Read More: LeBron James (F – MIA), Tristan Thompson (C – CLE), Kyrie Irving (G – CLE), Cleveland Cavaliers

Until May 30 when we find out which team will be going where in the NBA lottery, it’s up to making educated guesses on where the balls, and players, will land. As such, it’s time for hilarious guessing as to where the teams involved will be picking in the top 14. Tom Ziller’s latest 2012 NBA mock draft has an order based on the ‘Basketball Gods’ which has the Cleveland Cavaliers picking UNC’s Harrison Barnes at sixth overall.

Of course, he says the Basketball Gods are in favor of Cleveland continuing to build a powerhouse young team led by Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson so they can beat LeBron at some point:

Like everyone else, The Basketball Gods became angry with LeBron James in 2010. Not because of The Decision, but because of LeBron’s decision to hold his infamous spectacle at a Boys & Girls Club with children present. It was a move clearly designed to shield King James from the multiple strikes of lightning that The Gods wished to rain upon him, and it upset them so deeply that instead of seeking retribution later they opted to turn Cleveland into a powerhouse that will crush him someday.

Someday.

Well done, Basketball Gods.

FOX Sports Ohio has done scouting reports on many of the prospects that the Cavaliers have had in mind, or are at least assumed to be having in mind. Their latest is on, who else, Barnes, and it looks like he is already an ideal NBA player despite having a bit of a bad rap as an underachiever:

“People who have watched his full body of work aren’t complaining too much,” said an Eastern Conference GM. “The kid was built for the NBA. There’s better spacing (in the pros than in college), and he won’t come in as everyone’s focus. He should be open a lot. When he is, good things happen.”

There should be plenty of looks for Barnes, especially in his rookie season if teams continue to focus their attention at containing Irving from the Cavs.

For more news, analysis, and discussion on the Cavaliers, visit Fear the Sword. For all your NBA Draft and Playoffs news, follow SB Nation’s NBA news hub.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kyrie Irving, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, has continued the Cleveland Cavaliers’ tradition of accomplished point guards.

Butch Beard, the Cavs’ point guard in their second year (1971-72), made the Eastern Conference all-star team in that, his lone full season with the team. Beard was a solid player, but in those days, NBA All-Star Game rules stipulated that each team had to be represented by at least one player.

The Cavs’ tradition of point guard excellence truly began the next season, when future Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens began a two-year stay with the team. Wilkens was near the end of his playing career, but was still one of the league’s premier playmakers. Later, of course, from 1986-93, he coached some of the Cavaliers’ best teams.

Wilkens’ understudy as the Cavs’ point guard, former Ohio State star Jimmy Cleamons, guided the team to its first two playoff berths.

The 1986-87 Cavaliers not only featured Wilkens as their new coach, but a brilliant rookie class that included that season’s backup point guard, Mark Price. He would become the first player in Cavs’ history to be named first-team all-NBA.

Terrell Brandon backed up Price for four seasons, before becoming an all-star in his own right. Later, Andre Miller would come along to run the Cleveland offense, though for bad teams. If the Cavs hadn’t traded Miller to the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the 2002-03 season, they wouldn’t have tied the Denver Nuggets for the NBA’s worst record, and thus been positioned to win the draft lottery and select LeBron James. Miller just completed his 13th NBA season, playing for, ironically, the Nuggets.

Younger fans may not know that one of the game’s all-time best point guards, Walt Frazier, was a Cavalier. When Cleamons left the Cavs for the New York Knicks following the 1976-77 season, the teams –according to NBA free agency rules of the day — had to agree on compensation for the Cavaliers. New York agreed to send Frazier to Cleveland. Frazier, though past his prime, played well in 51 games before a foot injury ended his first Cavaliers’ season. He played just 15 more games for the Cavs before they waived him early in the 1978-79 season.

Other point guards played some solid basketball for the Cavs over the years, such as Clarence “Footsie” Walker, John Bagley and Brevin Knight. Cleveland drafted future all-star Kevin Johnson in the first round of the 1987 draft, but Price dominated him in training camp matchups, and Johnson was sent later that season to the Phoenix Suns in a multi-player trade that brought all-star forward Larry Nance to Cleveland.

During James’ seven seasons with the Cavaliers (2003-10), he played with several point guards, though the offense ran through him. The best of them were Larry Hughes and Mo Williams. In another irony, Williams was the centerpiece of a Cavaliers trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 24, 2011. As part of the transaction, the Cavs received, unconditionally, the Clippers’ 2011 first-round draft pick. That asset won Cleveland the draft lottery for the first pick, used, of course, to select Irving.

Who is the best point guard in Cleveland Cavaliers history?

Video: A brief biography of Lenny Wilkens NBA career:

Video: The final moments, including Jimmy Cleamons’ inbounds pass to Dick Snyder for the game-winning basket, in the Cavaliers’ 87-85 Game 7 win over the Washington Bullets in the 1976 Eastern Conference semifinals:

Video: Highlights from Mark Price’s career:

Video: Highlights from Terrell Brandon’s career, and an interview:

Video: Mo Williams scores 43 points during the Cavaliers’ 117-110 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 27, 2009:

Video: Kyrie Irving wins the MVP award for the Rising Stars Challenge game, part of the All-Star Weekend events on TNT:

CLEVELAND Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is hours away from being named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.

The Cavs say they will make a “major announcement” along with the league on Tuesday morning at Cleveland Clinic Courts, the team’s training facility in Independence. The team did not specify what will be announced, but The Associated Press was one of several media outlets to report Sunday that Irving, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, will win the award.

The 20-year-old averaged 18.5 points to lead all rookies — and the Cavs — in scoring. He was clearly the league’s top first-year player, and his choice as winner has been expected for months.

The Associated Press

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving will be named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Tuesday in a press conference in Independence.

From today’s story by Tom Reed on the award:

Irving was such an overwhelming favorite to win the award, voted on by select media members, he addressed the topic with local reporters two weeks ago.

“If I do get it, it will be a great accomplishment for the city of Cleveland, my teammates and myself,” Irving said. “I couldn’t have done it without them. The confidence they had in me allowed me to be myself and play my game.

“If I do win it, I’ll take it home and put it with the other trophies I have.”

Irving becomes just the second Cavs’ recipient of the NBA honor. LeBron James, who like Irving was a top overall pick, won the award in 2004. But unlike James, he did not enter the league with a $90 million Nike deal and predictions of a can’t-miss career.

Irving’s rookie season was a success, and he gives the Cavs a building block for the future.

But with NBA Draft 2012 arriving next month, which player should the Cavaliers look to in the draft if they don’t land the No. 1 pick – who almost assuredly will be Kentucky center Anthony Davis?

That’s our question in today’s Starting Blocks poll: Which player other than Davis would be the best fit for the Cavs to star alongside Irving?

By David Vranicar

– Newsdesk contributor

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May 3, 2012 – Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has been chosen as a member of the 2012 USA Select Team, according to the Plain Dealer’s Reed Boyer:

The Select Team is comprised of young NBA players and will scrimmage the National Team. This year’s roster, which is not yet complete, also includes John Wall.

The Select Team has in the past worked as a feeder program for the National Team. Members of the 2008 Select Team included 2012 Team USA finalists such as Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Andre Iguodala, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love, among others.

Irving seems a no-brainer for the Select Team. He led all rookies in scoring at 18.5 points per game, shooting 46.9 precent from the floor and 39.9 percent from downtown. He was also good for 5.4 assists per game, second among rookies.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation’s NBA page, or check out SB Nation’s YouTube channel:

Read More: Andre Iguodala (F – PHI), LaMarcus Aldridge (F – POR), Kevin Durant (F – OKC), Russell Westbrook (G – OKC), Kevin Love (F – MIN), Derrick Rose (G – CHI), John Wall (G – WAS), Kyrie Irving (G – CLE), Cleveland Cavaliers

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Jason Lloyd writes on Ohio.com how once upon a time, actually in mid-January, the Cleveland Cavaliers were still in contention for a playoff spot when a couple of coach Byron Scott’s old media acquaintances were asking about the Cavs’ roster.

“We’re nowhere near where we need it to be,” Scott said.

The roster only regressed from there, with the Cavs flipping Development League players in and out through a turnstile over the season’s final six weeks. The Cavs’ final roster had eight players on it who spent at least part of this season in the D-League.

Lloyd writes how the Cavaliers have four of the top 34 picks in this summer’s draft, and the goal is obviously to improve the talent. In order to do that, the present roster needs to be evaluated.

Lloyd takes a look at the player-by-player look at the Cavs’ final roster and the prospects for each player returning next season:

Definitely, most likely, 50/50, not likely and no chance.

Omri Casspi

The good: He stayed healthy. That’s about it.

The bad: Casspi was probably the most disappointing player of the season. He lost his starting job, posted career lows in nearly every offensive category and was criticized by Scott for not knowing the playbook late in the season. But other than that …

The future: 50/50. The Cavs will spend the summer trying to upgrade at the wing positions.

 Daniel Gibson

The future: Most likely. The front office is high on Gibson, and he’s a leader in the locker room. But he must rediscover his stroke or else next year will be his last in Cleveland.

More Cleveland Cavaliers

The best is yet to come for Kyrie Irving (The News-Herald).

Joe Tait speaks at HOF Lucheon (CantonRep.com).

The Cleveland Cavaliers review (Bleacher Report).