Winning the Lotto, Weak Drafts and Draft Strategy

The Cleveland Cavaliers struck gold Tuesday night in New York City, winning the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery. However, unlike some previous drafts, there is no unanimous choice for the first pick in the draft. The good news? The Cavaliers are familiar with tough draft decisions.

In 2011, many questioned GM Chris Grant's decision(s) of Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. Irving was an All-Star in just his second NBA season, but its easy to forget that pundits like Bill Simmons wrote articles bashing the Cavs for not taking Derrick Williams and Brandon Knight at one and four.

Tristan Thompson was even more of an unexpected pick, and the organization caught waves of criticism over not taking European prospect Jonas Valanciunas. However, Thompson is appearing to be a very solid young NBA big, finishing in the top 10 in the NBA in rebounds last year. Thompson also garnered votes for the Most Improved Player award last season.

The point is, in a draft that was considered weak by most analysts, Grant managed to get two very good young players for the Cavaliers. So, while this draft has been dubbed as another "weak" class, there is no reason to think there will not be a phenomenal young player added to the Wine and Gold heading into next season.

(I am really tired of the "weak" draft class label. First, people scream this before EVERY draft and claim that the next year's draft will be super-awesome. Next, there is no such thing as a weak class. Every draft class has solid NBA players. There is no reason that a team at the top of the draft should not get a quality basketball player. Sometimes teams fail to do so, but that is a greater indication of a poor front office than a weak draft class. *Ends Rant*)

The question now is what should the Cavs do with the first overall selection. The initial reaction is that the decision boils down to Nerlens Noel or Otto Porter, the classic best player available vs. biggest need argument.

Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel was rated by most services as the best high school prospect in the country. Unfortunately, he suffered a gruesome ACL tear in February against Florida. Noel is expected to make a full recovery and is still largely considered the best overall player in the draft class.

Otto Porter had a breakout season for Georgetown, averaging 16.2 points and 7.5 boards per game for the Hoyas. Porter will probably never be a superstar in the NBA, but seems to be a safe pick as he was arguably the most well-rounded player in college basketball last season. Additionally, he would fill the glaring hole at the SF spot for the Wine and Gold.

So, we now know the picks the Cavs possess looking ahead to the draft. For the next month, while most fans bite their nails watching playoff basketball, Cleveland fans get to do the same discussing the number one pick.

For now, all that Cavaliers faithful can say is: In Grant We Trust.