This Year’s Rookies Hope to Follow Lead of Irving, Thompson

For most players in the NBA, the biggest improvement in their career is from their rookie season to their second year. Cavaliers’ GM Chris Grant has to hope that’s the case for rookies Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.

It certainly has been the case for the reigning league rookie of the year Kyrie Irving and F Tristan Thompson, both of whom have shown great improvement from their first year in the NBA.

First, let’s look at Irving, who has missed his share of games this season, playing in just 56 out of a possible 79 thus far. With just three games remaining, it appears he will miss 23 contests this year.

Irving’s numbers are up for the most part, with the exception of his field goal percentage and free throw percentage. This is unusual because the former first pick in the draft is known for his shooting. He dropped from 47% from the field and 87% from the line as a rookie to 46% from the floor and 85% from the line in 2012-13.

His three-point shooting has improved by a percent this year.

However, his other numbers are up. He’s averaging four more points a game than last season (18.5 to 22.7) and he’s also dishing out a half an assist more per night. Of course, he is getting more minutes too, an average of four and a half more than last year. He’s also getting more steals a game too.

All of this while being the focus of opposing defenses when he is on the floor. Last year, Irving was highly regarded, but this year, every coach knows he is the best player wearing a Cavs’ jersey, and he made his first all-star team. Despite that, Irving has made a quantum leap in his second year.

He still needs to be more durable, and he must improve his defense if he wants to be in the conversation as one of the best point guards in the league. He is talented enough to be the complete package at the point, and with improvements in these areas, he could be an elite player in a couple of years.

Although Thompson still has critics, his improvement is even more dramatic. His playing has increased by almost eight minutes per game, and with more time, the second year man from Texas has made a great leap from his rookie season.

Obviously, the most important numbers are points and rebounds, and Thompson is scoring three and a half points a night (8.2 to 11.7) and his board work is also up by just about three a game (6.5 to 9.3).

However, his is shooting a much better percentage, up five percentage points from the field (43.9% to 49%) and he is now a 62% shooter from the line, up from 55% as a rook.

He is also showing leadership, as he was the most vocal regarding Byron Scott’s job security. And he went out the first game since the rumors started and put up 29 points and 17 rebounds against the Celtics.

If Waiters and Zellers can improve at the same rate next season, perhaps the Cavs outlook isn’t as gloomy as some think, although outside of Irving, it doesn’t appear any of the three can become all-stars.

However, as good as Irving was in winning rookie of the year honors last season, it still shows a great deal of improvement comes over the summer after your first season in the NBA.

OKC “Model” Won’t Work in Cleveland

Much of the news out of the Cavaliers camp lately has centered on the relationship between coach Byron Scott and his team, and whether or not he will remain the coach next season.

However, once the season ends, the focus will shift to GM Chris Grant, who will be involved in the deciding if the Cavs need a new coach and also be in charge of reconstructing the roster.

It has been three years since LeBron James left and the wine and gold aren’t close to becoming a competitive basketball team. And while many around town talk about the Oklahoma City “model”, the truth is right now Cleveland only has one all-star player out of the last three drafts, the oft-injured Kyrie Irving.

For that model to work, they need to add a lot of talent, and with patience starting to wane, they have to do it quickly. And quite frankly, it looking at the upcoming draft, they aren’t going to find another star piece using that process.

Dion Waiters’ knee injury was a tough blow for Grant and Scott because it ended the evaluation process, perhaps for the rest of the season.

The rookie from Syracuse was averaging 14.7 points a night and was showing better shot selection as he gained experience as a pro. However, it is still up in the air as to whether Waiters can be a starting #2 guard in the NBA or will be better suited in a sixth man role, being able to play both the point and off guard spots.

Tristan Thompson has shown he’s a legitimate starter in the Association, averaging 11.5 points and 9.3 rebounds a game. However, it is clear that he’s not as good of a player when on the court with Anderson Varejao, and he still needs to improve his offensive game. He needs to develop a reliable jump shot to go with the push shot he’s used inside.

The more you see Alonzo Gee, you realize that he’s a bench player. He’s a solid defender, but takes too many poor shots offensively, accounting for his 40.5% shooting percentage.

That means that Grant needs at least two starters, maybe three if Waiters is judged to be the sixth man. If Tyler Zeller can pound weights in the off-season and still retain the basketball skills he has, he could claim one spot. He’s getting 8.1 points and almost six boards a game, but is over matched in the strength department regularly.

We’ve talked about the draft a little in recent weeks, and will repeat once again that there doesn’t appear to be anyone there, even at the top of the draft, who will be able to step in right away and make an impact.

So, how does Grant put the Cavaliers in a position to make a big leap forward in 2013-14?

He has a boatload of draft picks that he may have to dip into to acquire a player who can help immediately. He also has Varejao, who if he can demonstrate he is healthy, should be able to be dealt for more young players.

Utah may be looking to move either Al Jefferson or Enes Kanter this summer, either would be a help in a Cleveland jersey.

Or could Grant take a shot at Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins, a player of great ability but one with maturity issues?

Regardless of who it is, the Cavs’ fans and probably their owner will not be patient enough for another season where the win total doesn’t approach 30, let alone 40.

The Oklahoma City plan isn’t going to work here. The draft simply isn’t strong enough.

Draft Prospects Should Have Fans Wanting Cavs to Win

Around this time of year, many fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers start hoping for losses, so the wine and gold have a better chance of improving their position in the NBA draft lottery.

With every loss, these people shout with glee, happy that the Cavs dropped another game.

This year, that’s not smart.

Why? Because of two reasons. First, what most fans don’t understand is that winning breeds winning, and the rest of this season should be about establishing a winning attitude for the 2013-14 season.

The second reason is that this year, more than perhaps the last few seasons, there isn’t a clear-cut first pick in the draft, not that Cleveland can sink low enough to have the best chance of getting the first selection.

This year is one of those seasons where there are very few finished products available to teams having one of the top five selections in late June. You can almost call this year’s draft a crapshoot.

For example, right now if the standings remained where they are and the lottery held to form, the Cavs would have the 7th pick in the selection process. Several mock drafts have GM Chris Grant taking Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel, who is 6’11” and weighs a whopping 211 pounds or UNLV forward Anthony Bennett.

Noel has missed at least half of this year’s season with a knee injury and obviously needs to bulk up to be able to play and contribute at the NBA level. Tyler Zeller, the Cavs’ rookie center, weighs 250 pounds and is still getting pushed around by veteran big men on a nightly basis.

Just think what would happen to Noel. And with a young core of Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Dion Waiters, the wine and gold need to win as soon as next season. Noel probably won’t be able to be a real contributor for a few years.

That’s the challenge for Grant. Not only does he need to find someone good coming out of college, but someone who can contribute to the team as soon as next season. Taking a project doesn’t help this young team in the short-term.

Bennett may be a better choice because he has an NBA body (6’7″ 240 pounds). The problem with him though is he may be a tweener, too small to play power forward and not quick enough to play small forward. Right now, his offensive game is more like the former, and the Cavs already have Thompson.

That’s the point. If you look at the players ranked from 4-12 that are likely to come out in this year’s draft, there are no finished products. While that may be true of most years, this year is really a gamble.

Looking at the top ten prospects projected to come out this season, it shows seven freshmen and three sophomores. Of those who have spent two years in college, one, Georgetown’s Otto Porter is ranked in the top three and probably won’t be available to the Cavs. The other two are Cody Zeller (brother of Tyler) and Alex Len of Maryland, who needs to get stronger to play in the NBA.

The point is it is not likely that the Cavs will get anyone who can provide a huge boost for next season. And they need a huge boost if they want to challenge for the playoffs next season.

This might be one of those years it may be better to deal with teams looking to move someone for salary cap relief.

Following the Oklahoma City model likely won’t be possible with this year’s college crop.

Young Cavs Today Remind of Late 80’s Group.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had their best stretch of the season last week, winning three straight led by Kyrie Irving, who scored at least 30 points in the wins.

Unfortunately, Irving had only 14 points at home against Golden State on Tuesday and the wine and gold’s winning ways ended.

That’s the way it is for a team dominated by first and second year players. Consistency is definitely going to be an issue.

Many supporters of the Cavs were bragging about the team’s representation in the Rising Stars game at All Star weekend next month, as all four of Chris Grant’s first round picks in the last two years (Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller) are participating in the contest.

It’s no guarantee of future success, but it does speak to the amount of playing time coach Byron Scott is giving to players with little experience. Alonzo Gee leads the Cavaliers in minutes played, but the next four who have spent the next most time on the floor are the four participants in the exhibition game.

It would be much better if Cleveland was competing for the playoffs, but the last time this many young players saw this amount of time for the Cavs was the 1986-87 season when Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, Mark Price, and Hot Rod Williams were rookies.

Price wound up seventh on that squad in time played, but the top three were the other rookies, with Harper garnering the most.

We all know that three of those players made up the nucleus of some very successful squads in the late 80’s and early 90’s. If it weren’t for the worst trade in NBA history (Harper AND two first round picks for the rights to Danny Ferry), and a guy named Michael Jordan, to borrow an Indians’ slogan, what if???

Still, when they were rookie, that team finished 31-51 for the season, before improving the 42-40 the following season, and then to 57-25 in their third season together, when Magic Johnson called them “the team of the 90’s”.

While no one is predicting that type of rapid success for this young group of Cavaliers, it would be nice if they could come close to duplicating the progress of those young Cavs.

After that first season, Cleveland’s first round pick in the draft was Kevin Johnson, who went on to a great career with Phoenix, but is more important to Cavs’ followers as the trade chip which brought the team Larry Nance.

Here’s hoping this group of young players resembles that group more than another group of young Cavs in 1997-98, when four rookies (Cedric Henderson, Brevin Knight, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Derek Anderson) ranked in the top six for minutes played that season.

That group buoyed by veterans Wesley Person and Shawn Kemp finished the season 47-35 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Indiana. A back up guard on that team was Scott Brooks, now the coach for Oklahoma City.

They followed up by going 22-28 in a shortened season with Ilgauskas, who turned out to the best player out of the group, missing most of the season with a broken foot.

By the third year they were supposed to be together, Anderson was dealt to the Clippers for Lamond Murray, Big Z was still out for the season, and Knight’s time was cut considerably by rookie Andre Miller.

The Cavs finished 32-50 and were stuck in mediocrity until the drafting of LeBron James.

The current young guys wearing wine and gold look more like the first group because of the presence of Irving, who appears to be heading toward elite status.

Let’s hope that is the case so the future is bright, not bleak.

TIme for Cavs and Irving to Show Progress

It most certainly has been a disappointing year in sports in Cleveland. All three of our professional sports teams have pretty much stunk in 2012.

One bright spot fans on the north coast thought they had been watching the progress of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in Kyrie Irving and two other top four picks in second year forward Tristan Thompson and rookie Dion Waiters.

So far, the wine and gold have been a huge disappointment, starting the season at 5-22 and on pace for another season of less than 20 victories.

The biggest problem is not the physical ability to play the game, the Cavs have some talent. Look at the teams they have defeated this year.

The Lakers are struggling, but they have talent. The Clippers have one of the NBA’s best records at 19-6. Philadelphia made the playoffs last season. Atlanta currently has the third best record in the Eastern Conference.

All have lost to the Cavaliers, whose lone win over a bad team was an Opening Night win over the Wizards.

They also have close losses to Miami (16 -6), New York (18-6), and Memphis (16-6).

On the other hand, they’ve lost at home to teams like Toronto (8-19), Detroit (7-21), and Phoenix (10-15).

They seem to play to the level of their competition, which has to frustrate their coach, Byron Scott, to no end.

It is true that the Cavaliers are a young team, but it has to drive Scott crazy to see them play with teams like the Heat and Knicks on the road, and then get whipped at The Q by a team like Toronto.

They need to have that same drive and determination in games they can win, particularly at home, as they do against the big boys in the NBA.

Too often, it looks like they play with the attitude of we’re at home and since he can hang with the Heat, we’ll win tonight. They don’t have a professional attitude on a night-to-night basis.

They’ve lost 16 straight games within the Central Division!

Right now, the Cavaliers don’t have anything they can hang their collective hats on. They should, and it should be on the defensive end.

Cleveland has the worst defensive field goal percentage in the league, allowing opponents to make over 47% of their shots. Much of that problem stems from their best player, Irving, struggling at the defensive end.

There is no question that Irving is the team’s best player, now he needs to become a leader, even if he is just 20 years old. He needs to be the guy who takes Scott’s defensive mantra to the floor and show everyone else on the team that he buys in.

That’s the responsibility of being a great player instead of a very good player.

The young Cavaliers have to learn this is a business rather than a game and they need to win games at home against mediocre teams, which you can read as squads of their ilk.

When we see them beating the likes of the Bobcats, Hornets, Pistons, Bucks, etc. with regularity, then they will be turning the corner toward improvement.

The first step toward respectability and then the playoffs is winning the games you are supposed to win. The Cavs need to do just that and do it soon.

Cavs Tough to Evaluate

The Cleveland Cavaliers have hit the quarter mark of the NBA season, and to be sure, everyone in the organization thought they would be better than 4-17 at this point.

Still, it is difficult to see exactly where the wine and gold are in their second rebuilding season following the departure of LeBron James.

It is only their second year because the franchise had no back up plan for James’ departure, which if you want to criticize the organization for that, it is understandable.

But the injuries to two key players, Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving and this year’s first round pick, Dion Waiters, make it difficult to judge whether or not any progress has been made.

They were supposed to be the centerpieces, along with Anderson Varejao, to any success and growth the Cavs would experience in 2012-13.

However, Irving has missed 11 games thus far and Waiters has missed the last four. Without two of their top scorers, it has been tough for Byron Scott’s team to score enough points to win.

In the off-season, we commented that the Cavalier roster was made up of a lot of good bench players, but unfortunately, for Cleveland these players have to start.

Players like Alonzo Gee and Tristan Thompson will carve out a long career in the NBA because they can be contributors, but they are miscast as starters, although it may be too early to say that about the latter.

With Irving and Waiters out, that means Scott is forced to start four players who should be playing 15-18 minutes per night off the bench.

That usually doesn’t translate into victories.

With both Irving and Waiters perhaps playing tomorrow night, the time to really start the evaluation process will start. If the Cavs hit the halfway point at the season at 8-33, then the questions about the direction of the team can start.

The injuries aren’t an excuse or reason for some evaluation though.

The biggest bright spot for the wine and gold has been the unbelievable play of Varejao, who leads the league in rebounding and is scoring almost 15 points per night.

It is time to stop saying the Brazilian big man is simply a hustle player and give him his due as a true basketball talent.

It’s not hustle that puts him in position for rebounds and easy lay ups off of the guard’s penetration, Varejao understands the game and has an instinct for it as well.

He’s a great player and deserves an all-star berth this year.

The disappointments have to be Thompson and his lack of progress and free agent swingman C. J. Miles.

Thompson will be haunted for a long time because he was the fourth selection in the 2011 draft, and he did average 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per night. However, he hasn’t taken a quantum leap forward in his second year, improving to just 8.9 points and 7.5 boards thus far.

GM Chris Grant hasn’t said it, but he has to be disappointed that whatever work the second year big from Texas put in this off-season hasn’t translated to more production.

Miles has done a little better as of late, but still missed six games due to Scott’s decision. He’s shooting just 34% from the floor and has taken just 11 free throws, least of any player who has logged 100 or more minutes with Cleveland this season. He was thought to be able to provide some points, but so far hasn’t been able to fill that need.

So, after the first quarter of the season, you would have to grade the Cavaliers with an incomplete. The injuries to its starting backcourt has made it tough to judge progress, and given them a built-in excuse after 20 games.

Irving’s Injury Might Help in a Weird Way

The Cleveland Cavaliers received word that they lost their best player, 2011-12 Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving on Monday evening. Then they went out and broke a losing streak by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers.

The leading scorer in that game was Irving’s replacement, little known back up point guard Jeremy Pargo, who scored 28 points and dished out four assists.

While it is never good to lose a player of Irving caliber for a month, there could be some positives to come as a result of the point guard’s broken index finger.

Over the past few games he played, all but one being on the road, the former Duke Blue Devil was getting away from his playmaking duties.

In his first six games of the season, Irving averaged 6.5 assists per night. In the next four contests, he dished out just 4.3 dimes and in the lone home game during that stretch, vs. Dallas, he had none.

This is not to criticize the second year player, as he was doing what he could to try to win basketball games, but it does suggest perhaps his teammates had started to defer too much to Irving and also Anderson Varejao.

Now with Irving out, likely until around Christmas time, it is time for some other people to step it up.

For one, it should make Dion Waiters a better player. He’s one guy who will need to pick up the scoring load without Irving’s almost 23 points per night, and he will have the ball in his hands quite a bit.

He scored 16 points in the win on Wednesday (he did take 22 shots) and had six assists. With Irving out, it would be nice to see Waiters start attacking the basket more. He hasn’t been to the free throw line in the last two contests and only has one game thus far with more than four free throws.

If he starts going to the hole on a regular basis, he should be getting six to eight charity tosses per night. The Cavs’ offense will need that, and it will make Waiters a better player when Kyrie comes back.

Another player who needs to step up is C. J. Miles, who responded with his best game of the season Wednesday, scoring 13 points on five of nine shooting.

Up to that contest, Miles was dreadful to start the season. The game against Philly raised his shooting percentage to 26.7% on the year. Remember, this is a guy who averaged almost 13 points per night just two years ago. He’s a better player than he’s showed the fans of the wine and gold thus far, and with Irving out, he’s another player who will need to pick his game up.

Irving’s absence should also help decide who the back up point guard will be when he returns. And Pargo gave himself a leg up with his performance in his first start. Coach Byron Scott gave the job initially to Donald Sloan, but when he wasn’t passing or scoring well, the coach started easing in Pargo.

No one expects the latter to keep scoring 28 points a game, but if he can show he progress, it gives Scott a chance to give his best player rest in order to keep him fresh for the end of games.

Sometimes basketball teams need to learn they don’t have to be totally reliant on an all-star player, and it would be better for the team if everyone pulled their weight instead of waiting for the star to do it.

If the Cavaliers learn that collectively over the next few weeks, then Irving’s finger will help in the long run.

Cavs Thoughts: Waiters, Andy, and Lack of Bench

Before the NBA season started, we wondered about who would pick up the scoring load for the Cleveland Cavaliers. At least through the first six games, it looks like it will be rookie Dion Waiters.

And at this point, GM Chris Grant can tell all his critics “I told you so”.

As of today, Waiters is averaging 16.7 points in 29 minutes of action, shooting almost 49% from the floor and a crazy 53% from the three-point line.

Now, the shooting percentages will probably not last, but so far so good on the selection of the rook out of Syracuse. He’s been arguably the second best first year man in the league, after first overall pick Anthony Davis of New Orleans.

We understand though, that many rookies come into the league and set it on fire initially, only for the rest of the league to get a “book” on him and start taking away what the player likes to do. So, before fans send Waiters to Springfield, a little patience is needed.

We also expected last year’s rookie of the year, Kyrie Irving to improve a great deal in his second year, and so far he is doing just that. He’s elevated his scoring average to 23.3, a figure that if it continues will put him in the top ten in the NBA at the end of the season. He’s still passing out 6.5 assists per night while grabbing four rebounds.

We also have to mention the great play of Anderson Varejao, who is averaging 14 points and 14 rebounds per game.

When experts around the league talk about the Cavaliers void in talent when #6 of the Heat was playing here, they neglect to realize how good the Brazilian big man is.

Everyone talks about his all out style of play and his ability to take charges defensively, but the truth is Varejao is an excellent basketball player.

Not a jaw dropping player with out of this world athleticism who is going to wow people with flashy dunks and above the rim play, but as someone who knows how to play the game.

For proof, watch the game between the US Olympic team and Brazil this summer. You can make a very good case that Varejao was the second best player on the court that night, behind only LeBron James. He makes an impact on virtually game he plays. That’s why it is so important that he stays healthy.

Coach Byron Scott and Grant both understand how important the big man is to this franchise.

One problem that needs to be rectified is the play of the bench, which after six games has been horrible. If Scott can’t come up with at least decent production from the subs, the starters will not be able to stay fresh as the season goes on.

The best players from this group has been Daniel Gibson, who can play when healthy, but isn’t that often. He averaging 8.7 per night with his normal good shooting. Rookie Tyler Zeller has also done a good job with 7.5 points and 4.5 boards a game, but he’s missed the last two contests with a concussion.

C.J. Miles was supposed to the leader of the second unit, but he has struggled, shooting just 23% while scoring 4.5 points a game. Perhaps switching him with Alonzo Gee, a player who has been very effective as a sub would help.

That’s no slight to Gee, who is a very good defender and is scoring 10.7 ppg, and certainly his minutes (31 per contest) should be cut, but Scott needs to get Miles going.

All of these thoughts are based on just six games, so it isn’t time to panic, that is unless you are the Lakers and you put together a roster of players who don’t match with each other so you fire the coach.

There is still plenty of season to go. Even at 2-4, this is a team that should be better after the calendar turns a page to 2013 than it is right now.

Cavs Need to Find Another Scorer

Tomorrow night, the Cleveland Cavaliers start their third season in the post LeBron James era.

That means they are in rebuilding mode, but the good news is, GM Chris Grant is steadily putting the building blocks in place. This is a very young team.

Will they improve enough to make a run at a playoff spot? That probably depends on the health of two of their better players: Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao.

Irving missed much of his only season at Duke with a foot injury and missed 14 games last season as well. He also broke his hand this summer.

He’s only 20 years old, so perhaps the injuries will subside as he gets older and stronger, but coach Byron Scott needs him on the floor for the wine and gold to win.

In his second year, he should be able to increase his scoring average to over 20 points per night, compared to 18.5 in his first season.

Varejao has missed good portions of the last two seasons, first with a foot injury and last season with a broken wrist. He plays solid defense and is a relentless rebounder.

He’s still the Cavs’ best big man, so having him for all 82 contests would be a huge boost for Scott.

The biggest challenge for this young group of basketball players will be scoring points after losing Antawn Jamison’s 17 per game.

Jamison wasn’t exactly judicious in his shot selection, but without a secondary scorer on the roster, Scott needed his points.

But the veteran has joined the all-star team from five years ago that plays in Los Angeles, so someone has to step up and put the ball in the basket.

Who will that guy be?

The logical answer would be rookie Dion Waiters, named as a starter by Scott yesterday. Waiters, the fourth overall pick in last summer’s draft, is a scorer and has been compared to Dwyane Wade in that regard.

Scott and Grant would no doubt be happy if the rookie averaged in double figures for the season.

The other player who can pick up the slack is newcomer C.J. Miles, a free agent who played with the Jazz for seven seasons, but is still just 25 years old.

Miles has averaged 8.4 points per game in his career averaging a little over 19 minutes per night. He did score almost 13 per game two years ago.

He should be able to get into double figures on a nightly basis.

The other points will have to come from the improvement of players like second year man Tristan Thompson, who should get into double figures in points, and Alonzo Gee.

Remember, Jamison took a lot of shots, so those shots will be divided up by other players as well, in fact, he hoisted up almost 20% (19.5%) of the Cavs field goal attempts last year, so his absence will open up shots for the younger players.

And this is not to blast the veteran, who has been a solid NBA player, but he shot 40.3% last year. Do you know what other Cavalier shot the same percentage? Omri Casspi, who was a disappointment by everyone’s standards.

Starting Thompson should make Scott’s team better defensively, at least in the frontcourt, so maybe Cleveland will need fewer points to win.

The coach has said defensive rebounding is his main concern coming into the season, but finding a true secondary scorer has to be next on the list. We may find out as soon as tonight.

A Little Worried About Waiters

The Cleveland Cavaliers will not start the regular season until the end of this month, but it would be nice to see something more out of rookie guard Dion Waiters during the exhibition contests.

Waiters, the 4th overall pick out of Syracuse in June’s draft, was considered a gamble at that choice. Most scouts had him in the top ten choices, but very few had him in going in the first five picks.

The rookie had to be pulled out of one game because coach Byron Scott felt he didn’t have a grasp of the plays, and has largely been inconsistent. He’s shooting just 36% from the floor, and there is a possibility he won’t start opening night.

To be fair, last year’s rookie of the year, Kyrie Irving, is shooting 34.3% in the games that don’t count.

Still, other rookies picked after Waiters are making a bigger impact thus far. The guy many people wanted to take with the fourth pick overall, Golden State F Harrison Barnes, is shooting 50% and scoring 10.4 per contest.

Granted the regular season is still over a week today, and there will be five and a half months to evaluate Waiters, but there certainly can be some concern.

Yes, we know that Scott was also the fourth pick in the draft and said he didn’t start until halfway through his rookie year, but he was drafted by the Lakers, and his teammates included Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and Jamaal Wilkes.

Also, Scott was a solid NBA player, but he was never considered an elite player.

GM Chris Grant and Scott need Waiters to be the second building block (with Irving) in the Cavs’ return to playing in the post-season. They need more than a solid performer.

And don’t forget that the rook was out of shape going into the summer league, another thing that raises eyebrows.

In today’s NBA, title contending teams need three all-star type players if they hope to mount a serious challenge to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

The Cavaliers had three picks in the top four of each of the last two drafts and right now can only claim Kyrie Irving as a future star.

This is not to write off either Tristan Thompson or Waiters because the former has played just one season and the latter hasn’t yet played a regular season game.

The greatest improvement many players make is between their first and second year, so we should have a better read on Thompson after this season, and he’s averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds in a little over 20 minutes in the pre-season.

It appears he can be the double-double guy Scott hoped for as early as this year.

Again, this is not to call Waiters a bust. It’s far too early for that. However, he certainly hasn’t had that “wow” moment yet during exhibition play. He had one really good game, which came right after he was yanked out of the game, but hasn’t followed up with another one.

When Waiters was drafted, we said this was a huge gamble by Grant that could either pay off handsomely or cost the GM his job down the line.

Right now, Grant should feel a little uneasy. Waiters needs to show more, both for himself and for the Cavalier franchise.