The Cavs will pick in the NBA Draft’s top 8 tonight, assuming they don’t make a trade to move up or down. This will be their first top 10 pick since 2014 when they selected Andrew Wiggins out of Kansas first overall. Wiggins was then traded shortly after to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. It is an exciting time for Cavaliers fans, but also a nerve racking one as it appears the LeBron Era in Cleveland may finally be coming to an end.
While it is very much undecided who the Cavaliers will select tonight, it is far from their first “Lottery Pick” in team history. I thought it would be fun to go back and grade the franchises last 20 lottery picks. Please let us know if you agree or disagree in the comment section below.
| Year | Player | College | Grade | Reason |
| 2014 | Andrew Wiggins | Kansas | A | Despite never playing a minute for the Wine & Gold. His selection resulted in Kevin Love who has done great. |
| 2013 | Anthony Bennett | UNLV | F | Bennett will go down as one of the biggest draft busts of all time. A shocking pick that bombed big time. |
| 2012 | Dion Waiters | Syracuse | B | Waiters was solid in his time here and would have been a key member of the team had LeBron not returned. |
| 2011 | Kyrie Irving | Duke | A | Hit the biggest shot in Cavaliers history. If he was healthy in 2015, the Cavaliers would be two time champs |
| 2011 | Tristian Thompson | Texas | C | This big man stepped up in the 2015 & 2016 playoffs, has done little since to earn his large contract |
| 2004 | Luke Jackson | Oregon | C | Chronic back problems kept this sharp shooter from reaching his full potential. |
| 2003 | LeBron James | SVSM High School | A | The greatest player in franchise history. Some would say the greatest player of all time. |
| 2002 | DaJuan Wagner | Memphis | C | He once scored 100 points in a high school game. His NBA career was riddled by injuries and illness. |
| 2001 | DeSagana Diop | Oak Hill Academy | D | Drafted out of high school, this big man never lived up to his potential. |
| 2000 | Jamal Crawford | Michigan | C | This pick turned into Chris Mihm who was decent in his time here during a dark period in Cavaliers history. |
| 1999 | Andre Miller | Utah | A | Miller was excellent in his time here. Had he stuck around and played with LeBron, they would have been great. |
| 1999 | Trajan Langdon | Duke | D | There is a reason Kenny Roda named him “tragic”. He was awful and a total bust. |
| 1997 | Derek Anderson | Kentucky | B | In only two years with the Cavs he impressed when healthy. |
| 1997 | Brevin Knight | Standford | B | Technically not a “lotto pick”, but played well enough in his time here to be one, so I put him on this list anyway. |
| 1996 | Vitaly Potapenko | Wright State | D | He was a bust, but then they drafted Zydrunas Ilgauskas 8 picks later. “Potty” never lived up to his selection. |
| 1991 | Terrell Brandon | Oregon | A | One of the best points guards in team history. Hard to believe he started as a bench warmer for many years. |
| 1987 | Kevin Johnson | California | A | His grade is based on his entire career, not his one season as a backip to Price. Excellent point guard! |
| 1986 | Brad Daughtery | North Carolina | A | With all due respect to “Z”. Daughtery is the best Big Man in franchise history. |
| 1986 | Ron Harper | MIA of OH | A | If the Cav’s don’t trade him to LA for Ferry, they have have multiple championships right now. |
| 1985 | Charles Oakley | Virginia | A | If the Cav’s don’t trade him to Chicago, they have multiple championships right now. See a theme? |
High School
Men for Others – Remembering Nick Restifo
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