February 11, 2013; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Ben McLemore (23) dunks the ball as Kansas State Wildcats forward Nino Williams (11) defends in the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Cavaliers will have the first pick and the 19^th pick in this upcoming draft. In the next few weeks here at Right Down Euclid, we will be profiling players the Cavaliers might draft in the first round on June 27^th. Today, we profile Ben McLemore.

Tale of the Tape

Name: Ben McLemore
Position: Guard
School: Kansas
Age: 20
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 190 lbs.
Wingspan: 6’8”
Honors: 2013 All-America 2^nd Team, All-Big 12 1^st Team
2012-2013 Per Game Stats: 15.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 49.5 FG%, 42.0 3PT%, 87.0 FT%
NCAA Tournament Stats: 11.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 34.4 FG% in three NCAA Tournament Games

Ben McLemore has been rumored to be in consideration for the top pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers. McLemore is definitely worthy of this consideration, as he is a top athlete and a player with a ton of potential who many other teams, were they to get the number one pick, would definitely consider. There’s a lot to like about Ben McLemore, but with Dion Waiters already on the roster, picking McLemore would meet some big-time criticism from Cavs fans. Regardless, let’s figure out what exactly McLemore has to offer.

Physical Tools

McLemore is a pretty good athlete for the shooting guard position. He has a vertical leap of 42 inches, is really fast and has great strength for a guard, which he uses to play solid defense, get rebounding position and finish in traffic and on the break. He also has a 6’8” wingspan, which helps his defensive potential when combined with his quickness. Athletically, McLemore stacks up with the best of today’s shooting guard crop and doesn’t really have any physical holes. He could stand to add some weight to his frame, but at 190 pounds, he should still be able to hold his own.

Offense

A lot to like here. McLemore has the prototypical offensive game for a shooting guard, and is able to do a lot of things well. McLemore has great shooting mechanics and should have no problems scoring from outside at the next level. He’s a great free throw shooter and nailed 42 percent of his threes last year, and McLemore is solid in catch-and-shoot situations. He’s not the best at creating off the dribble or pulling up for jumpers, but that should come as he blossoms into a more confident scorer. McLemore does succeed often on straight drives to the hoop, where his speed is excellent for blowing by defenders, but he’s not creative enough, and his left hand isn’t developed enough, for this to be a regular part of his offense just yet. McLemore does thrive on fast breaks, where his abilities to get to the rim and his speed make him a dangerous finisher. He’s also an underrated playmaker, putting up 2.2 assists per 36 minutes with his adept passing skills and never passing up an opportunity to find a teammate with a better look than he had. That skill is going to bode well for him at the next level and makes him more versatile. Overall, the only real hole in McLemore’s offensive game is his abilities creating off the dribble, and I think that will improve as he develops. McLemore has a high ceiling as an offensive player.

Defense

McLemore has the tools to be a great defensive player. His length and quickness give him excellent potential as a perimeter defender, and he already is a fantastic defender off the ball. He is great at getting in passing lanes and disrupting an offense. He’s also a solid defensive rebounder, averaging about four boards per game and using his length and leaping ability to battle with bigger players for boards. However, there are some holes here. Like Anthony Bennett, McLemore’s effort is not always there defensively. He struggles to handle crafty guards on the ball and really isn’t good at preventing drives to the basket. This could partly be because he could rely on Jeff Withey to rotate over and save him, but it’s still a bit of a problem. McLemore also is inconsistent with his closeouts, which is a shame because when he does a good job of closing out on a shooter his length is very bothersome. A lot of this is coachable, as McLemore’s defensive stance leaves a lot to be desired, and the effort problems are fixable. The tools are definitely there for him to be a factor defensively, but until he learns to be more active on the ball, and give a better effort, he’s going to struggle on this end.

Intangibles

We’ve discussed the effort problems on defense, but there are larger intangible issues here with McLemore. McLemore sometimes can be really passive offensively, preferring to let other teammates take over even when he has it going. Sometimes this is beneficial; like the North Carolina game in the NCAA tournament when McLemore started off ice cold and let the offense run through a scorching hot Travis Releford. Other times, like that atrocious TCU loss, where Naadir Tharpe somehow took 15 shots for Kansas and made two of them, it was not as beneficial. McLemore needs to become more confident in his abilities at the next level because he has the tools to be a top option offensively. However, mentally, I don’t think he’s quite there yet.

Player Comparison

I think a nice expectation for McLemore is Brandon Roy-level production. Roy and McLemore have similar abilities and athleticism, although McLemore’s knees appear to be made of real ligaments and cartilage instead of dried noodles and paper mache, so that’s more promising for him. I think eventual 23/4/6 per game production from McLemore isn’t necessarily far-fetched, although I will say that McLemore is a lot further away from where Roy was when he came out of college, which is to be expected, as Roy played all four years at Washington. McLemore hopefully will be able to emulate that production level eventually, and I think he has a chance to be an even better three-point shooter than Roy was.

How Does He Fit on the Cavaliers?

I don’t think he does, for several reasons. First, the Cavaliers already spent the fourth pick in last year’s draft on an offense-focused shooting guard in Dion Waiters. While Waiters had a rough first year, he’s 21 and nowhere near his ceiling as a player. To take McLemore would be disastrous for both players’ growth, as it would force both players to try to live up to expectations now, as opposed to taking time to grow and mature into productive players. Also, if the Cavs take McLemore, that would be a total neglect of the needs of the roster. The Cavs need a starting small forward, a rim-protecting big and a backup point guard. The Cavs solve none of those issues if they take McLemore, AND create a logjam at shooting guard. McLemore doesn’t make any sense for the Cavs, even if he is a great potential talent. They’re better off drafting Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo or even Alex Len.

Apr 2, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) puts up a shot against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half of the NIT Tournament Semi-Final at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to “Tuesdays with Right Down Euclid.” Every Tuesday the RDE crew of Zachary Kolesar and host Chris Manning will talk the latest Wine and Gold and NBA news to keep you informed on headlining topics in the form of back-and-forth discussion. We will cover the most important subjects in a four-quarter (and overtime) breakdown spanning from the shores of Lake Erie to all around the NBA (if it is relevant breaking news).

In the 33^rd episode, website editor Zachary Kolesar and contributing blogger Chris Manning are joined by Kevin Stankiewicz to talk about Alex Len, the impact of the Dion Waiters selection, Wayne Ellington’s future, Dwight Howard’s predicament and what’s next for Doc Rivers.

Below is the link where you can listen to this week’s episode as a whole:

You can also fast forward to the section of your choice by looking at the start time of each quarter:

First Quarter – What are your thoughts on the possibility of the Cavaliers selecting Alex Len at No. 1?

Starts at the beginning.

Second Quarter – Was it a mistake for the Cavaliers to take Waiters last June?

Starts at 6:30.

Third Quarter – Should the Cavaliers resign Wayne Ellington?

Starts at 14:15.

Fourth Quarter – What team is the best fit to take on Dwight Howard?

Starts at 19:32.

Overtime – Should the Clippers and Celtics go through with their proposed player-coach deal?

Starts at 24:35.

Make sure to join us next Tuesday for your weekly dose of “Tuesdays with Right Down Euclid.”

After breaking down the 19^th pick, the 31^st pick and the 33^rd pick, Right Down Euclid’s Chris Manning is back to do a three-part series on the No. 1 overall pick. In this post — the first of three — takes a look at the previous No. 1 picks in Cavaliers franchise history.

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the Cleveland Cavaliers will, for the second time in three years, select No. 1 overall. Historically, this is the fifth time the Cavaliers have held the first overall pick. Whoever joins Austin Carr, Brad Daugherty, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as a top pick will (due to Irving’s face of the franchise status) have the least amount of pressure on their shoulders coming into their rookie season.

Without further adieu, take a look at the pervious first-round picks in Cavaliers history.

1971: Austin Carr, SG, Notre Dame

Career Stats: 10, 473 career points, 44.9 percent field goal shooting, 15.4 pecent three-point shooting, 80.4 percent free throw shooting

To put it simply, Carr was much better in college than he ever was in the pros. When he left Notre Dame, his career scoring average of 34.5 points per game was fifth all-time in college basketball. To this day, he holds tournament records for most points scored in one game (61), field goals made in one game (25) and most field goals attempted in one game (44). But in the NBA, knee and foot surgeries slowed a rookie season that ended in an appearance on the 1972 NBA All-Rookie team. By 1981 Carr was out of the league with pedestrian career averages of 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. That’s not, historically, production you would hope to get out of your No. 1 pick.

1986: Brad Daugherty, C, North Carolina

Career Stats: 10,389 points, 4,020 rebounds, 53.2 percent field goal shooting, 397 blocks

Daugherty was part of the late 80s/early 90s Cavaliers teams that were arguably the best in franchise history. Like his predecessor Carr, the former Tar Heel had his career cut short at age 28 due to back problems. After the 1993-94 season, he sat out two more seasons before officially retiring after the 19935-96 season. In 2000, Daugherty was a unanimous selection to the All-Time Cleveland Cavaliers team, and until 2008, he was the Cavaliers all-time leading rebounder. But while he was better than Carr, the injuries that ended his career kept him from reaching his full potential.

2003: LeBron James, SF, St. Vincent St. Mary High School

Career Stats: 27.6 PPG, 6.9 APG, 7.3 RPG, 49.0 percent field goal shooting, 9 All-Star appearances

James, without a doubt, is the best No. 1 pick in Cavaliers history. Even though he took his talents to South Beach in the summer of 2009, he inarguably accomplished more than his fellow Cavalier No. 1 picks. He took a pretty average Cavaliers team to the Finals in 2007 and almost took that team back a year later. He, regardless of what you think of him as a person, accomplished amazing things during his times on the shores of Lake Erie. Take any other premier talent on a team that overspent on average players, and you’d get pretty similar results. Plus, remember one cold, hard fact: LeBron James is the best player on the planet right now and it’s not even close.

2011: Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke

Career Stats: 20.6 PPG, 5.7 APG, 45.9 percent field goal shooting, 39.1 percent three-point shooting, All-Star appearance

Irving (who the Cavaliers were beyond lucky to get) is still too young in his NBA career to be judged. The biggest concern about his game are the injuries. Granted some of them have been freak, but with another major injury, he’ll likely take on the injury-prone label that is impossible to shake. But when he’s healthy, it’s crystal clear that he has the potential to be the best point guard in the league and is probably top five right now. The jury is still out, but there is legitimate hope that he can lead this franchise back to the Finals and maybe even win one. But again, it’s pretty black and white with Irving. Either he takes the LeBron route and shoots up to stardom or ends up like Carr and Daugherty with his career cut short by injuries.