2011 NBA Mock Draft: Lebron James Thinks It's Kyrie Irving For The Cleveland Cavaliers

Perhaps no other team in the history of the NBA is more deserving of two top-4 picks in the NBA draft than the 2011 Cleveland Cavaliers. After losing their hometown kid Lebron James to the Miami Heat the Cavs finished the 2010-2011 season with a dismal 19-63 record just three years removed from the NBA finals.

"The decision" still fresh in their minds, what was once a thriving and glowing city of NBA basketball as the "Ohio kid" was destined to take the Cleveland fans past what was only considered to be heartache and pain. "The drive" from John Elway and "The shot" from Michael Jordan is what these fans remember the most. James was supposed to be the guy that gets this town past these painful memories and instead, he adds more fuel to the fire.

The Cavaliers have an opportunity to help get this town past these memories by making quality selections with their two top picks. Kyrie Irving from Duke and Derrick Williams from the University of Arizona are the two most popular names for the number 1 pick. Brandon Knight from Kentucky and Kemba Walker from Connecticut are two other guards along with Irving that are projected as top 6 picks.

The Cavs would have an opportunity to get any of these three guards with the number 4 pick if they pass on a guard at number one. Williams would definitely be in-play for this team depending upon how they rate each of these guards against one-another. Lebron James seems to be happy about Irving being the possible pick for the Cavs.

Whichever path the Cavs decide to pursue with the future of their franchise the initial excitement when those first two players are chosen will be a nice relief for a fanbase that could use some positive news for a change.

2011 NBA Draft Order Is Officially Set With Cleveland Cavaliers Sitting At No. 1

Well now that the ping pong balls have all settled, the draft order for the 2011 NBA Draft is now set and teams can start breaking down what players may be available when the time comes to select.

The final first round draft order is as follows:

1st Cleveland Cavaliers (Fourth time in history selecting first overall)
2nd Minnesota Timberwolves
3rd Utah Jazz (from New Jersey Nets)
4th Cleveland Cavaliers (from Los Angeles Clippers)
5th Toronto Raptors
6th Washington Wizards
7th Sacramento Kings
8th Detroit Pistons
9th Charlotte Bobcats
10th Milwaukee Bucks
11th Golden State Warriors
12th Utah Jazz
13th Phoenix Suns
14th Houston Rockets
15th Indiana Pacers
16th Philadelphia 76ers
17th New York Knicks
18th Washington Wizards (from Atlanta Hawks)
19th Charlotte Bobcats (from New Orleans Hornets)
20th Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis Grizzlies)
21st Portland Trail Blazers
22nd Denver Nuggests
23rd Houston Rockets (from Orlando Magic)
24th Oklahoma City Thunder
25th Boston Celtics
26th Dallas Mavericks
27th New Jersey Nets (from Los Angeles Lakers)=
28th Chicago Bulls (from Miami Heat)
29th San Antonio Spurs
30th Chicago Bulls

The Cavaliers now have the hard decision in the upcoming month of taking Kyrie Irving from Duke or Derrick Williams of Arizona. With two picks in the first four selections they Cavaliers can now start to move on and rebuild after the departure of LeBron James.

Cleveland Cavaliers Land No. 1 Overall Selection In NBA Draft Lottery

In the face of the frustration that came in the wake of The Decision, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally have their first piece of good news in the hopes of reversing their fortune: the No. 1 overall selection in the upcoming NBA Draft. Their number was called in tonight’s NBA Draft Lottery as the winner of the first overall choice after coming with a 19.9 percent chance of acquiring the choice.

The assumption at this point is that the Cavaliers will choose Duke point guard Kyrie Irving as the first overall selection given their need for a dynamic playmaker while, at the same time, taking a safe choice. Irving stands as the surest bet in the draft that also includes several intriguing foreign big men and Arizona’s Derrick Williams. The Cavs already have a solid low post presence in Anderson Varejao, so grabbing a young impact performer to lead the backcourt and play the point is key for future success. Irving is also the kind of unselfish, team and community oriented player the franchise can build around — serving as a solid citizen all around.

As for the rest, the Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the second overall selection and might take Williams to solidify their frontcourt, and the Utah Jazz now hold the third overall selection.

NBA Draft Lottery Set For This Evening

In just a few hours all the teams who didn't qualify for the NBA playoffs this season will go head to head in the annual NBA Draft Lottery to determine the order of the first 14 spot in the draft. The room will be full of many of the usual suspect such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Bobcats.

After Lebron James' decision to take his talents to South Beach, the Cleveland Cavaliers will once again be making an appearance as will teams that just missed the playoffs such as the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns.

The NBA Draft this year doesn't appear to be as star studded as in previous seasons, but Duke's Kyrie Irving and Arizona's Derrick Williams figure to be the top two players on the board. Minnesota, by virtue of their 17-65 record, at 25% has the best odds at obtaining the first overall selection, while Cleveland sits at 19.9%, and the Toronto Raptors with the third highest chance at 15.6%. The Houston Rockets are least likely to select first, with just a 0.5% chance going into tonight.

The Jazz have two chances in the lottery as do the Cleveland Cavaliers. Utah owns the selection from the New Jersey Nets as part of the Deron Williams trade, while Cleveland picked up the Los Angeles Clippers selection because of the Baron Davis trade that sent the guard to Cleveland.

In last year's NBA Draft Lottery, the Wizards won the lottery with just a 10.3% chance, beginning the evening with the fifth best odds of winning. They eventually selected Kentucky's John Wall who went on to average 16.4 points per game and 8.3 assists this season for Washington.

The first NBA Draft Lottery took place in 1985, with the New York Knicks winning the opportunity to select Patrick Ewing from Georgetown. Historically the worst team has only won the first pick twice, in 2003 and 2004. In 2003 the Cavaliers selected James, while the following year the Orlando Magic made high schooler Dwight Howard the first overall choice. The best team to ever win the lottery was as Orlando, who finished the 1993 season with a 41-41 record and had just a 1.52% chance of winning. That year they selected Michigan's Chris Webber who they eventually traded for the third pick, Memphis State's Anfernee Hardaway.

Things get underway from the Prudential Center in New Jersey at 7:30 CST.