2013 NBA Mock Draft: Who Will the Cleveland Cavaliers Take No. 1?

2013 NBA Mock Draft – Who Will the Cleveland Cavaliers Take No. 1?: The ping pong balls have spoken, and the 2013 NBA draft lottery has set the order for the top 14 picks for the upcoming draft. For the second time in three years, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have the No. 1 overall pick. After taking point guard Kyrie Irving in 2011, the franchise will look to continue the rebuilding process by adding another key piece in this year’s draft. Of course, deciding which player to select is easier said than done this year because there is no obvious favorite from a group of prospects that has a lot more question marks than sure things. That being said, there are a few players that stand out above the rest and could come off the board when Cleveland selects. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the four players the Cavaliers are most likely to take with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

1.      Nerlens Noel, Center, Kentucky

He is recovering from knee surgery, but Noel was an athletic shot-blocking machine before he got hurt at Kentucky. His skill set could be perfect for a Cleveland team that is lacking a defensive enforcer in the paint. After all, the Cavaliers averaged the second-fewest blocks of any team last year and allowed opponents to shoot a NBA-best 47.6 percent from the field. While he will have to pack on some serious muscle to his seven-foot, 206-pound frame, it is a lot easier to show a player the way to the weight room than it is to make them tall and athletic.

2.      Ben McLemore, Shooting Guard, Kansas

McLemore showed flashes of brilliance at Kansas, and at times, he was a deadly perimeter scorer. He also has excellent athleticism, and while he seemed to lake focus and a killer instinct at times, he is just scratching the surface of his offensive game. His upside could be too much more Cleveland to pass on, and a backcourt of Irving and McLemore could give opponents fits for years. On the other hand, the Cavaliers already added shooting guard Dion Waiters with a top-10 pick last year so they wouldn’t exactly be addressing their biggest need.

3.      Anthony Bennett, Forward, UNLV

If you have seen Bennett play, it is easy to understand why some scouts consider him the best prospect in this year’s class. He is a physically imposing specimen with a versatile offensive game, and he isn’t afraid to hit the boards either. Bennett has the touch to face the basket and score and can even step out behind the arc, but he also has the power and footwork to score with his back to the basket. Pairing him with Irving would potentially give Cleveland a pair of stars on offense. The issue is that Bennett is a little undersized to defend NBA power forwards and probably a little too slow to defend quicker small forwards, and adding a offensively-gifted tweener isn’t going to do much to help an already-struggling Cavaliers’ defense.

4.      Otto Porter, Forward, Georgetown

While he carried the Hoyas on the offensive end at times, Porter’s real value comes from his versatility on both ends of the court. From his passing ability and mid-range game to his solid defense, he does a little bit of everything on the court. Perhaps more importantly, he can impact that game at multiple levels without having the ball in his hand a lot, which is important when playing on the same team with a score-first point guard like Irving. On the flip side, there is a chance that Porter’s all-around ability makes him more of a solid role player than a major contributor, and Cleveland needs as much bang for its buck as possible with the top pick.

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