''No one thought coming in it would be so strong,'' Paxson said. ''It may go back to be one of the strongest drafts in history.''  Cavaliers GM Jim Paxson in the Lorain Morning Journal, May 26, 2004.

       Getting past the LeBron Euphoria and the glow of a 35-47 season the words coming out of the Cavaliers Brain Trust more often that not disturbs me.  There has been a lot of backslapping going on amongst the offices of Gund Arena and I cant help but think the Cavaliers are suffering from comedian Richard Pryor called in one of his old routines "smelling your own piss now."  It is a not a leap of faith to believe that if point guard Jeff McInnis had stay healthy the Cavaliers would have made the playoffs but is a far more a stretch of imagination to believe that they are a 10th pick trade away from beating the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers or even New Jersey Nets in a seven game series (and that is just the Eastern Conference).  The Cavaliers were completely manhandled by the Pistons after they acquired Rasheed Wallace for some blankets and beads in a game Jeff McInnis wouldn't have saved.  It took a historic 41 point 13 assist performance by LeBron James to squeak by the New Jersey Nets who were without two stars in Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin.

       The Cavaliers talk about getting "more veterans," getting a player that can contribute "sooner than later" and openly talking about trading their draft pick.  My contention is that there is no player DaJuan Wagner and the 10th pick will get in a trade that will tip the balance of power away from the Pistons and Pacers and toward the Cavaliers so the logical next step is to continue to build long term and try to be a contender for a long time rather than a few years.  The last thing the Cavaliers need to have happen is for them to get old around LeBron James like the Raptors did around Vince Carter.  The Raptors took the short term veteran route and after they lost Tracy McGrady the team peaked and petered out pretty quickly.  Toronto having drafted Vince Carter in 98 traded then young big man Marcus Camby for veteran tough guy Charles Oakley.  A year later they traded the 5th pick in the draft for another plus thirty year old in Antonio Davis.  The moves catapulted the Raptors into their first ever playoff appearances and within one shot of the Eastern Conference Finals but those moves along with other shortsighted free agent signings and trades have left the Raptors a capped out also-ran team and Vince Carter with only Chris Bosh as a young core player as he enters his prime years.

       The Pistons and Pacers, who by coincidence or not, are the two last teams playing in Eastern Conference and are title contenders and have done it the right way.  The Pacers core players; Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Al Harrington, Jamaal Tinsley, and Jonathan Bender all range from 23 to 26 years old.  The Pistons core players: Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, Mehmet Okur and Darko Milicic are between 18 and 29 years old.  If you take out Milicic for arguments sake the range is 24-29.  The Pistons who may very well go to the NBA Finals this year may actually get younger next year.  They will be begging the expansion Charlotte Bobcats to take the 35 year old Elden Campbell off their hands and it not out of the question that 34 year old Lindsey Hunter won't returm next season.  Detroit may just add 2003 draft pick Argentinian Carlos Delfino who they left overseas this year and is just 21 years old.  Looking at the Cavaliers their core players; LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Jeff McInns they range from 19 to 29 years old.  The biggest difference between the three teams is that the Pacers and Pistons have already been together a few years, have made several playoffs appearance and are already contending for a championship while the Cavaliers core hasn't played a full year together and haven't made the playoffs yet.  When LeBron James and Carlos Boozer are at the ages where they may have the Cavaliers where the Pistons and Pacers are now Ilgauskas and McInnis will be 33-34-35 years old making for a situation closer to Toronto's rather than Detroit, Indiana or even San Antonio.

       I realize and understand that most people are not passionate NBA draftniks like myself and the Cavaliers know this is as well.  The way the NBA draft is this year more than two-thirds of the first round will likely be high school players and international players the casual fan has never seen play.  Unless you have contacts to get you game tapes or the right dish package even die hard draft nuts will have trouble seeing the majority of players who will go among the top twenty picks.  Even the college players provide an element of the unknown considering the minute amount of people in Northeast Ohio who ever seen Luke Jackson, Devin Harris or Kirk Snyder play and they are three and four year players eliminating the "I didn't get to know them in college" excuse.  It will be easy for the Cavaliers to spin trading their lottery pick by saying there were too many young players in the draft and there was no one who could have helped them next year and it will likely be bought.  There is no one in the media; print, TV or radio draft savvy enough to call them on it as former WKNR sportstalk host Kendall Lewis routinely called out the Browns on the NFL draft via his own extensive draft knowledge.

       Despite the whining and groaning about the number of high school and international players entering the draft the draft itself isn't weak.  Heck, Jim Paxson agrees.  It is a developmental draft more than anything.  Sure, there isn't a James, Anthony or Wade but there appears to be some Boshs, Hinrichs, Hayes, Howards, Daniels along with some Gasols, Kirilenkos and maybe even an Ilgauskas or two.  Players will be stars and very good players but the key is identifying and getting them.  If the Cavaliers don't want a player who will do squat for three years like DeSagana Diop with nothing much more coming on the horizon then that is fine but there is nothing stopping them from finding a young player that will contribute some in year one and grow into a good player or star that is a core player for a long time to come. 

What is exactly looking at the Cavaliers?

       The last time the Cavaliers were in a similar position was in 1999 in the which the desire to get someone "who could play right away" netted the infamous Trajan Langdon and had the team passing up Corey Maggette, Ron Artest and James Posey and re-signing Cedric Henderson.  They seem to be poised to make a similar mistake.  Just because Jim Paxson was able to create a team bad enough to have the best chance and ultimately win the lottery and get LeBron James doesn't make him a better or more savvy general manager.  The same people who were responsible for Langdon, the abomination that is DeSagana Diop, determining that trading for Michael Doleac was better than drafting Trenton Hassell, Jamaal Tinsley, Gilbert Arenas or Tony Parker and the notion that DaJuan Wagner was a Baron Davis/Steve Francis-like point guard are still in the decision making process today.  The Jim Paxson tenure has shown, if not anything, that unless it is a slam dunk no-brainer like James they will get it wrong in the lottery.  Looking at this draft other than Josh Childress of Stanford and Loul Deng of Duke who could likely fill the gaping hole the Cavaliers have at small forward and start.  Anyone else at 10 and we are talking about backups next year.  Whether it be Ben Gordon, Devin Harris, Shaun Livingston, Josh Smith or Andris Biedrins they aren't starting next year for the Cavaliers.  In the case of the drafting of point guard that player isn't going play more than 15 minutes a game at the most 18.  A 15 to 18 minute backup point guard isn't going to be the difference next year in a playoff run. 

       So the focus of the Cavaliers should be looking long term.  If there is no impact player available why not take a player who can be an another core piece?  I really do not want to hear anyone say the Cavaliers have enough young players.  The only one really worth anything are James and Boozer who already play a ton.  DaJuan Wagner is a blown pick and you know the Cavaliers feel same way when they hoping and praying to convert the 6th pick in the 2001 draft from the "next Iverson" to the "next Troy Hudson."  DeSagana Diop has been such a disaster that the Cavaliers have gone from calling him a future All Star to hoping he can improve enough in his fourth year to maybe an everyday backup center.  Jason Kapono is an 8-10th man off the bench at best and Kedrick Brown's athleticism is only matched my his timidity and inconsistency.  None of the four players I just mentioned are good enough to stop Cleveland from drafting another young player this June and all of them are readily available trade bait if need be.  If the organization tries to sell them as reasons not to draft another young player just think Cedric Henderson.

       Ultimately, the bottom line may be does anyone really know who might be available for a trade involving the 10th pick?  It is always the anonymous "veteran."  Give me a name and I might change my opinion.  Looking around the league the Cavaliers may not have the ammunition to get the type of player they really need.  Do they have enough assets left to pry a Rashard Lewis from the Supersonics?  Peja Stojakovic from the Kings?  It is highly doubtful.  Wally Szczerbiak?  Maybe, but he is making 10 million a year on average and that could throw the Cavaliers salary structure all out of whack.  Is some combination of Wagner, Newble, Diop, etc., and the 10th pick going to get the Cavaliers a player better than what is available in free agency?  You tell me.  Stephen Jackson and Hedo Turkoglu as free agents could be better than what anything the Cavaliers have the assets to trade for.  NBA teams aren't exactly flooding the Cavaliers telephone lines asking for DaJuan Wagner and DeSagana Diop.

There are a lot of questions that need to be asked and evaluations done before people sip the Kool Aid the Cavaliers may serve in a pitcher with LeBron James' face on it.