Join us as the re-drafting of the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Draft pick continues. Up next 2004-2009.
The first LeBron James Era was one with mixed results. Lots of missed opportunities, bad draft picks, bad trades, bad non-trades, and just a whole mess of things. Some of this does lay at the feet of James himself for his demands and the like, but Dan Gilbert does deserve a lofty share of responsibility for this era’s failures. They were, by the way, massive failures.
While James and the Cavaliers got to the NBA finals in 2007, the fact that James had to carry the likes of Ira Newble, Damon Jones (or Amon Ones, cus he’s got no “D” and no “J”), Donyell Marshall and Daniel Gibson on your roster is a sign that the team didn’t draft well. The Cavs had three seasons to build up to that NBA Finals opportunity.
They only had two draft picks in the first round and opted to take Luke Jackson and Shannon Brown. What happened to the 2005 draft pick you ask? Traded away eight years prior for Wesley Person.
The team also let Carlos Boozer leave, despite having him potentially for two more years, causing them to go get Drew Gooden. The poor man’s version of Boozer.
Then when you thought they had a real shot again a few years later, the team opted to favor J.J. Hickson over Amar’e Stoudemire. So yes, this era was poorly managed.
2004 – Draft Pick No. 10
1st Round
Drafted: Luke Jackson
Re-Drafted: Kevin Martin
2nd Round
Drafted: N/A
Re-Drafted: N/A
The team did not get the most out of their top-10 selection in 2004. In hindsight, Al Jefferson Tony Allen, Kris Humphries, Josh Smith, and even J.R. Smith are upgrades over Oregon’s Luke Jackson. Injuries slowed his progress and hampered his development. He lasted only two years and was an absolute waste of a draft pick; even if he came in highly touted.
The other names listed were all upgrades. Humphries was a better double-double machine than Gooden when Humphries was at his peak. Josh Smith is one of the more noteworthy names to never make an All-Star team, even if he was a key part of the Hawks run in the late ’00s. J.R. Smith has always been a unique shooter to warrant key minutes. Allen would’ve been the best defender on a team built for defense. So that one stings. Then there’s Jefferson, who arguably had the best career outside of the top10 but didn’t fit with what the Cavs were looking for at this spot.
So who should the team have taken instead? Kevin Martin.
Now Martin doesn’t have the awards or name value that some may expect but he averaged 17 points a game for an entire season nine times in his career. He hit 20 points a game six times. James never played with one player who was a 20 PPG scorer until he left the Cavs in 2010.
Martin was actually the type of player everyone had hoped Jackson would be. He fit into the scheme and he was a scrappy defender. Alongside James, this team actually wins a lot more and Martin goes to the All-Star game a few times.
The team didn’t have a second-round pick but did acquire Anderson Varejao, the 31st pick in the draft (first in the second-round) just a month after the draft ended.
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.
2006 – Draft Pick No. 25, 42
1st Round
Drafted: Shannon Brown
Re-Drafted: Steve Novak
2nd Round
Drafted: Daniel “Boobie” Gibson
Re-Drafted: Paul Millsap
This draft isn’t hard to give a pass to for how bad it was for the Cavs. Guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, J.J. Reddick, and Rajon Rondo were off the board here. Shannon Brown wasn’t a bad selection for the pick (25th) that the Cavs had. After Brown, who was left? P.J. Tucker put together a good career after a while. As did the second-round pick, Daniel Gibson. That was really it though, save for the two names the Cavs should’ve taken; Steve Novak and Paul Millsap.
While Novak wasn’t a game-changer by any means, with the way LeBron James used wings who could shoot three’s, Novak would’ve found a home for a while. Novak often shot near 50% from the floor from the three-point line. He’d never be an All-Star with the Cavs but he might have averaged more than 10 points a few times in his career.
As for the second-round pick, that’s obviously going to be Paul Millsap. A true All-Star caliber big, who yes can’t shoot the three nearly as well, can in fact post up and clear space for James on all sorts of plays.
The duo of Novak and Millsap could’ve seen instant minutes. With Gibson not being drafted by the Cavs, and with players similar to Drew Gooden, Sasha Pavlovic, and Ira Newble being drafted, it’s not hard to see how each player could’ve gotten 20 minutes a game as rookies. Especially if they produced when they were put in.
2007 – Draft Pick No. N/A
1st Round
Drafted: N/A (Jiri Welsch Trade)
Re-Drafted: N/A
2nd Round
Drafted: N/A (Drew Gooden Trade)
Re-Drafted: N/A
Since the team didn’t have a pick in 2007, there can’t be a re-draft. Yet, if there was a pick it would’ve gone to Rudy Fernandez. The perfect compliment for LeBron James. He’s quick, agile, could cut to the rim and force defenders to crash on him or he could stay at the top of the key and wait for a dish from James for three points.
Sure Fernandez didn’t pan out in the NBA with the Trailblazers but that was more due to him having to deal with lineups that just had too many other talents at his position. With the Cavs, especially in 2007, that’s not a real issue. Larry Hughes was on his last legs with the team, and the very next year Fernandez could’ve been in a starters spot, playing regular minutes.
Why didn’t the team have a first-round pick in 2007? Well, the team traded that pick to the Boston Celtics for Jiri Welsch for the last half of the 2005 season. The Cavs turned and traded him for a 2006 second-round pick. Talk about diminishing returns.
Welsch was one of the worst trades in Cavaliers history and did absolutely nothing for the club in any real, tangible way. The second-round pick, like so many others before it, ended up being used on someone who never played any official minutes for the NBA.
2008 – Draft Pick No. 19
1st Round
Drafted: JJ Hickson
Re-Drafted: Serge Ibaka
2nd Round
Drafted: N/A (Milt Palacio Trade)
Re-Drafted: N/A
J.J. Hickson wasn’t a bad player at all, not great by any means but he was a solid enough player to warrant a spot in the draft. The problem with Hickson is that he came into the league right when it was changing. The North Carolina State product wasn’t suited for the modern NBA game. Having never made a three-point shot in his career, the power forward was out of the league in 2016.
Hickson’s only 31 and continues to player internationally, but was arrested for armed robbery in 2018. So he’s clearly having a time.
The better option for the evolving game of the NBA and the perfect forward compliment to Jame would’ve been Ibaka. Everyone saw what James did in Miami with Chris Bosh, and while Ibaka wasn’t as good of an overall scorer as Bosh, Ibaka was a better defender who could play both ways. Ibaka was also a fantastic roleplayer out the gate, playing minimal minutes he produced some impressive stats with Oklahoma City.
Ibaka was more pro-ready than Hickson was and had a higher ceiling, and deeper skill sets too. The only problem is that Ibaka wouldn’t be able to carry a team on his own, making it all the more likely that should James still leave in this scenario, Ibaka would still end up getting traded just like he was by the Thunder.
2009 – Draft Pick No. 30, 46
1st Round
Drafted: Christian Eyenga
Re-Drafted: Patrick Beverly
2nd Round
Drafted: Danny Green
Re-Drafted: Danny Green
Neither player was game to help LeBron James coming out of the draft. It would take time for Danny Green to get good. Which was a lot quicker than it took Christian Eyenga. Eyenga never put it together in the NBA. He couldn’t score and had a hard time staying on the court to be effective. He was traded halfway into his second season to the Los Angeles Lakers who ended up not retaining him at the end of the year.
Green, on the other hand, would take a few years to develop but would do just that with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s averaged around 25 minutes a game for his time in the NBA and usually puts up near 10 points a game every season. He’s also a tremendous defensive player. His dynamic abilities helped not just San Antonio but Toronto as well win NBA titles thanks in part to his stellar play.
In this re-drafting, the Cavs would take Patrick Beverly at the end of the first round, and allow him time to develop into the player he is today. Beverly and Green would instantly become the hardest guard combo to score on in the NBA by their third years. While maybe not All-Stars, the two future starters could’ve been the start to a Grit and Grind Cavaliers, similar to what the Grizzlies had at the time. The only difference is that the Cavs could’ve been playoff contenders right away with them and a few key additions around them. Like with Los Angeles Clippers’ No. 1 overall draft pick, perhaps?