS, a podcast about the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Henceforth, for your infotainment and on a regular basis, I will be interviewing him in an ongoing never ending interview/conversation about various topics impacting the Cavs.  

Nerlens Noel is the concensus top pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.  However, there are concerns about Noel being selected with the first pick, due to a torn ACL in his left knee during his freshman season at the University of Kentucky, the NBA-readiness of his body and his basketball skill level on offense.   These are serious concerns.   

After the lottery, in which the Cavaliers won the top overall pick, Alex began researching Noel and these issues.  

Nerlens Noel can palm two basketballs.  He has 7'4" wingspan.  That's a loooong wingspan. (Hoop365.com)

1. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO RESEARCH NERLENS NOEL?

Let's see. I have probably spent a total of 30 hours since the Cavs won the Lottery reading everything that has ever been written about Noel and that is available to me on the internet.

THAT’S IT?

That's a lot by the way.  Unfortunately, there is not a lot of film available given he only played 765 minutes of basketball in college, but I've watched as much film of him. I don't consider myself a great talent evaluator, so I would say watching the film was more to get confirmation of what I read all over the internet about Noel's impact once he plays in the NBA.

2.  WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF NERLENS NOEL AS A PLAYER AT THE NBA LEVEL?

I expect Nerlens Noel to be one of the most dominant defensive players of his generation. He has all the tools to be a stopper like the Cavs have never had inside. I'll go as far as saying that Noel could very well end up leading the league in steals AND blocks. He can defend all the way to the three point line. Has mesmerizing quickness off his feet and quick hands as well, and under the patronage of Mike Brown I have no doubt he'll become such a good pick & roll defender that he will make Kyrie Irving look good on defense. Having such a player is a game changer in the NBA. The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the best defenses in the league just because they have Larry Sanders inside. Noel will be even better than Sanders at protecting the rim.

As a defensive anchor, and a guy who will lead by example, Noel will not be a star the way NBA players usually become stars (by scoring an insane amount of points) but will make watching Cavs basketball that much more fun. When it comes to the 2013 Draft, I think Nerlens Noel will be the best player in this class ten years from now. There is sort of an uncertainty around him (only played 27 games, torn ACL, no offensive game at this point) but I think he will overcome that and be remembered as the consensus number one pick he should be today.