This is – hopefully – the last Draft Lottery piece I’ll be writing that provokes a strong interest from us Cavs fans. I wanna be done with it, I’m sick of waiting for the numbers to be drawn and finding out where the Cavaliers are picking.

I’ve had enough, it’s over with now. Send the memo to Kyrie, Coach Brown and co. that this is the last year I want to be in the lottery before Kyrie actually turns into Uncle Drew for real. But seeing as we do have a keen interest in this draft – spots 1-5 could be real good real fast – it’s time for me to dust off my keyboard and crack out my usual three or four pieces on the draft.

We’ll hold off on the Mock Draft until we find out who's picking where and when; today we’ll focus strictly on certain types of players. I’ve broken it down into five sections:

1) Absolutely, positively no regrets in taking this guy.
2) Not our first choice, but I’m happy with this pick
3) I’ve got concerns, so I’ll take him late lottery
4) Red Flag Alert, call the Pentagon

And my own personal favorite section, “If we don’t pick him, he’s going to turn around and bite us in the ass down the line”, otherwise known as the Andre Drummond section.

Before we start, let’s get it clear here by clarifying that this draft isn’t as weak as people are saying it is. Sure there isn’t an out-and-out franchise player here – we need to wait for 2014 for those guys – but there are at least 8 guys who will come in straight away and play, and play well.

And besides, in the last five drafts, how many true franchise-level guys have we unearthed? I think there is anything from 2 to 5 All-Stars in this draft and I really believe that. Anyways, let’s get the ball rolling…

“Section One – Absolutely, positively no regrets in taking this guy”

Nerlens Noel

Let’s start with what he can’t do–it’ll be easier. He can’t make free throws, he can’t shoot and he’s pretty raw in the post. Now, as for what he can do, well…he’s a monster inside as a shot blocker/rim protector. His leaping ability and intuitiveness for snuffing out shots is already at a very high NBA level, and with seasoning he’ll only get better.

He doesn’t bite on pump fakes as much as you’d think, and he’s got very quick hands that helped him to rack up two steals per game in college. He will get called a lot for reaching in when he’s starting out in the pros, but again, with seasoning and the steep learning curve he’ll face he will learn and will improve. If you’re a team in need of defense, athleticism, intensity on the boards and a leader in the middle he’s your guy.

I’d argue that there are only five NBA centers right now I’d rather have than Noel for the next 3-6 years. And even then, five might be pushing it. He’s an absolute stud, and I’m going to go as far as saying he’s a “can’t miss” prospect. He’ll be the number one pick, that’s for sure. I’d love for the Cavs to luck out (again) and end up choosing first, but it’s probably going to be Orlando. So start looking for suitors for Nikola Vucevic cause Noel should be let loose from day one, and by day one I mean when he’s ready to roll after the ACL injury. I said I’d keep that bit til last.

Ben McLemore

As a freshman on a national title contender, McLemore was, at times, jaw-droppingly good at Kansas. Remember his 30-point game against rivals Kansas State? Or his whichever-you-want-I-don’t-care-I’m-scoring-anyway performance against West Virginia? The kid can flat out score the crap out of the basketball–and has a tendency to do so at an efficient rate.

He has next-level athletic ability and will be a monster in the open court from day one as a pro. His gaudy college shooting percentages will naturally drop his rookie year, but when he fully figures himself – and his game – out, this guy could be pretty good.

Player A – 32 minutes a game, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and a 50-42-87 shooting line

Player B – 34 minutes a game, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and a 45-34-77 shooting line

Player A is Ben McLemore, Player B is Bradley Beal. The same Bradley Beal scouts were enamored with in the buildup to last years draft and the same Bradley Beal who had pro executives drooling over his potential when he played this season without John Wall by his side. Bradley Beal is a damn good rookie and will have a very good NBA career – but Ben McLemore could be special, real special. That’s the difference.

So the season officially ended with the firing of the old coach Byron Scott and the rehiring of the older coach Mike Brown.  There’s a lot to look back on in one of the most disappointing seasons in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise.   Records were broken through the Byron Scott Era, all of which are the kind of records you wouldn’t want your favorite team to be responsible for. 

Rather than list these, we conducted the following interviews of Brendan Bowers, editor in chief of Stepien Rules, and Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  However, rather than interrupting Dan Gilbert to answer the questions, I took the liberty of answering them on his behalf.

So again, Brendan Bowers answered 5 questions on behalf of Stepien Rules:

1.  What is your guarantee as to when the Cavs will contend for the playoffs?

My guarantee that the Cavaliers will contend for the playoffs is the 2014-15 campaign. My hope is that they compete in 2013-14. My primary concern at this point, while I believe that Mike Brown will improve the team defensively--assuming he is eventually hired--is whether or not this new group of Cavaliers--who did not play for Mike Brown before--are able to learn and adapt to his system defensively in time to compete this season. The offense, while that is his weakness so to speak, I'm not as concerned about. Kyrie Irving, like LeBron James before him, will make the offense palatable in my opinion.

2.  Was Kyrie Irving better at anything in his second year than his first year?  What part of his game improved?

I think he was obviously better collectively, but if I had to pick one aspect of his game it was his ball-handling. Brandon Knight is among those that would agree to the fact, I believe, that Irving is the best ball handler in the ENTIRE LEAGUE. His crossover move is the UTEP Two Step of this generation, and I expect his ball handling to become universally celebrated along the same way that Vince Carter's leaping ability was celebrating during the 1990s.

3.  How will Mike Brown help this team?

He will create a defensive identity this team didn't have prior to his arrival. That much we can be assured of. The major obstacle there, however, is how well his superstar is able to play defense. Mike Brown got LeBron James to not only buy into his defensive philosophies, but also use his insane athletic abilities to play defense--the passing lanes specifically. Kyrie Irving is also a superstar, but he's not the same type of superstar that James was. I'm sure he'll be able to get Irving to buy in, but I'm not sure how effective he'll be at the point of attack. We haven't seen Kyrie play defense yet.

4.  What disappointed you the most during the 2012-13 season?

Besides the injuries, the month of April disappointed me the most. I feel like everybody gave up, not just the players on Byron Scott.

5.  How will Dan Gilbert be able to keep himself from forcing moves to get the team into the playoffs in 2014?

I'm not sure. I think hiring Mike Brown, is a move that Gilbert feels gets his team into the 2014 playoffs so maybe he's already started. Chris Grant will have to convince him why investing major dollars in an aging free agent like Paul Millsap or Andre Igoudala is the wrong idea this summer and it might be difficult. Notice I didn't say Al Jefferson there. If the white flag is waved on James in 2014, a move like that might be imminent. So to answer your question, maybe he won't be stopped from doing so.

Then I answered 5 questions on behalf of Dan Gilbert, who is the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers:

1. Why did you fire Mike Brown in 2009?

Well, according to one reporter, after Game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals - while jeers and boos were hailstorming down from the Cleveland crowd on the then NBA MVP for quitting in the game, the mother of one of the players on the team at that time approached former Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Fratello and said “F**k Mike Brown!! F**k Danny Ferry!!  F**k this place!!” and offered Fratello the Cavs head coaching job.   I don’t think I need to tell you that the “**” in that answer are “uc” and by "this place", mommers meant “Cleveland, Ohio”.  Although the team contemplated making her the GM and allowing her to make the head coaching decision, unfortunately Fratello was not available because he was too busy complaining that Crostatas Pizza does not offer pepperoni as a topping.

2. What has changed about Mike Brown in 2013 that makes him the best fit for this franchise?

A policy decision was made within the organization to stop allowing personnel decisions to be made by player’s mothers.  The organization has also contemplated not inviting high school teammates of players to the organization’s Summer League team, ride on team planes, to dictate the number of days the team spends on road trips in certain cities, and providing concierge service to mothers of players who are involved in DUI arrests.

3. Does Mike Brown have to take this team to the playoffs in 2013?

No since we’re committed to a rebuild which will probably end up taking half a decade.   Also I love the guy since he is the best at job interviews of any person ever.   We’re probably going to bronze that spit cup one day.  Hang it up in the rafters, you know.

4. How do you respond to the argument that Mike Brown is the only coach in NBA history to have failed to win an NBA championship w/ LeBron James and Kobe Bryant?

Real funny question Bowers.  You read that thing I wrote before?  The one dude you referenced in your question, he quit on the team in two series, 2009 and 2010.  So Mike Brown, technically would have two rings if that hadn’t happened.   Kobe Bryant probably would have won a ring thing year, but they fired Mike Brown before he could get the job done.  Looks like the Lakers are down two games right now.  Mike Brown doesn’t let that happen, since he’s never lost a first round playoff matchup in his career.  That’s a fact, you could look it up.

5. What do you say to Cavs bloggers who defended Mike Brown throughout his entire tenure against critics who then became vindicated by the fact that you fired him, suggested that you agreed with said critics at the time?

I’ve already sent them text messages to let them know they were wrong.  

This is how the march back to the Playoffs started.   For a five year contract worth just over $20 million, the Cleveland Cavaliers added a coach with a playoff pedigree, an outstanding regular season coaching record and the demeanor to take the franchise back to the playoffs. 

His coaching ability was in demand. He was potentially fielding interest from the Philadelphia 76ers, the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons and the Phoenix Suns.   Including the Cavaliers, a sixth of the league was interested in Mike Brown as a head coach.  The Cavaliers got him.

So the Los Angeles Lakers of 2012-13 were not what people thought they were.  So Dwight Howard’s recovery from surgery was not as complete as the Lakers hoped it would be.   So the offense did not immediately gel.  The Lakers decision to fire Mike Brown 5 games into the regular season was a short sighted mistake that became more evident through as the Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs until the final day of the regular season.

Mike Brown coming back to the Cavaliers is a complete and total coup.  Brown had a list of suitors and chose Cleveland, where he coached from 2005 until 2010.  

Cleveland was where he made the playoffs every year and was the head coach though the most successful stretch in the history of the franchise.  Mike Brown’s defensive strategies were a key to taking a talented team that lacked a second superstar from the cusp of the playoffs all the way to the NBA Finals.  When year after year the question was not of making the playoffs but whether they would win an NBA Championship. 

Mike Brown, his coaching and strategy were the second Cavalier superstar that allowed the team to make deep runs in the playoffs despite the lack of a clear second option on the floor.  Mike Brown coached a backcourt of Eric Snow and Larry Hughes to the NBA Finals.  He turned Anderson Varejao into one of the most valuable defensive players in the NBA.   He found a place for Sasha Pavlovic and Drew Gooden to succeed.  He’s a teacher, a grinder, a professor of lockdown committed defense.

In 2010 there was a business decision that sent Mike Brown out of the Cavaliers organization.  Danny Ferry, then GM, left when Brown was fired.  It was the wrong decision to fire Brown, and undoubtedly a short sighted appeasement of one player who left anyway.   The decision to Tom Izzo was famously courted to take Brown’s position certainly wasn’t made by Ferry or Chris Grant.  When Byron Scott took the wheel, even Scott didn’t know what he would be steering.

When I first spoke with Mark Price, for a Cleveland.com article published last April, he was working under Stan Van Gundy as an Assistant Coach with the Orlando Magic.

Prior to the 2011-12 campaign, Price had worked his way up the NBA coaching ranks—as Cleveland Jackson eloquently detailed yesterday—on staffs led by Mike Fratello, Mike Woodson and others. 

Based on his extensive coaching experience, as well as his success learning the professional game as a player under a long list of Hall of Fame coaches, I assumed Price would emerge as a potential candidate for future head coaching positions all over the NBA.
 

Like most up-and-coming assistants, Price was named Head Coach of the Orlando Magic's Summer League Team just after we spoke.

The Magic, however, eventually fired Stan Van Gundy's entire staff just prior to the 2012-13 season. Price elected to keep his family in Orlando and not force his son—who has since signed a letter of intent to play collegiately at TCU—to relocate during his senior year of high school while pursuing other coaching opportunities.

Knowing this, I've thought for several weeks that Mark Price should be a head coaching candidate for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the event Byron Scott was fired. 

I've discussed this possibility at length with Cleveland Jackson and others behind closed doors at Stepien Rules Headquarters throughout the month of April. Those conversations only increased in frequency and detail following Scott's firing on Thursday. 

As anyone who stopped by on Friday is now aware, there are more reasons why Mark Price should be the Cavaliers next Head Coach than most fans initially realize.

But before we got too carried away in nominating Price for the job, we decided, I should at least find out if he was even interested in it.

Mark Price is the best available head coaching candidate for the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

This is not a question of nostalgia, but rather a matter of practicality and reality.  Price, while by far the most popular Cavalier in the history of the franchise, has the playing experience and success to demand respect, the technical expertise to help mold a young team’s skills, and the background of having worked for and with some of the most accomplished head coaches in the history of the NBA.

The 2012-13 Cleveland Cavaliers were famously terrible on defense, allowing a league high 47.6% FG against, the Cavs also only managed 43.4% FG themselves, second worst in basketball. 

There is not a living man more qualified to address shooting issues than Mark Price.  To help create that 12 to 15 foot Tristan Thompson jump shot.  To improve Dion Waiters shot selection.   To help prevent prolonged Tyler Zeller shooting slumps.  To provide whatever is necessary to turn Kyrie Irving into one of the greatest shooters and point guards of all time.

Moreover, to provide immeasurable intangibiles to a team in need of direction in how to act as a team instead of a collection of individuals, to turn five fingers into a hardened fist.

The common current list in circulation for NBA head coaching jobs right now is essentially identical to the last season’s:  Michael Curry, Lindsay Hunter, Brian Shaw, and Michael Malone.  Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert can rehash this list, consider their options limited to it and the availability of former coach Mike Brown, but they should face the obvious answer.

Connection to the Cleveland community:   Mark Price cares about the Cavaliers.  He already has a legacy with the franchise and was a part of some of its greatest moments.  He still holds many of the team’s records.  He’s beloved in the town and respected as one of the classiest and best human beings in the history of Cleveland athletics. 

His character is unimpeachable.  If there’s an individual who merits a statue outside the Quicken Loans Arena, a man who personifies moral character and true loyalty, it’s Mark Price.  There are other men of high character who could fill this role, but not one who could bring more integrity and greater support of the City of Cleveland to the sidelines of the Cavaliers bench than Mark Price.

Experience with successful coaches:  Mark Price famously played on the Cavaliers for legend Lenny Wilkens and one time defensive guru Mike Fratello.  While a Golden State Warrior, Price played under the Rick Adelman.   Finishing his career on the Orlando Magic, Price played for Chuck Daly.  While a member of the gold medal winning Dream Team II, Price played under Don Nelson.

That’s a hall of fame resume of coaches.

Byron Scott compiled a record of 64-166 during his tenure as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

That mark, for some perspective, is only a 2-14 slide away—during the lockout-shortened season of 2011-12, perhaps—from matching the 66-180 record the Cavs totaled from 1981-83 under the ownership of Ted Stepien.

Scott also set an NBA record with 26 consecutive losses in 2011 and saw his winning percentage decline from .318 to .293 in his third year on the Cavaliers' sidelines. 

With all that in mind, however—along with the personal grudge I somewhat hold against Scott for helping to run my guys Christian Eyenga and Samardo Samuels out of the league—I still woke up on Thursday morning unsure if firing Byron was actually the best move to make. 

Dan Gilbert and his brain trust elected to make that move regardless, though, and the search for a new head coach is now underway. 

But before I can engage in discussions about Mike Malone, Brian Shaw, Mike Brown (?!?!?) or whoever else, I need to first talk about the many layers of this decision that left me conflicted throughout the day.
 

1. If Kyrie Irving didn't want Byron Scott fired, why do it?

My thought process during the month of April went like this: the only way Byron Scott would / could / should be fired is if Kyrie Irving wanted him gone. 

As I watched Irving turn in the worst month of his NBA career while his "Basketball Father" sat scorching on the hot seat, I started to think that maybe he was cool with a new voice inside the huddle. 

Not necessarily calling for Byron to lose his job, mind you, but okay if the ax came down.

After standing three feet away from Kyrie while he addressed the media at Cleveland Clinic Courts, though, the kid looked to me like someone had just shot his dog.

"I feel like I lost a part of myself," he said, as depressed as I've ever seen him.

So while I walked into the presser thinking that maybe Irving did want Scott out, I left completely convinced of the opposite.

Nobody is that good of an actor, not even the guy who plays Uncle Drew.

Yesterday afternoon, at the end of the annual Boston Marathon, two bombs exploded behind the crowd by the finish line.  Three people were killed.  The toll of people who were injured was originally 30, but has been climbing since then to approximately 90 and perhaps more.   Many of the injured victims of the attacks suffered severe grotesque and disabiling injuries.  Lives were changed that will never be the same.

The thoughts of everyone at Stepien Rules goes out to these victims, thier families and friends.   

If you were one of the 19,000 people who attended the Cleveland Cavaliers Fan Appreciation Day last night, after these explosions were reported, or one of the employees and media who showed up to work there, you truly deserve to be appreciated.  Not just by the NBA and the Cavaliers franchise, but by each other.

For many, sports are an escape, something to set aside real problems and issues in the world and enjoy entertainment.   For a local sports team, there's a sense of community, of local civil pride.  We look out for each other, we care about each other, we fight, but we also pick each other off the floor to protect each other from trampling.

Did it cross your mind when you heard about the bombings that you were about to attend a packed sporting event in a giant arena with 19,000 other people?   Did you consider that one of the most reconizable athletes in the world was going to be in the room with you?  That if someone was angry enough, or motivated enough, that something serious could happen?

I don't know.  Maybe it did, maybe it didn't.   Maybe you didn't even know that anything had happened at all until the Cavs took a moment of silence before the game.

Four billion years the sun has risen up over the miles where the river cuts through the city.   Water and winters came and cut the river down through the land down to the lake.   The buildings rose and sprawled and the city filled.

Orange construction barrels dot the landscape from Euclid Avenue as it slowly rises behind the Terminal Tower - which casts it’s enormous eighty year old shadow that pulls down across Public Square.  It’s 8 AM on Monday morning and the morning commute pours in across the broken roads, down into the city on a day which, in all likelihood, is Cleveland Cavalier guard Daniel Gibson’s last night.

I wonder if Gibson can still hear the whispers of his name over the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge as if from the mouths of those giant Guardians of Traffic, echoing around the curved ceilings of the West Side Market, vibrating down into the river.   And the 43 years since his employer was born and the 7 years since he first appeared, fascinated, inspired and found a home are both a speck of time.

2007 and those nights when a grinning rail thin 21 year old point guard from Texas meant everything were the blink of an eye ago.   2007s Eastern Conference Finals Game 4, with a series down to the invincible Pistons 1 games to 2.  Down the street from the shadow of the rising sun were the Gibson made 12 straight shots from the free throw line in the best game of his career, culminating with 2 long range 3 point shots to begin the fourth quarter.

"Did you congratulate Chris yet?"

That was the question Luke Walton asked me on Friday, prior to the Cavaliers matchup with the New York Knicks. 

"No, why, what happened?" I replied.

"My man had a kid last night, big time stuff".

"Wow, nice, congrats on that, Chris," I said, while standing by Walton and Quinn in the corner of the Cavs locker room. 

"Yeah thanks man," Quinn replied. "We're pretty excited".

It was at that point—mid-conversation with Walton and Quinn—I realized the shame it is that Cleveland hasn't had the opportunity to really meet the newest member of the Cavaliers backcourt since his arrival way back on March 20.

What if we saw Quinn handing out celebratory cigars on Public Square this week, for example, and nobody understood why? 

With this in mind—surrounded by the only other relevant storylines including Byron Scott's job status, Dion Waiters' whereabouts and exactly how many points Carmelo Anthony was capable of scoring in four full quarters against the Cavaliers—I decided it was time we make it a point to get to know Quinn a little better.

After firing up my flipcam, Quinn and I talked more about how he's enjoying Cleveland so far, his familiarity with the Cavs long lineage of great point guards like Mark Price and Terrell Brandon, as well as his All-Star teammate Kyrie Irving. 

Below is that conversation.

What I've always found interesting about Quinn's story is the manner by which he rose through the college ranks on his way to becoming an NBA player. I started thinking back through all that after our conversation.

I actually followed Quinn's collegiate career pretty closely, and when he arrived at Notre Dame in 2002 he joined a team led by a sophomore point guard named Chris Thomas.

The Cavs are engaged in an internal battle against time to finish out the season before the season finishes them.   Over the last two weeks, they’ve clawed their way from total collapse mode to win two games in a row, one against an actual good team and one against a team even further from contention.  They got screwed by referees in Indiana and witnessed the emergence of the NBA’s next great big man in Detroit.

Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers waged war with the surging New York Knicks and strong NBA MVP Candidate Carmelo Anthony.  Anyone who wanted to attend the game fought traffic compounded by the Cleveland Indians playing about 200 yards away at newly renamed Brogressive Field, where Nick Swisher’s game winning single edged the White Sox and airplane gestures rounding first base sent jet fuel fire into the otherwise crisp Cleveland air.

Inside Quicken Loans Arena, on the bench, the players still throw up the reverse high five, the coaches still draw up plays and Kyrie Irving continues to electrify on offense, wrapping passes around Knicks, igniting scoring runs with feathery jump shots.  Inside Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland basketball fans and Kyrie Irving have sent a message through his comeback that they are ready to play for and cheer for a competitive basketball team that could give the Knicks, a team primed for a deep playoff run, an actual game. 

Last night, despite yet another strong effort from Tristan Thompson, and a slew of Irving plays that seemed to defy all known facts and laws of physics and gravity there was again not enough effort to overcome the deficit of talent that faced them.  The Knicks are what a team priming itself for the playoff looks like.  The Cavs are what a team ambling to the end of a season towards a top five lottery pick looks like.  One team will be defined by the NBA playoffs, another team will be defined by which pick it takes in the lottery.

It seemed that there was a point in the second quarter when Friday night’s game was decided when the Knicks extended a ten point lead on a 13 point run driven by Carmelo Anthony (who drew faint “M-V-P chants at one point during the game) and the explosive shooting of Knick shooting guard J.R. Smith, who finished 13 for 16 from the floor.  Here, in a season where the Cavaliers have set the historical mark of 20 point losses by somehow losing 4 games after managing a 20 point lead, the manta of keeping the game within 10 points at the end of quarters has become a sad standard by which to measure games, and down 14, the Cavaliers would never recover.

At Quicken Loans Arena, there will come a time, not long from now, when it will be unthinkable to for Tristan Thompson to receive absolutely no help whatsoever offensively in the paint, where Tyler Zeller and Maureese Speights, perhaps still fatigued after being outmuscled by the Detroit Pistons frontcourt, combined for zero points on 0-6 shooting last night.    This frontcourt, outside of Thompson, has been humbled two games in a row.   Even with the addition of the often injured starting center Varejao, this is not what a playoff ready frontcourt looks like.

Tomorrow, the now 24-55 Cavaliers face the 32-47 Sixers in Philadelphia where head coach Doug Collins is truly embattled at the end of a disastrous conclusion to the season, a true disaster rather than the pain of a rebuild that should end soon.  You know that this game should be about Philadelphia native Dion Waiters return from the personal reasons that stalled his comeback from knee problems that kept him sidelined until the Detroit game.  You know that this team is aware, with just three games left in this season, that the core players, the organization and its head coach must see an urgency to move into the next stage of rebuilding, out of the draft lottery, beyond the regular season, to connect the wintery crisp April air into summer nights.