Like a lot of teams, the Cavaliers may be looking to buy a pick later
in the first round in next month's NBA draft. That's the scuttlebutt
out of Chicago, where the combine of top prospects is taking place this
weekend.
The Cavs already own the first and fourth overall selections, as well as two second-rounders (Nos. 32 and 54).
According
to multiple sources, teams feel they can nab a player who could offer
immediate help in the 25 to 30 range. The name being thrown around most
as that type of player — and the type of player the Cavs certainly could
use —is that of Providence shooting guard Marshon Brooks.
Interestingly,
Brooks seemed to be a big secret until about a week ago — despite the
fact he is 6-foot-5 and was second in the nation in scoring (24.6 ppg)
behind Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette.
Brooks scored 52 against
Notre Dame and 43 against Georgetown, and one scout says he could make a
quick impact in the right spot. That might include the Cavs.
"From
a pure basketball standpoint, you have to like what you see," the scout
said. "Brooks knows how to score and can create his own shot. I think
he could go to Cleveland and start at shooting guard from Day 1."
Brooks,
a senior, also impressed in his first workout at the pre-draft camp. So
there is a chance he could move up to the 15 to 20 range come draft
night.
Don't count on Gay
Any talk about the Cavs possibly
acquiring Memphis forward Rudy Gay is really nothing more than a media
creation, according to those in the know.
"Ain't happening; not for the Cavs," one scout said.
Gay
is an athletic small forward and arguably the Grizzlies' best player.
But he missed the team's surprising playoff run with a shoulder injury,
fueling speculation that perhaps the Grizzlies will deal him. For what,
who knows?
But Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said last week Gay
isn't going anywhere. And in the event Heisley is wrong, there will be
29 other teams clamoring for him.
"I hesitate to say the Cavs were
going through a rebuilding phase — it was more of a transition phase,"
the scout said. "So you don't necessarily want to unload everyone and
play with a bunch of rookies and new guys."
He added: "What could the Cavs send to Memphis (for Gay)? The Grizzlies won't be giving him up for a trade exception."
Don't count on No. 2
A national report stating that the Cavs were close to obtaining the No. 2 pick is false, according to sources.
The pick, which belongs to Minnesota, "is on the block, but the Cavs aren't getting it," said one NBA source.
Instead,
the chatter says Minnesota and Indiana are in the early stages of
discussing a deal that supposedly involves Pacers forward Danny Granger,
Wolves forward Michael Beasley and unsigned Spanish guard Ricky Rubio.
If it were to go any further, sources say, other names would be
involved.
Also, while Wolves general manager David Kahn has
pursued Granger before, it's hard to imagine Kahn giving up on Rubio
right away, Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter Jerry Zgoda said on
Twitter.
But Zgoda did back up the idea that the Wolves "want to trade that pick."
Quick Dribbles
