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Chris Grant: Cleveland Wrecking Machine (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
What if I told you one man had the power to change history? Come on, you have to admit that would be a killer E:60 promo. But in this case, it happens to be true. Pictured above is Chris Grant, former General Manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Let’s take a trip back to the summer of 2011, shall we? Cleveland holds not only the fourth pick in the draft from their team, but held the number one spot due to a trade between Cleveland and the Clippers. Chris Grant, along with other notable people, had the power and ability to kickstart their franchise back to relevancy for the first time since Lebron left. But man, did they drop the ball.
Before I get too far into this slam of Chris Grant, I would be remiss to not acknowledge that he did hit on one of his two top-five picks. Kyrie Irving, the freshman point guard from Duke, has been a major success in the NBA, helping Cleveland to their first championship in their franchise history. But if you dive into the archives, the players who were available and their potential make you question not only the pick at 4 (Tristan Thompson) but Kyrie as well. Yes, I do realize that hindsight is 20/20 and we did not know how the draft would play out. But after studying the tape, the proof is in the pudding. Who was in that now historic draft class? I’m glad you ask.
Chris Grant had one job: nail this draft. How can someone screw up two of the first four picks in what was to be believed a very deep draft? You had guys like Brandon Knight from Kentucky, the Morris twins from Kansas, who can forget Jimmer Fredette from BYU? But those are just the noteworthy players from big time schools. You want to talk about some big hitters? Here are some: Klay Thompson (Washington State), Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State), Jimmy Butler (Marquette), Kemba Walker (UConn) Tobias Harris (Tennessee), Chandler Parsons (Florida), and Isaiah Thomas (Washington). Before you give me lip, Parsons was a hooper before he tore up his knee. You want to talk about depth? There’s not only depth, but franchise leading, generational talent. And who does Chris Grant take? Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. Yikes. This is how the 2011 draft should have gone.
Cleveland Cavaliers- Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State)
Minnesota Timberwolves- Kyrie Irving (Duke)
Utah Jazz- Klay Thompson (Washington State)
Cleveland Cavaliers- Jimmy Butler (Marquette)
Toronto Raptors- Kemba Walker (UConn)
Washington Wizards- Tobias Harris (Tennesse)
Sacramento Kings- Isaiah Thomas (Washington)
Detroit Pistons- Jonas Valanciunas
Charlotte Hornets- Nikola Vucevic
Milwaukee Bucks- Iman Shumpert (Georgia Tech)
Golden State Warriors- Kenneth Faried (Morehead State)
