Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsOver the past 10 NBA Drafts (2006-2015), the Cleveland Cavaliers have made 22 selections, yielding just one All-Star in Kyrie Irving.
The following table details the Cavaliers’ track record by tiers, noting the number of All-Stars and starters selected, along with players who either never made the league or were out in five years or less:
| Tier | Picks | All-Star | All-Star Appearances | Starter* | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 5 | 1 (20%) | 3 | 3 (60%) | 1 (20%) |
| 6-10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11-15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16-20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 (66.7%) | 0 |
| 21-25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26-30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (100%) |
| 31-40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (75%) |
| 41-50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 (50%) | 0 |
| 51-60 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (83.3%) |
| Total | 22 | 1 (4.5%) | 3 | 6 (27.3%) | 10 (45.5%) |
*Starter criteria determined as an average of 50 or more starts, over at least 40 percent of the player’s career.
The following is the league average over the same tiers:
| Tier | All-Star | Starter | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 12 (24%) | 30 (60%) | 3 (6%) |
| 6-10 | 8 (16%) | 30 (60%) | 7 (14%) |
| 11-15 | 2 (4%) | 12 (24%) | 8 (16%) |
| 16-20 | 3 (6%) | 10 (20%) | 8 (16%) |
| 21-25 | 2 (4%) | 8 (16%) | 15 (30%) |
| 26-30 | 1 (2%) | 5 (10%) | 20 (40%) |
| 31-40 | 1 (2%) | 11 (11%) | 52 (52%) |
| 41-50 | 2 (2%) | 8 (8%) | 70 (70%) |
| 51-60 | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) | 87 (87%) |
| Total | 32 (5.3%) | 115 (19.7%) | 270 (45.0%) |
The Cavaliers have picked often in the top five, selecting well with Irving and not so well with Anthony Bennett. While they haven’t found many All-Stars, Andrew Wiggins may eventually reach that status (with the Minnesota Timberwolves). Cleveland gave up quickly on Danny Green, whose success as a starter came with the San Antonio Spurs.
Note that players are included with the team through any draft-day trades. Some teams pick well but let an eventual starter leave for another, but that’s beyond the scope of this article. Recently drafted players have yet to officially pass the “at least five years” test, but were considered as such if on a team’s roster by the end of the 2015-16 season.
Additionally, recent picks who have yet to join the NBA may still do so, but for this analysis are considered “out.”
Pick History 2006-2015
All-Stars: Kyrie Irving (2011-1) — three appearances
Starters: J.J. Hickson (2008-19), Danny Green (2009-46), Irving, Tristan Thompson (2011-4), Tyler Zeller (2012-17), Andrew Wiggins (2014-1)
Rotation Players: Shannon Brown (2006-25), Daniel Gibson (2006-42), Sasha Kaun (2008-56), Dion Waiters (2012-4), Sergey Karasev (2013-19), Rakeem Christmas (2015-36)
Out in Five Years or Less: Ejike Ugboaja (2006-55), Darnell Jackson (2008-52), Christian Eyenga (2009-30), Emir Preldzic (2009-57), Milan Macvan (2011-54), Anthony Bennett (2013-1), Carrick Felix (2013-33), Joe Harris (2014-33), Cedi Osman (2015-31), Sir’Dominic Pointer (2015-53)
