Factory Of Sadness
FanSided

Redrafting the Cleveland Cavaliers rookies from 2004-2009 (LeBron James Era)

By Chad Porto

LeBron James (R) of Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball against Pat Garrity (C) and Hedo Turkoglu of Orlando Magic during their NBA pre-season game at the Venetian Macao in Macau, 20 October 2007. Orlando Magic won 100-84. AFP PHOTO/Ted ALJIBE (Photo credit should read TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images)
LeBron James (R) of Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball against Pat Garrity (C) and Hedo Turkoglu of Orlando Magic during their NBA pre-season game at the Venetian Macao in Macau, 20 October 2007. Orlando Magic won 100-84. AFP PHOTO/Ted ALJIBE (Photo credit should read TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 7
Next
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Wesley Person (L) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Felipe Lopez (R) during the fourth quarter on 29 January, 2002 at Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH. Person led all players with 27 points scored as Cleveland defeated Minnesota 114-81.AFP PHOTO/David Maxwell (Photo by DAVID MAXWELL / AFP) (Photo credit should read DAVID MAXWELL/AFP via Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Wesley Person (L) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Felipe Lopez (R) during the fourth quarter on 29 January, 2002 at Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH. Person led all players with 27 points scored as Cleveland defeated Minnesota 114-81.AFP PHOTO/David Maxwell (Photo by DAVID MAXWELL / AFP) (Photo credit should read DAVID MAXWELL/AFP via Getty Images) /

2005 Draft Pick No. N/A

1st Round

Drafted: Traded Pick Away in 1997 for Wesley Person
Re-Drafted: N/A

2nd Round
Drafted: NA
Re-Draft: N/A

Arguably the dumbest trade in the history of the franchise. Who trades a draft pick eight-years out for Wesley Person? Sure, it may have been genius at the time but as they always say, “The debt comes due eventually.” Since there was no pick, there is no official pick to re-draft.

If there was a pick here, the team would’ve had some good choices. Gerald Green turned out to be a useful two-way player, even into 2020. Nate Robinson was a Slam Dunk Champion and was a viable player for the Knicks for a while. Monte Ellis could’ve been a great compliment, though he wasn’t much of a three-point shooter. Lou Williams was also in this class, granted he went in the second round. Ironically he went right ahead of Martynas Andriuskevicius, who went to the Magic. That pick the Magic had was originally the Cavaliers pick. The real dumb thing? The Cavs still acquired Andriuskevicius in a trade with the Magic.

So dumb.

So who would be the best get in 2005? Obviously Danny Granger stands out. Though and it should be noted that he’d more than likely be a bad fit with James. He was an average three-point shooter at best and while he was a great two-way wing, he wasn’t an effective rebounder for someone of his size and shape, meaning his numbers would be even worse next to James and company.

The best fit would be David Lee, the two-time All-Star and former 3rd Team All-NBA selection was a great double-double machine and could really help clear the boards and keep James from taking beatings down low. He’d also be a really useful replacement for Carlos Boozer, as Gooden never got the job done. Sadly the team didn’t have a pick in 2005 or this could’ve been a reality.

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers