Al salaam a'alaykum, Cavaliers fans! I hope you’re all having as good a summer as your pal, the Optimist is.
I don’t know about you, but since the Cavaliers’ memorable 2003-04 season came to its climatic close, the Optimist has been doing nothing but golfing badly, stockpiling fireworks of mass destruction and celebrity-judging bikini contests in the Flats.
All in all, it’s been a splendid summer and we haven’t even gotten to one of the off-season’s great events: the NBA Draft!
I know what you’re thinking: ‘What’s he using an exclamation point for? The NBA Draft is lame.’ ‘We already got LeBron.’ ‘I don’t know any of the players this year.’ ‘We’re picking all the way down at No. 10.’
Valid points, one and all. But here are a few things to consider.
First, the No. 10 pick has turned out its share of stars: Paul Pierce, Eddie Jones, Paul Westphal and the late, great Bison “Brian Williams” Dele were tenth-overall selections.
Secondly, the Cavaliers could wind up with one of the exciting new group of international players in this year’s draft. There’s Martynas Andriuskevicius, who reminds scouts of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. There’s Ha Seung-Jin, who reminds scouts of Yao Ming. There’s Peja Samardziski, Jaber Rouzbahani and Victor Khryapa. I mean, how do we know Uros Slokar won’t be the next Zaza Pachulia or that Sergey Lishchuk won’t be the next Zarko Cabarkapa? We don’t! That’s the beauty of the NBA Draft, folks!
Finally, this year’s Draft could provide one of the final pieces of the Cavaliers’ playoff puzzle. Cleveland grabbed a Cavalier cornerstone at No. 35 two years ago and all of their last five choices are currently solid contributors.
Besides, what else are you gonna watch that night? 'Must See TV'? 'Survivor: Detroit'? 'The O.C.'? Feh! Without Jennifer Anniston on the tube on Thursday nights, you might as well watch sports.
Yes, I think you’ll be with me, friends. Tuned in to watch Uncle Dave announce who the Wine and Gold has chosen with the tenth selection in the 2004 NBA Draft. And here’s the Optimist’s Draft Preview to get you through the night.