2022 Draft Lottery

Cavaliers Lottery Luck Goes as Expected, Land 14th Overall Pick

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
5/18/22 | Cavs.com

The biggest surprise from Tuesday’s NBA action was the bus that hit Boston in the third quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The second-biggest surprise was the Kings moving up into the No. 4 spot in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery.

Almost everything else went chalk on a drama-free Tuesday night in Chicago – as the Cavaliers went into the drawing with a 97.6 percent chance of pulling the No. 14 pick and did exactly that.

The night’s big winner was the Orlando Magic, who took the top pick for the fourth time overall and first time since 2004, when they grabbed Dwight Howard No. 1 overall. Former Cavaliers assistant Jamahl Mosley was on stage for last night’s announcement as the Magic, who finished with the Conference’s worst mark at 22-60, will go into his second season ready to mix the top player from this year’s class to pair with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, the team’s two Lottery picks from a season ago.

One of the two head coaches (along with Byron Scott) that Mosely was as assistant with in Cleveland, Mike Brown, got a nice surprise as the new bench boss of the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday – leapfrogging Portland, Indiana and Detroit to land the 4th overall pick.

The Wild Thing represented the Wine and Gold at Tuesday night's NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago.
Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE Getty Images

The Thunder, armed with a massive stockpile of picks – 19 first rounders and 19 second rounders through 2028 – were also big winners on Tuesday, jumping up to the No. 2 spot. They’ll have three first rounders in 2022 – No. 2, 12 and 30 overall.

New Orleans also had a nice night in Chicago. When the Lakers landed the No. 8 overall pick, it went to the Pelicans – who got one of the steals of last year’s Draft in Herb Jones – as part of the Anthony Davis deal. Had it fallen out of the top 10, that pick would have gone to the Grizzlies.

If one team had a bad night – if you can call it that – it was the 23-win Pistons, who followed up their Lottery night luck one year ago, winning the rights to Cade Cunningham, with a tumble to No. 5 in 2022.

The fact that the Wild Thing was even on the stage at the McCormick Place Convention Center was a win for the Wine and Gold, whose silver lining for missing the Playoffs was the retention of their own Lottery pick – which would have otherwise gone to the Pacers in the Ricky Rubio-Caris LeVert deal.

The Cavaliers will also have two picks in the second round – No. 39 and No. 56.

The projected top three picks – Duke’s Paolo Bachero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. were all on hand in Chicago, as this year’s Draft could shake out any number of ways at the top.

Along with the forecasted top trio, scouts see Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, Iowa’s Keegan Murray, Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe, Memphis’ Jalen Duren, Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis and Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin all picked to go in the Lottery’s top half.

NBA.com’s early Consensus Mock Draft should intrigue Cavalier fans. Their first mock, based on some of the league’s favorite on the web, have the Cavs tabbing former Ohio State (and St. Vincent-St. Mary’s) swingman Malaki Branham.

Of course, the Draft’s silly season has just begun, and June 23rd’s first round could shake out any which way. But if that happened to be the way Cleveland went, Branham was Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 2021 and was the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year in 2022. The 6-5, 180-pounder had a stellar second half of the season for the Buckeyes and shot nearly 42 percent from long-range on the season.

But don’t fall in love with the kid from Columbus just yet. We’ve got plenty of time to break down all kinds of prospects and scenarios.

What we do know is that the young Cavaliers will be that much younger and that much better on the morning of June 24, making the 14th overall pick for the first time in franchise history. Whether they’ll go for a backup at the point, a young wing or another big man for the jumbo frontcourt is anybody’s guess.

The scrappy Cavs proved all season long that they’re a bunch of dogs. They’ll be ready to welcome the young pups in just over a month.

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Fate at Fourteen

Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports joins Justin and Carter to weigh in on the current shape of the 2022 NBA Draft in the aftermath of the combine, weigh in on certain fits for the Cavs and much more!

Please Note: The opinions expressed by The Chase Down podcast are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Cavaliers or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, or partners.

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The Chase Down Pod - Post-Combine Reactions with Krysten Peek

Justin and Carter react to the Cavs staying put with the 14th overall pick before diving into some of their favorite prospects that could be there. As well as a discussion on what the team should value and the trade-offs that exist with each prospect.

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The Chase Down Pod - 2022 NBA Draft Lottery Reaction

The Cleveland Cavaliers received the No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm as a result of the NBA Draft Lottery 2022, which was conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago live on ESPN. The 2022 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 23rd.

Cleveland finished the 2021-22 season in the fourteenth-place position entering the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery with the following odds: 0.5% chance of No. 1, 0.5% of No. 2, 0.6% of No. 3, 0.7% of No. 4, and 97.6% of No. 14.

Below are the results from NBA Draft Lottery 2022:

1.         Orlando
2.         Oklahoma City
3.         Houston
4.         Sacramento
5.         Detroit
6.         Indiana
7.         Portland
8.         New Orleans (from Los Angeles Lakers)
9.         San Antonio
10.       Washington
11.       New York
12.       Oklahoma City (from LA Clippers)
13.       Charlotte14.       Cleveland

cavaliers-to-select-14th-overall-in-2022-nba-draft

Cavaliers to Select 14th Overall In 2022 NBA Draft

Recent Awards Season Portends Big Things in Cleveland's Future

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
5/16/22 | Cavs.com

Last Friday, the NBA handed out its final major award – naming Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman the 2021-22 Executive of the Year – wrapping up the list of postseason honors.

This season’s Cavaliers – three players, their head coach and the man at the top who put it all together – were able to place five candidates into the Top 5 for each category, although none came away with the hardware.

The team’s struggles down the stretch and its failure to reach the actual Playoffs might have been a factor in keeping Cleveland’s candidates winless. But as it stands now – through recent developments over the weekend, including the ousters of Coach of the Year (Monty Williams) and Most Improved Player (Ja Morant) – each winner from the following five categories will be watching the remainder of the postseason from home.

In fact, the only award-winners from the seven-item list that includes Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, Sixth Man, Most Improved and Most Valuable Player, only two remain standing – Boston’s Marcus Smart, the DPOY, and Miami’s Tyler Herro, the league’s top reserve.

For the Wine and Gold’s part – they might not have taken top honors at season’s end, but they definitely alerted the Association that it’s just a matter of time before the individual and team awards begin flowing through the North Coast again.

And with that in mind, here’s a quick look back at how our Cavaliers fared in each category …

The future is bright for the young Cavaliers -- on the floor, on the bench and in the front office.
Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE Getty Images

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER -- This is annually one of the toughest categories from which to choose a winner. All three of the finalists – including the first two point guards taken in 2019, Ja Morant and Darius Garland – were already well on their way to stardom. San Antonio’s Dejounte Murray – selected with the 29th overall pick 2016 – just took a little longer to get there.

Morant certainly deserved recognition, upping his scoring average by 8.3 points while recording career-highs in minutes, rebounds, steals, free throws made and attempted (7.3) as well as three-pointers made – all while leading his Grizzlies to the Western Conference’s 2nd seed.

Garland improved his scoring average by 4.3 points from his sophomore season and went on to average career-highs in points (21.7ppg), assists (8.6apg), rebounds (3.3rpg), steals (1.31spg), field goal percentage (.462), free throw percentage (.892), double-doubles (29) and minutes (35.7mpg).

Golden State’s Jordan Poole and Memphis’ Desmond Bane rounded out this year’s Top 5.

The five most recent award recipients were Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, Pascal Siakam, Victor Oladipo and the Greek Freak.

COACH OF THE YEAR -- Although their season came crashing down in an epic Game 7 collapse, the Phoenix Suns were the league’s most consistently solid team all year long – and Monty Williams was rewarded for that by being named the NBA’s 2021-22 Coach of the Year.

This year, the Suns posted the Association’s best mark at 64-18 and their highest winning percentage (.780) in franchise history. Phoenix finished the season as the West’s top seed after posting identical records (32-9) both at home and on the road.

J.B. Bickerstaff took over Cleveland’s head coaching job after the 2020 All-Star Break and has been gradually placing his stamp on the squad since. This year’s Cavaliers surpassed the combined win totals of the previous two seasons, remaining in Playoff contention for the duration and began building a culture and identity forged on toughness, togetherness and hard work.

Under their current head coach, the Cavs made a 22-game improvement from the previous season and became one of the league’s toughest defensive squads. Bickerstaff was able to sell Kevin Love on a successful Sixth Man role and managed to keep the team competitive as a spate of injuries decimated the roster.

Bickerstaff finished 5th in this year’s voting, behind Williams, Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins, Miami’s Eric Spoelstra and Boston’s Ime Udoka. The Clippers’ Ty Lue and Mavericks’ Jason Kidd also received votes.

The five most recent recipients are Tom Thibodeau, Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, Dwane Casey and Mike D’Antoni.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR -- Only 15 points separated the voting for Rookie of the Year between this year’s winner, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, the and the Wine and Gold’s lithe 20-year-old phenom, Evan Mobley – the smallest margin since the voting format changed in 2002-03.

Taken with the 4th overall pick, Barnes started every game he played in, averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.08 steals in 74 games – leading all rookies in minutes, while ranking third in points and rebounds and finishing fifth in assists, steals and blocks. The former Seminole became the third Raptor in team history to win the award – joining Damon Stoudemire (1996) and Vince Carter (1999).

For Mobley’s part, all the soft-spoken former Trojan – taken one spot before Barnes – did as a rookie was lead his incoming class in field goal percentage (.508) and double-doubles (20), along with rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.63) per game, swatting 115 shots and joining Utah’s Rudy Gobert as the only players in the league to average at least 14.0 points, 8.0 boards, 1.5 blocks while shooting better than 50 percent from the floor.

Mobley’s presence changed everything on both ends for the Cavaliers – who stunned the league with their jumbo lineup, partially anchored by the young seven-footer. He has the instincts of a 10-year veteran and no weaknesses to his game that experience can’t fix.

After Mobley in the voting were the league’s most recent top pick, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, followed by Houston’s Jalen Green, Orlando’s Franz Wagner and the Pelicans’ Herbert Jones.

The five most recent winners, respectively, include LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, Ben Simmons and Malcom Brogdon.

SIXTH MAN -- While the voting for Rookie of the Year was extremely tight, the nod for the league’s top Sixth Man was never really in doubt – with Miami’s Tyler Herro netting 488 total points (96 first place) to 214 total (three first place) for the next runner-up, Cleveland’s Kevin Love.

Of all the unexpected developments from the Cavaliers most recent campaign, the transformation of Kevin Love – from All-Star starter to outstanding Sixth Man – was not just one of the most pleasant surprises, it actually shaped the team’s mindset.

Once Love – the last link to Cleveland’s 2016 title-winning team – accepted his role off the bench, Coach Bickerstaff was able to show his team the value of sacrificing individual goals for the team. Love made the move enthusiastically – and not only did his performance improve, but he was able to stay healthy for the season’s duration. After combining to play in just 103 combined games in the previous three seasons, Love led all Cavaliers with 74 appearances in 2021-22.

The 16th-year man from UCLA came off the bench in 70 of his 74 outings this year – ranking 2nd in the NBA among all reserves with 173 made three-pointers. Among all NBA bench players, Love also ranked 1st in double-doubles (12), 2nd in rebounding (7.1rpg), 4th in scoring (13.4ppg) and 6th in free throw percentage (.840).

Vote-getters following Herro and Love included the Suns’ Cameron Johnson, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, L.A.’s Luke Kennard and Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The most recent winners of the Sixth Man award are Clarkson, Washington’s Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams (twice with the Clippers) and Houston’s Eric Gordon.

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR -- The league’s Executive of the Year award is slightly different in that while the other categories are voted upon by the media, this one is voted on by competitors’ peers.

This year’s top two finalists – Memphis’ top basketball man, Zach Kleiman, and Cleveland’s Koby Altman – are both under 40 and both have their team poised for massive success in the future.

With 16 of 29 first place votes and 85 total points, the 33-year-old Kleiman eventually won the award – joining Jerry West as the only other Grizz exec to have done so – with Altman and Chicago’s Arturas Karnisovas finishing in a tie for second place with 27 points apiece.

Kleiman has been outstanding in building the hardnosed young Grizzlies, although Memphis top eight minutes leaders were all acquired in prior seasons. Like the Cavaliers, the Grizzlies brass has identified pieces that fit the culture when acquiring talent.

Altman had one hit after another over the past year. Aside from drafting Evan Mobley during the previous offseason, the Cavs President of Basketball Operations made the deal to acquire Ricky Rubio from Minnesota, made the difficult move of dealing Larry Nance Jr. for Lauri Markkanen and inked All-Star center Jarrett Allen to a long-term extension.

As major injuries mounted, Altman and his front office kept the team afloat – making in-season moves to acquire solid veterans like Caris LeVert and Rajon Rondo while picking up contributors like Brandon Goodwin and Moses Brown along the way.

Koby Altman got nudged out of top honor this season, but as Cavaliers Chairman Dan Gilbert recently stated in a tweet over the weekend: “I believe he will be a top contender again next year.”

After the top three, other vote-getters for top exec included the Suns’ James Jones, Miami’s Pat Riley, Boston’s Brad Stevens and Toronto’s Masai Ujiri.

The most recent winners were James Jones, the Clippers Lawrence Frank, Milwaukee’s Jon Horst, Daryl Morey (then with the Rockets) and Golden State’s Bob Myers.

prize-fighters

Prize Fighters

2022 Draft Lottery Probabilities, presented by Betway:

For the 23rd time in team history, the Cavs will be in the NBA Draft Lottery and will have to rely on luck to determine draft positioning. Unlike past years, the Wine &amp; Gold have a good idea on where they will end up, with a 97.6 percent chance at staying at the 14th overall slot. That leaves a 2.4 percent chance of having a pick land inside the top four.

The three teams that had the highest percentage on landing the first pick last year are the same three teams in this year's lottery cycle (Detroit, Orlando, Houston). Houston cannot pick lower than fifth; Orlando cannot fall below sixth; Detroit can't pick past seven. Cleveland is only able to pick in five slots- 14, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Take a glance at the 14 teams in the Lottery and their chances of picking within the top-six...

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2022 NBA Draft Lottery Probabilities

By The Numbers, presented by Betway- The NBA Draft Lottery:

0.5    ... percent chance that the Cavaliers will win the 2022 NBA Lottery.

14   … Cavaliers’ pre-Lottery position in 2022.

19    … different teams that have won the NBA Lottery, with the Pistons winning their first in 2021.

2   … teams that have won the Lottery two years in a row – the Magic in 1992 and ’93 and the Cavaliers in 2013 and ’14.

14.0   … percent chance that Houston, Detroit or Orlando – the same three teams from one season ago – will win the 2022 NBA Lottery.

12.5    … percent chance for the team with the next-best odds, Oklahoma City – followed by Indiana (10.5), Portland (9.0), Sacramento (7.5) and the Lakers (6.0).

97.6   … percent chance that the Cavaliers will stay at pick No. 14.

4   … years in a row that the Lottery went chalk – from 2015 through 2018 – with the T-Wolves, Sixers, Nets and Suns taking those top picks, respectively. The previous system – which was revised in 2019 – gave the top seed a 25 percent chance to win, the second seed a 19.9 percent chance and third, 15.6.

1.52   … percent chance that the Magic – who drafted Shaquille O’Neal and went 41-41 the previous season – would win the Lottery in 1993, scoring the biggest upset in NBA history, with the Cavaliers in 2014 and the Bulls in 2008 with the next-biggest shockers (1.7 percent).

2.8   … percent chance that the Cavaliers – utilizing the Clippers’ pick – had of winning the NBA Lottery in 2011. They used the top pick on Kyrie Irving, who went on to one day the biggest single shot in franchise history.

22.5   … percent chance the Cavaliers had of winning the 2003 Lottery, taking the top pick and selecting Akron native and future Hall of Famer, LeBron James.

38   … seasons, including this year, that the Lottery is in existence – with the New York Knicks famously winning the initial drawing in 1985 and using the top pick on Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing.

19.9   … percent chance that the Cavaliers – utilizing their own pick – had of winning the NBA Lottery on that date on 2011. They finished fourth and selected Tristan Thompson – who would go on to rank 7th in all-time franchise history in games played (619) and 6th in total rebounds (5,393).

15.6   … percent chance the Cavaliers had of winning 2013 Lottery, earning the top pick for the second time in three years and selecting UNLV’s Anthony Bennett with the pick.

1.7   … percent chance that the Cavaliers would win the 2014 Lottery – doing so and winning the rights to select Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick. He was eventually packaged with the previous June’s top pick – Anthony Bennett – to acquire five-time All-Star, Kevin Love, from Minnesota.

3   … times that the Cavaliers have officially won the NBA Lottery, tied with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets and second-most to the Clippers. The New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Timberwolves, Spurs, Wizards, Nets, Sixers, Bucks and Bulls have won it twice apiece.

5   … occasions that the Clippers have OFFICIALLY won the NBA Lottery. After two of those wins (2011 and 1986), the actual top picks wound up in Cleveland’s hands. In 2011, that choice was Kyrie Irving. In 1986, the Clips came out winners. But a deal with the Sixers back in 1979 gave Philly the top pick in 1986. The Sixers – who went 53-28 the previous year – traded the No. 1 overall to Cleveland for Roy Hinson and cash considerations, and the Cavs selected five-time All-Star, Brad Daugherty.

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Draft Lottery By the Numbers presented by Betway

Some Notes for Next Tuesday Night's NBA Lottery in Chicago

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
5/10/22 | Cavs.com

For Cavalier fans, this year’s NBA Lottery won’t be nearly as exciting as last year’s Lottery.

About 11 months ago, in the league office in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Pistons jumped up one slot to win the 2021 Lottery, followed by Houston and the Cavaliers – giving Cleveland its highest pick since winning the whole thing (for the second straight season) back in 2014.

That season, the Wine &amp; Gold tabbed Kansas forward Andrew Wiggins – who was with the team through Summer League before being packaged with the previous season’s top pick, Anthony Bennett, and shipped to Minnesota in exchange for All-Star forward Kevin Love. The rest, as they say, is history.

Last July, the Cavaliers selected what turned out to be a transformational big man in Evan Mobley at No 3.

The soft-spoken seven-footer from USC hit the ground running as a rookie, allowing J.B. Bickerstaff to introduce his jumbo lineup while starring on both ends of the floor and showing almost no weaknesses to his game.

All the 20-year-old did in his first year was lead his freshman class in field goal percentage (.508) and double-doubles (20), along with blocks (1.63), rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.63) per game, swatting 115 shots while joining Utah’s Rudy Gobert as the only players in the league to average at least 14.0 points, 8.0 boards, 1.5 blocks while shooting better than 50 percent from the floor.

The Cavaliers would be overjoyed to get the No. 3 overall pick this year, and it would take some Rich Strike vibes to get there next Tuesday night. But even if they sit right where they are at No. 14, the Cavs can still grab a solid contributor – or something more. Over the past decade, some No. 14 overall picks include Michael Porter Jr., Bam Adebayo and T.J. Warren.

This year, the Draft Lottery will be held in Chicago and, as always, the actual drawing will take place in a separate room before the ESPN broadcast, with a representative from the accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young making sure everything’s on the up-and-up.

Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 are placed in a lottery machine and there are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Before the Lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams.

Cleveland – the only franchise besides Orlando to have won the Lottery in consecutive seasons – has a 97.6 percent chance of staying at No. 14 when the Lottery rolls around next Tuesday night, May 17.

In the meantime, here’s a few things to keep in mind for when for that time comes – with the NBA Draft just over the horizon …

Nick Gilbert's Lottery night luck changed the course of the Cavaliers franchise back in 2011.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE Getty Images

Freshman Class -- After Detroit won last year’s Lottery, it wasn’t a Shaq-LeBron-Tim Duncan sure thing that Cade Cunningham would be the top overall pick. But the group got whittled down to win-place-show quickly, and the top three picks were as expected. If the Pistons, Rockets and Cavs could do it all over again, they’d probably go the same way. (Cleveland, for certain.)

The top odds in the 2022 Lottery, with each team having a 14 percent chance of winning, belong to Houston, Detroit and Orlando.

Once again this year, there’s no consensus on the top overall pick. And at this point, with the NBA’s Draft Combine slated for May 16-22 in Chicago along with individual workouts and interview along the way, the top 10 is still a jumble.

But that doesn’t mean mock drafts haven’t been heating up, and most of the names rising to the top are familiar for college hoops fans, and include Jaden Ivey (Purdue), Paolo Banchero (Duke), Jabari Smith Jr. (Auburn), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Johnny Davis (Wisconsin), Keegan Murray (Iowa) and Malaki Branham (Ohio State).

So, You're Saying …? -- We know crazy things can happen on Lottery night. The Cavaliers (using the Clippers pick) had a 2.8 percent chance off winning back in 2011 – with Nick Gilbert famously taking center stage as Cleveland eventually selecting the first piece (Kyrie Irving) that led to the 2016 World Championship.

The greatest overall Lottery upset belongs to Orlando in 1993, winning with a 1.5 percent chance one season after landing Shaquille O’Neal. The second largest upset came a decade-and-a-half later, when the Chicago Bulls won the top pick in 2008 – used to select Derek Rose – with just a 1.8 percent chance.

The Cavaliers have a 0.5 percent chance of winning the 2022 Lottery.

(Insert Jim Carrey “Dumb and Dumber” quote …)

Troubled Teens -- Bearing in mind that crazy things do happen in the Lottery, if the Cavaliers remain in the No. 14 spot, it would actually make some of history. Of the myriad draft picks the Wine &amp; Gold have had in over a half-century of existence, they’ve never made one at No. 14 overall.

In fact, the Cavaliers have only picked in the teens once in the past decade, selecting Russian swingman Sergey Karasev at No. 19 in 2003. Before that, also at No. 19, was forward J.J. Hickson back in 2008.