Who should the Cleveland Cavs choose with the number 1 pick in this years NBA draft?

And with the first pick in the 2013 NBA draft the Cleveland Cavaliers select? This is the question in which Dan Gilbert owner of the Cleveland Cavs will be fighting in his dreams about all the way up unto the draft. Two years ago the team found itself in a similar situation with the same pick after losing Lebron James to the Miami Heat. In the 2012 draft he found himself choosing between two point guards, Kimba Walker and Kyrie Irving. While that decision seemed tough this years pick will be even harder. This season he will be looking to add another centerpiece to once again turn the Cleveland Cavs into a championship contender.

You may ask what makes this pick so special, well in most cases getting the number one pick in the NBA draft is hard to come by. The reason I say most cases is because the Cleveland Cavaliers have landed this pick three times in the last decade, last being Kyrie Irving who the team must now use this years number one pick to build around. Kyrie Irving is perhaps one of the top 5 point guards in the game and for the Cavaliers to become playoff contenders they will need to bring in pieces who can play off of Irvings talents. Kyrie Irving averaged 22.5 points and 6 assists per game, but only played in 59 games last season. What that means is that not only do you need someone who can play with Irving, but also who can play without. Last season the Cleveland Cavs averaged 96.5 points per game and their opponents averaged 101.2 points against them. With Mike Brown returning to coach this young team he will bring a strong emphasis on defense and rebounding. The team will need it considering that their top two opponents in the division pride themselves in those two areas. So with this being known, where should Cleveland go in the draft. Here are some suggestions and how they would fit into the Cavaliers plans for the future.

Nerlens Noel

Pros: Standing at 7 feet tall with a wingspan of 7‘ 4“ Nerlens Noel would fill a big hole in the center of the Cleveland Cavs defense. In his only season at Kentucky he averaged 9.5 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game. For a team in desperate need of a shoot blocker, he would be able to handle opponents driving the lane. He would also serve well when Kyrie Irving drives to the lane and needs to drop off an assist or two.

Cons: Nerlens Noel is coming off of an ACL tear which means that he may be limited in his first year or two. Big men take a couple of years to fully develop in the NBA, and with his small frame he will need to bulk up to handle players like Roy Hibbert and Jokeim Noah who also play in the division. Because Noel lacks an offensive game the combination of both he and Anderson Varejao will cause problems for Kyrie Irving and others looking to drive the lane seeing that both players play close to the hoop in search of offensive rebounds.

Victor Oladipo

Pros: Victor Oladipo is a good lock down defender who may not have a strong offensive off the dribble, but shoots well from deep. He only averaged 13.6 points per game, but shot 44% from the 3pt. range last season at Indiana.

Cons: Standing at only 6‘4“ Victor Oladipo is a little on the short side when teams are looking for a shooting guard. His size could prove to be a burden when playing against some of the taller guards that the NBA teams have to offer. Victor does not do well in terms of creating his own shoot and will need the help of others when getting free shoots.

Ben McLemore

Pros: Ben McLemore is a great player who could huge for the Cavaliers. Mclemore is a 6‘5“ shooting guard who shoots well from long range. He also plays great defense and can create his own shoot off of the dribble. Ben Mclemore averaged close to 16 points per game a could help relieve the stress off of Kyrie Irving late in ball games in the future.

Cons: The one problem with this pick is that the Cavaliers already have a young point guard on their roster in Dion Waiters. Waiters averaged 14.7 points per game last season and could serve well with a full season under his belt.

While any of these picks could help the Cleveland Cavs in the future, the Cavaliers are almost forced to pick Nerlens Noel. Noel fills a strongly needed position a will improve the teams defensive structure. Along with Anderson Varejao in the front court the two can cause many teams problems if the two can stay healthy. With four picks in the 2013 NBA draft the Cleveland Cavaliers may be close to getting back into contention in the Eastern conference.