In addition to the 4th overall pick on June 28th, the Cleveland Cavaliers also own the 24th, 33rd, and 34th selections. In a continued look at who could be available in the late first round / early second for the Cavs, below is our latest on Tony Wroten from Washington. 

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

No. 21 – Tony Wroten Jr, Freshman, Washington; 2011-12 stats: 16 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 44% shooting


As another highly touted freshman, Tony Wroten Jr, put together a solid season before deciding to throw his name into the pool of Draft prospects. In doing my research on him, most mock drafts have Wroten landing in the mid to late first round, which is where I would have him pegged. In terms of basketball and pure talent, Wroten might be a top 10-guy. He's a strong and physical point guard, and at 6-6 he has the chance to overpower some guards in the NBA as soon as he steps onto the court.

He gets to the rim at a relentless pace and finished at a high rate. Like Marquis Teague, he has incredible court vision for such a young player. Being a 6-6 point guard, its gives him a great advantage when he will have a height advantage on many of his adversaries. Along with his vision, he is also a great passer. Those are skills that are going to be his best entering the NBA.

Last night I stopped by the Word Church in Warrensville Heights for opening night of the Dru Joyce Summer League. Tons of Cleveland area basketball legends were in the building, with games going on two courts starting at 630.

For the 830 game, the great Earl Boykins came through and matched-up against Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis. Cleveland's own Chet Mason had his team playing on the opposite court earlier when things tipped off at 630. Mason had former Kent State alum's Nate Gerwig and John Edwards on his squad. Tony Fisher, owner of a couple Super Bowl rings, played in the 730 game. Sam Clancy, the former Player of the Year in the PAC-10 from USC, also played at 730.

Then at 9:30 the NBA Rookie of the Year came through to close things down for the night.


Kyrie Irving put on a show for the couple hundred fans in attendance. His team played against Ohio State great and future NBA player David Lighty, who also did his part for the fans gathered around the sidelines. Lighty mixed in a couple high flying dunks with some long-range bombs from the corner, and I continue to think the Cavs would be well-served by signing Lighty to a FA deal next season. There was one stretch in the game where Irving took the ball three times into the far corner himself, crossed his guy over a couple times, stepped back, and drilled a three on consecutive trips. That series alone was enough to make me willing to pay to get in, despite the free admission.


In a setting like that, you really do get a greater appreciation for just how ridiculous Kyrie Irving's handles are. The jumpshot is pure as ever, but I've really never seen anything like the way he handles the basketball. It's like there are magnets in his hand that pull the ball back into his palm no matter where he bounces it. Or something like that, I thought last night as I stood watching. Irving's team ended up winning the game 82-77, with he and Lighty scoring the majority of their team's points. Reggie Keely from Ohio University looked pretty tough as well, playing on Kyrie's team in that last game of the night. Marcus Johnson from St. V's and Andre Pope from Kennedy also played in the night-cap with Irving and Lighty. Uncle Drew was not in attendance.

Put this on your calendars: Cavs Draft Tweet-Up June 28th at Mullarkey's Irish Pub with the Social Dudes - hope you can make it!

In addition to the 4th overall pick on June 28th, the Cleveland Cavaliers also own the 24th, 33rd, and 34th selections. In a continued look at who could be available in the late first round / early second for the Cavs, below is our latest on Fab Melo from Syracuse. 

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

No. 22 – Marquis Teague, Freshman, Kentucky 2011-12 stats: 10 ppg, 4.8 apg, 41% shooting


Tyreke Evans. Derrick Rose. John Wall. John Calipari knows how to recruit and develop point guards, and Marquis Teague is no different. Teague is going to be one of at least five Kentucky players to be drafted in the first round. And for good reason; he has a chance to be a special guard in the NBA.

Playing in Kentucky’s uptempo style was perfect for Teague’s skill-set. He is an amazingly fast point guard, as was Wall and Rose for Calipari. He might have been one of the fastest guards in the nation last season with the ball in his hand. With the NBA becoming such a guard oriented League now, Teague’s skills will fit in nicely.

Offensively, he does most of his damage attacking the basket. He has a blazing fast first step and he is able to finish at the rim with ease. For such a young point guard, he has great court vision. It will only get better as he matures. Teague does lack a consistent jump shot, but coming out of college, so did Rose and Wall.

Prior to the NBA Lottery, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was unanimously considered the second best prospect available in this year's Draft. I therefore concluded that if Cleveland lost out on Anthony Davis, the Cavaliers would need the second overall pick in order to acquire the services of his running-mate from Kentucky. Upon the ping pong balls eventual announcement, I initially thought they'd need to then trade up to two in order to land MKG. Then I decided there was no telling what Michael Jordan would do with his pick. I then began to think the Bobcats could go any number of directions at two, allowing MKG to still maybe slide to the Cavs at four.

According to a report from the Chicago Tribune this weekend, there's still good reason to think that's possible:

Bobcats will either draft Harrison Barnes, Thomas Robinson, or Bradley Beal (h/t SLAMonline):

“One major problem for Jordan is that his team needs help at a lot of positions. According to several NBA front-office execs, [Michael] Jordan is deciding whether to take North Carolina small forward Harrison Barnes, Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson or Florida shooting guard Bradley Beal with the No. 2 pick. ’It’s a good draft, but there is just one star,’ one NBA executive said. ‘But there are kids in this draft who could be in the league for 10 years and be nice players.’”

If Charlotte does go with either Barnes, Robinson, or Beal at two, things could get cray. Pro Basketball Draft has MKG going third to Washington, with the Cavaliers choosing Beal over Barnes (5th to SAC), and Draft Express has it the same. NBADraft.Net, as a third example, actually has the Cavaliers deciding between all three of those guys - picking Barnes (4th) over Kidd-Gilchrist (5th to SAC) AND Beal (7th to GSW). As I told my man Joe Lull when I joined him on 92.3 FM The Fan in Cleveland on Friday night, my Cavaliers draft board continues to read MKG, Beal, Barnes - in that order. In saying as much, I had almost convinced myself that Cleveland wouldn't actually end up with an opportunity to totally decide between the three. I was beginning to assume that MKG and Beal would be off the board, leaving the Cavs with Harrison Barnes. That might not actually be the case however, especially if Charlotte goes Robinson at two. Which they very well could.

In addition to the 4th overall pick on June 28th, the Cleveland Cavaliers also own the 24th, 33rd, and 34th selections. In a continued look at who could be available in the late first round / early second for the Cavs, below is our latest on Fab Melo from Syracuse. 

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

No. 23 – Fab Melo, Sophomore, Syracuse; 2011-12 stats: 7.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.9 bpg, 56% shooting


When Syracuse announced Fab Melo was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament this season, it pretty much marked the end of his career for the Orange. He was the anchor of Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone. Melo has potential, All-Star potential possibly, but it may take a few years for him to reach it. Almost all of Melo’s positive skills come on the defensive end.

As one of the few legit seven footers in the draft, the scouts love his defensive presence that he brings to the table. He clearly has great size and is athletic enough to keep up defensively. He is a great rebounder and solid shot blocker. He will have no problem translating that to defensive success in the NBA. For a guy his size, he also has great mobility. When he is motivated, he can be a real force. He is able to run the floor well and finish at the rim on the break. But after that, his offensive skills really drop off.

Melo is a project on the offensive end and most people know it. It is kind of puzzling to know he is one of the rare seven footers in college hoops, yet he was only able to muster up 7.8 points a game. He has no go-to post move and was wildly inconsistent. Most of his baskets came from cuts to the basket and offensive put backs. He also had issues with academic eligibility this past season. It might not be a huge deal in the NBA, but I would imagine teams would prefer a player who is able to stay academically eligible during the season.

In all the mock drafts I have looked at, the majority have Melo landing in Cleveland. I wouldn’t mind that either. Let’s be realistic, Anderson Varejao plays so hard that his body is breaking down. We all saw our lack of depth at the center position last season. Melo will take some time to develop offensively, no doubt, but he could come in and be a solid contributor defensively.

BREAKING NEWS: We are excited to announce that we will be teaming up with CLEVELAND.COM for the Cavs Draft Tweet-Up at Mullarkey's Irish Pub on Thursday night. From 6:30 to 7:30pm I will be joining Cleveland.com Sports Producer Glenn Moore in a broadcast streamed live on Cleveland.com breaking down the NBA Draft. We will take that through the Cavaliers first pick (4th overall) which is expected to be around 7:30. The show format will be similar to our critically acclaimed Cavs Draft Lottery show from Cadillac Ranch in Cleveland a few weeks ago, also streamed live on Cleveland.com. Our one hour show will be broadcasted throughout Mullarkey's as well. We will be taking questions, responding to tweets, as well as interacting in the chat room. It should be a lot of fun, big thanks to Cleveland.com for jumping on board with us!

Summary of Current Itinerary: Cavs Draft Tweet-Up officially starts at 6:30. Cleveland.com broadcast will be from 6:30 - 7:30. From approximately 7:30 to 8:30 we will be doing a Cavs Trivia Contest through Twitter. I talked to my guys @VerizonAl and @TMadCLE from TheSocialDudes.com today and the prizes will be really awesome. I'll have more details on all that tomorrow. Hit me up on Twitter if you have any questions in the meantime...hope you can make it!

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In response to the great turn-out and tremendous time we had last year with the Stepien Rules Draft Party at Mullarkey's Irish Pub in Downtown Willoughby, we'll be running it back again in a couple weeks on June 28th in celebration of Draft night.

This year we will be hosting a Cavs Draft Tweet-Up in conjunction with our good friends @VerizonAl and @TMadCLE from TheSocialDudes.com. It should be an awesome Cavaliers Draft Party, arguably the best one ever, and we'd be thrilled if you had a chance to stop by.

Festivities begin one hour before the Draft and will continue until its conclusion. Mullarkey's Irish Pub in Downtown Willoughby will be providing Free Pizza and Free Appetizers throughout the Tweet-Up, in addition to Miller Light Draft's for $1.75. Pretty solid deals.

We will be hosting an interactive Cavaliers Trivia Contest as well, and giving away promotional items throughout the Tweet-Up.

If you're an out-of-town Cavs fan you can still participate in the Cavaliers Trivia Contest on Twitter, but you will need to be at Mullarkey's in order to claim your prizes.

You will also need be there for the Free Food and $1.75 Miller Light Drafts.

Hit me up on Twitter if you can make it.  

If you have any questions feel free to let me know on that too...more details coming as we get closer to Draft Night!

In addition to the 4th overall pick on June 28th, the Cleveland Cavaliers also own the 24th, 33rd, and 34th selections. In a continued look at who could be available in the late first round / early second for the Cavs, below is our latest on Quincy Miller from Baylor. Our previous posts in this series on Andrew Nicholson, Will Barton, Draymond Green, Jeff Taylor, Evan Fournier and Royce White can be found here, here, here, here here and here.

No. 24 – Quincy Miller, freshman, Baylor; 2011-12 stats: 10.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 44% shooting


Originally announcing he was returning to Baylor for his sophomore season, Quincy Miller flipped the switch a few weeks later and decided to enter the Draft. Miller might have been better going with his initial decision, as another season in Waco might have given him the chance to show what he is capable of. Since he didn’t, lets talk about what he was able to do.

Despite tearing his ACL his senior year of high school, Miller was able to begin the season on time. He was a very highly touted recruit and had a fairly solid freshman campaign. Miller is a very versatile forward. At 6-10, he has some great skills for a guy his size. He can score from anywhere he wants on the floor; he has a nice jumper and also the ability to play on the block. He has the athleticism to take his man off the dribble as well. He has all the tools to become a real player in the NBA.

I was in my car for most of the last two days. I drove to Washington DC on Monday, then down to Carolina yesterday. Much of that ride I spent trying to understand how LeBron James could team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and be getting 5 points in an NBA game against anybody. It seemed unfathomable to me until I watched Russell Westbrook play last night. He completely overwhelmed the Heat with his athleticism, and they have absolutely no answer for his speed. He looked more athletic than the most athletic person I'd ever seen in my life. Kevin Durant, at the same time, looked like basketball's version of an assassin. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh didn't appear to be enough help for LeBron James. Somewhere, I concluded, Mo Williams and Delonte West were snickering. Vegas was right again, Miami certainly needed the points.


I also spent some time thinking about the okCLEhoma and okCLE monikers. I thoroughly believe they're lame, but I also think telling anybody how to cheer is even more lame. Cavs for Mavs was conveniently unforced. It made sense at the time. These two names, while clever to a degree, they just aren't for me. Oklahoma City and their same shirt wearing diehard fans of five years don't need my support either. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant got this. If they need help, James Harden, Serge Ibacka, Thabo Sefalosha, Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collision and Derek Fisher can do more than I can. Additionally, those guys can and will also do much more than Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, and Joel Anthony. I don't need to cheer for any of that, it's going the way I hoped it will regardless.

Danny Ferry is being targeted by Sixers: Danny Ferry was a legendary role player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was also the unfortunate end of arguably the worst trade in franchise history during his playing days. This, however, has led to an acute understanding as an NBA Executive of what type of players you should not trade for. That knowledge has had his name surfacing in General Manager talks since he stepped down from his post with the Cavaliers back in the summer of LeBron. He's currently working in the San Antonio Spurs front office, but according to Woj, Doug Collins wants him bad in Philly. Can't say I blame him either.


Here's what Adrian Wojnarwoski reported on it yesterday: "Danny Ferry, a front-office executive with the San Antonio Spurs, met with 76ers owners in Philadelphia over the weekend to discuss a president/general manager’s job, sources said. Ferry has emerged as the frontrunner for the position, but still hasn’t been sold that the possible job structure makes sense for him to depart a comfortable situation under Spurs GM RC Buford. Collins has been a strong advocate for Ferry’s candidacy, sources said."

As always, Danny Ferry holds all the cards. He'll take that job if he wants it, more on this once he decides.

David Lighty will make an NBA Team this season:

In addition to the 4th overall pick on June 28th, the Cleveland Cavaliers also own the 24th, 33rd, and 34th selections. In a continued look at who could be available in the late first round / early second for the Cavs, below is our latest on Evan Fournier from France. Our previous posts in this series on Andrew Nicholson, Will Barton, Draymond Green, Jeff Taylor and Evan Fournier can be found here, here, here, here and here.

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

No. 25 – Royce White, Sophomore, Iowa State; 2011-12 stats: 13.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, 53% shooting


I really like Royce White. He can do it all, and aside from his unorthodox nature, some team is going to find themselves with a very good player. At 6-8, 260 pounds, White may be a bit of a tweener. But, the fact is he is just a good basketball player. He is very physical on the court and can hold his own athletically. His athleticism will almost sneak up on you sometimes. I really like him at the 3 in the NBA; I think he has the skills to be able to play there, while also sliding to the 4 if needed.

Offensively, he can score from anywhere on the court. Inside or outside, White is a very adept scorer. He has decent range, but only attempted twelve 3-pointers all season, making four. He is very crafty around the rim, and has a great post game. At 6-8, he is a superb passer and ball handler. The Cyclones saw themselves with White facilitating the offense. His court vision is off the charts and he could really be a point forward in the NBA.

Players with his size and skills don’t come around often. A downside offensively is his shooting. While he has solid range, he can be inconsistent. Also, only 12 threes isn’t a big problem, but if he wants to be able to play small forward, he will need to become a more consistent shooter and extend his range. White is probably one of the most interesting players in the whole draft.

He does come with some risk, which is why he could be available late in the first round. He was dismissed from the University of Minnesota for off-the-court issues, which is how he ended up at Iowa State. He also suffers from an anxiety disorder and he has a serious fear of flying. Teams will definitely have to do their homework on him leading up to the Draft.

I would love to see White in the Wine and Gold. I think he would be great coming off the bench, being able to play either the 3 or 4 for Cleveland. Placed in the right spot, White can thrive. I think the Cavs would be a great team for White to land on and I think he fits in perfectly as a scoring 3 coming off the bench.

In addition to the 4th overall pick on June 28th, the Cleveland Cavaliers also own the 24th, 33rd, and 34th selections. In a continued look at who could be available in the late first round / early second for the Cavs, below is our latest on Evan Fournier from France. Our previous posts in this series on Andrew Nicholson, Will Barton, Draymond Green and Jeff Taylor can be found here, here, here and here.

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

No. 26 – Evan Fournier, France; 2011-12 stats: 14 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 42% shooting


Last year, I bought into the international hype. From Enes Kanter to Jonas Valanciunas to Jan Vesely, I beat the drum on all three of them to end up in Cleveland. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

Kanter and Vesely were minimal contributors this past season, and the Raptors are still working to get Valanciuns to the NBA. This year, there isn't as much hype surrounding the list of overseas draft candidates. The guy who is at the top of everyone’s list in that category is Evan Fournier though, a guard/forward from France.

Now, admittedly, I know little to nothing about this guy. Some of his highlights on YouTube weren’t the greatest either. But I will try my best here.

From what I can gather, Fournier is a smooth player and a solid scorer. At 19, he will be one of the youngest players in the draft. He was playing at one of the highest levels in France, and he was producing solid numbers. He is great at getting to the rim and has nice ball handling skills for a 6-7 forward. He has a good jumper as well, which he mainly uses in the midrange game.